Rivers & Streams with Special Rules

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This section has information on rivers and streams with Special Rules. These rivers and streams have rules that may differ from, or be in addition to, General Fishing Rules for Rivers and Streams.

If you find the waterbody you intend to fish, look immediately beside it for the rules on season dates, bag limits, length limits and methods of taking.

In instances where special limits, seasons, and methods of taking are not noted for a particular river or stream, the General Fishing Rules for Rivers & Streams apply.

Waterbody	Town(s)	Section	Species	Season	Methods	Trout Rules	Other Special Rules
Alder Brook	Second College Grant	All sections	E BT	Jan 1 through Labor Day	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	Catch-and-release	Managed for wild trout
Ammonoosuc River	Littleton to Bath	Apthorp Dam in Littleton to confluence with Connecticut River in Bath	E BT, RT, BT	Jan 1 through Oct 15		No taking of trout/salmon two hours after sunset to one hour before sunrise	Brown trout may be taken any time of day or night during the open season.
Androscoggin River	Errol	Errol Dam to the markers at the dead water at Bragg Bay	E BT, RT, BT, LLS, SMB, ECP, HP	Jan 1 through Oct 15	Fly-fishing only	Daily limit for brook trout 2 fish; minimum length 12 inches
Androscoggin River	Dummer	Dummer-Cambridge town line to Pontook Dam	E BT, RT, BT, LLS, SMB, ECP, HP	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice
Androscoggin River	Dummer to Berlin	Wheeler Bay in Dummer to Sawmill Dam in Berlin	E BT, RT, BT, LLS, SMB, ECP, HP	Jan 1 through Oct 15		No taking of trout/salmon two hours after sunset to one hour before sunrise	Brown trout may be taken any time of day or night during the open season.
Androscoggin River	Berlin to Shelburne	Sawmill Dam in Berlin to ME/NH boundary	E BT, RT, BT, LLS, SMB, ECP, HP	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	No taking of trout/salmon two hours after sunset to one hour before sunrise	Catch-and-Release all trout—no bad limits for black bass
Ashuelot River	Surry	Surry Mountain Reservoir	RT, BT, SMB, LMB, ECP, HP, BC	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice
Ashuelot River, South Branch	Troy to Swanzey	Marlborough Road bridge in Troy to Richmond Road bridge in East Swanzey	E BT, BT	Jan 1 through Oct 15	Fly-fishing only	Daily limit for brook trout 2 fish
Bellamy River	Madbury	Bellamy Reservoir	E BT, RT, LMB, ECP, HP, BC	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice
Blackwater River	Salisbury to Andover	The Bays and Cilleyville Bog	RT, BT	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice
Carroll Stream	Whitefield to Carroll	Upstream of its confluence with Airport Pond in Whitefield	E BT	Jan 1 through Labor Day	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	Catch-and-release	Managed for wild trout
Cocheco River	Rochester to Dover	Watson Road dam downstream to head of tide	E BT, BT, RT, SMB, ECP	Oct 16 to 4th Sat. in April Catch-and-release	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	4th Sat. in April to Oct 15 daily limit for brook trout 5 fish or 5 lbs. All legal methods.	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt
Connecticut River	Pittsburg	Dam at Second Ct Lake to upstream side of logging bridge on Magalloway Road	E BT, LLS	Jan 1 through Oct 15	Fly-fishing only		Catch-and-Release
Connecticut River	Pittsburg	From Magalloway Rd bridge to inlet at Green Point on First Ct Lake	E BT, LLS	Jan 1 through Oct 15	Fly-fishing only	Daily limit for brook trout is 2 fish
Connecticut River	Pittsburg	First CT Lake dam to the signs on Lake Francis	E BT, RT, BT, LLS	Jan 1 through Oct 15	Fly-fishing only	Daily limit for brook trout is 2 fish; minimum length 12 inches
Connecticut River	See NH-VT Interstate Rules.
Contoocook River	Rindge to Henniker	Contoocook Lake downstream to area marked with signs and wire in West Henniker	E BT, RT, BT, SMB, LMB, ECP, HP, WP, BC, BG	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice
Contoocook River	Henniker	From 2500 ft above former paper mill dam in West Henniker, marked by signs and wire, upstream 1 mile to a point marked by signs and wire	E BT, RT, BT, SMB, LMB, ECP, HP, WP, BC, BG	Jan 1 through Nov 30	Flies and single hook artificial lures with no more than 3 points	Daily limit for brook trout is 2 fish; minimum length 12 inches
Contoocook River	Henniker	From 2500 ft above former paper mill dam in West Henniker, to confluence with Merrimack River	E BT, RT, BT, SMB, LMB, ECP, HP, WP, WLE, BC, BG	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice
Diamond River	Second College Grant	From confluence of Swift Diamond and Dead Diamond Rivers downstream to Magalloway River	E BT, SMB	Jan 1 through Oct 15	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	Catch-and-release	No limits for black bass
Ellis River	Jackson	From the covered bridge in Jackson to Iron Railroad Bridge in Glen	E BT, RT	Jan 1 through Oct 15	Fly-fishing only	Daily limit for brook trout is 2 fish
Exeter River	Sandown to Exeter	From Route 121-A to the Squamscott River	E BT, RT, BT, BC, LMB, ECP	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice	Closed to all fishing from the upstream side of the Pickpocket Dam and fishway including a 50 foot radius in front of the fishway on the upstream side to the downstream side of the Cross Roads Bridge in the towns of Brentwood and Exeter
Flints Brook	Hollis	All sections	E BT	Jan 1 through Labor Day	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	Catch-and-release	Managed for wild trout
Gulf Brook	Chesterfield	All sections	E BT	Jan 1 through Labor Day	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	Catch-and-release	Managed for wild trout
Isinglass River	Barrington to Rochester	From Route 125 bridge downstream to confluence with Cocheco River	E BT, RT	Oct 16 to 4th Sat. in April Catch-and-release	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	4th Sat. in April to Oct 15 daily limit for brook trout 5 fish or 5 lbs. All legal methods.	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt
Lamb Valley Brook	Second College Grant	All sections	E BT	Jan 1 through Labor Day	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	Catch-and-release	Managed for wild trout
Lamprey River	Raymond to Durham	Raymond/Deerfield town line to Wiswall Dam	E BT, RT, BT, LLS, LMB, SMB, ECP	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice
Lamprey River	Durham	Wiswall Dam to first railroad trestle downstream of Packers Falls	E BT, RT, BT, LMB, SMB, ECP, BG, BC	Oct 16 to 4th Sat. in April Catch-and-release	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	4th Sat. in April to Oct 15 daily limit for brook trout 5 fish or 5 lbs. All legal methods.	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt
Lamprey River	Durham to Newmarket	From first railroad trestle downstream of Packers Falls to head of tide	E BT, RT, BT, LMB, SMP, ECP, BG, BC	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice
Long Mountain Brook	Odell to Stratford	All sections	E BT	Jan 1 through Labor Day	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	Catch-and-release	Managed for wild trout
Loomis Valley Brook	Second College Grant	All sections	E BT	Jan 1 through Labor Day	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	Catch-and-release	Managed for wild trout
Lost River	Woodstock	From 100 ft above parking area entrance bridge to 100 ft below last footbridge in Lost River Gorge		Closed to all fishing
Lyman Brook	Columbia	From headwaters to the bridge on Meriden Hill Road in Columbia	E BT, RT, BT	Jan 1 through Labor Day	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	Catch-and-release	Managed for wild trout
Mascoma River	Enfield to Lebanon	From Route 4 bridge south of Mascoma Lake Dam downstream to the covered bridge	E BT, RT, BT	Jan 1 through Oct 15	Fly-fishing only	Daily limit for brook trout is 2 fish
Meadow Brook	Sharon	All sections	E BT	Jan 1 through Labor Day	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	Catch-and-release	Managed for wild trout
Merrimack River	Franklin to Mass. border (except closed sections)	All sections	E BT, RT, BT, SMB, LMB, ECP, HP, WP, WLE, BC, BG, ATS	No closed season for all species except smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice	See special rules for brood stock Atlantic salmon.
Merrimack River	Bow	Garvin Falls Dam from canal wall, including fish bypass plunge pool, to a point 300 ft downstream to main river		Closed to all fishing
Merrimack River	Manchester	Upstream side of Amoskeag Dam to upstream side of Amoskeag Bridge, and between west bank of river and island adjacent to powerhouse for 500 ft downstream from fishway entrance		Closed to all fishing
Merrymeeting River	New Durham	Merrymeeting Lake Dam to 200 ft below Powder Mill Hatchery		Closed to all fishing
Merrymeeting River	New Durham to Alton	From 200 ft below Powder Mill Hatchery to lower dam at Alton	LMB, ECP, HP, WP	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice
Merrymeeting River	Alton	From lower dam at Alton to Route 11 bridge at Alton Bay	LLS, RT, LMB, SMB, ECP, WP, HP	Jan 1 through October 31	Jan 1 – June 15 and Oct 1–31 fly-fishing only, barbless hooks, catch-and-release	June 16 – Sept 30 combined daily limit for trout and salmon is 2 fish, min length 15 inches, min length lake trout 18 inches	Open season as stated, except smelt
Nashua River	Hollis to Nashua	From MA/NH border to Jackson Mills Dam in Nashua	SMB, LMB, ECP, HP, BC, BG	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice
Nashua River	Nashua	Jackson Mills Dam 200 ft above to 200 ft below		Closed to all fishing
Nashua River	Nashua	Mines Falls Dam to 200 ft below		Closed to all fishing
Newfound River	Bristol	Area between West Shore Road and dam adjacent to Crescent St	E BT, RT, LLS	Jan 1 through October 31	Fly-fishing only Jan 1 – Oct 31	Jan 1 – March 31 daily limit for trout 2 fish and all salmon immediately released; April 1 – Sept 30 combined daily limit for trout/salmon is 2 fish	Oct 1–31 barbless hooks only, catch-and-release all fish
Pemigewasset River	Headwaters to Bristol	Headwaters to Route 104 bridge in Bristol	E BT, RT	Jan 1 through October 15			This waterbody, and its tributaries to the first upstream dam, shall be closed to the taking of salmon
Pemigewasset River	Bristol	From Route 104 bridge to Ayers Island Dam	E BT, RT	No closed season for all species except smelt
Pemigewasset River	Bristol	From Ayers Island Dam 300 ft downstream		Closed to all fishing
Pemigewasset River	Bristol to Franklin	From 300 ft below Ayers Island Dam to the Eastman Falls Dam in Franklin	E BT, BT, RT, ATS	No closed season for all species except smelt			Atlantic salmon shall be taken by fly-fishing only. Oct 1 – March 31 salmon are catch-and-release.
Pemigewasset River	Franklin	From Eastman Falls Dam 150 ft downstream		Closed to all fishing
Pemigewasset River	Franklin	From 150 ft below Eastman Falls Dam to the Route 3/11 bridge in Franklin	E BT, BT, RT, ATS	No closed season for all species	Catch-and-release single hook artificial flies and lures		Atlantic salmon shall be taken by fly-fishing only.
Pemigewasset River	Franklin	From Route 3/11 bridge to confluence with Winnipesaukee River	E BT, BT, RT, ATS	No closed season		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice	Atlantic salmon shall be taken by fly-fishing only. Oct 1 – March 31 salmon are catch-and-release.
Perry Stream	Pittsburg	Happy Corner Bridge to Connecticut River	E BT, RT, BT, LLS	Jan 1 through Oct 15	Fly-fishing only	Daily limit for brook trout is 2 fish
Piscataquog River	Weare to Goffstown	Howe Bridge to Glen Lake	E BT, RT, BT	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice
Piscataquog River, South Branch	New Boston	From 300 ft upstream of Lyndeboro Road bridge, downstream to first bridge on Route 13 in New Boston	E BT, RT, BT	June 16 – October 15	October 16 – June 15 Catch-and-release single barbless hook artificial flies and lures	June 16 – October 15 daily limit for brook trout is 5 fish or 5 lbs
Pond Brook	Odell to Stratford	All sections	E BT	Jan 1 through Labor Day	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	Catch-and-release	Managed for wild trout
Powwow River	Kingston	All sections	SMB, LMB, ECP, HP, BC	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice
Saco River	Conway	Lucy Brook downstream to confluence with Artist Falls Brook	E BT, BT	Jan 1 through Oct 15	Fly-fishing only	Daily limit for brook trout is 2 fish
Saco River	Hart's Location	Crawford Notch State Park dam at Willey House historical site upstream to where Saco River enters Willey Pond	E BT	Jan 1 through Oct 15			Closed to all fishing except children 12 and under
Sand Brook	Hillsborough	All sections	E BT	Jan 1 through Labor Day	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	Catch-and-release	Managed for wild trout
Souhegan River	New Ispwich to Wilton	From 300 ft upstream of green bridge on Old Wilton Road in Greenville to 300 ft downstream of Route 31 bridge in Wilton	E BT, RT, BT	June 16 – Oct 15	October 16 – June 15 Catch-and-release single barbless hook artificial flies and lures	June 16 – October 15 daily limit for brook trout is 5 fish or 5 lbs
Sucker Brook	Auburn	From dam in Auburn Village downstream to Lake Massabesic	LMB, SMB, HP, ECP	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice
Sugar River	Newport	Kellyville Bridge to the so-called Oak Street Bridge	E BT, RT, BT	Jan 1 through Nov 30	Fly-fishing only	Daily limit for brook trout is 2 fish
Suncook River	Barnstead to Allenstown/Pembroke	From Route 126 bridge in Barnstead downstream to China Mill Dam in Allenstown/Pembroke	E BT, RT, BT, SMB, LMB, ECP, BC	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice
Swift River	Sandwich to Tamworth	From Route 113A bridge downstream to Route 113 bridge	E BT, RT	Jan 1 through Oct 15	Fly-fishing only	Daily limit for brook trout is 2 fish
Taylor River	Hampton Falls	West of Route 95	LMB, ECP, HP	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice
Turkey River	Concord	All sections	LMB, ECP, HP	No closed season for all species except salmon and smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice
West Branch Mohawk River	Colebrook	All sections	E BT	Jan 1 through Labor Day	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	Catch-and-release	Managed for wild trout
Winnipesaukee River	Laconia to Tilton	From dam at Paugus Bay to 500 ft downstream and Messer Street bridge downstream to Dixon Point; and from old Union Bridge abutment in Tilton/Belmont downstream to a point 1000 ft below Lochmere Dam	RT, LLS, SMB, WP	April 1 – Sept 30			See special rules for brood stock Atlantic salmon.
Winnipesaukee River	Tilton, Northfield to Franklin	From Franklin Falls Dam to confluence with Merrimack River	E BT, RT, BT, SMB	No closed season for all species except smelt		Daily limit of 2 trout through the ice	See special rules for brood stock Atlantic salmon.
Witches Spring Brook	Hollis	All sections	E BT	Jan 1 through Labor Day	Single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies	Catch-and-release	Managed for wild trout

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