Welcome to 2023-24 New Hampshire Freshwater Fishing

2023 Free Fishing Days

Saturday, January 21
Saturday, June 3

Freshwater or saltwater fishing by angling only

NO LICENSE REQUIRED*

Resident or nonresident – All other regulations apply

* Anglers participating in fishing tournaments on Free Fishing Days must have a license.

Fishing Fun

Hello anglers! The best thing about fishing is that there is something for everyone, especially in New Hampshire. With 12,000 miles of rivers and streams and 975 lakes and ponds, there is great fishing to be had everywhere in our beautiful state. Check out locations on our website at fishnh.com/fishing/where-fish.html.

We are very fortunate in the Granite State to have popular coldwater species of fish including lake trout, landlocked salmon, and brook, brown, and rainbow trout. But for those who prefer warmwater angling, New Hampshire offers small- and largemouth bass, pickerel, black crappie, bluegill, and yellow perch among others. A New Hampshire fishing license is one of the best deals around. You get a full year of outdoor recreation, and dinner too if you are successful! And don’t forget our free fishing days on January 21 and June 3 in 2023, when anglers do not need a license to fish in New Hampshire.

Our hatchery staff stock over a million trout for your fishing enjoyment each year. New Hampshire was recently awarded $56 million in federal relief funding to begin upgrading our hatchery system of six facilities to meet new water quality and efficiency standards. We will be continuing on this path for the next several years so stay tuned for updates.

Also thanks to our Public Boat Access Program, guided by the Public Water Access Advisory Board, or PWAAB, there are more than 140 Fish and Game boat launch sites around the state. Construction and maintenance of these facilities is supported in part by the federal Sport Fish Restoration Program, as is our stocking program.

So thanks for your support, stay safe, and we’ll see you on the water.

Scott R. Mason
Executive Director
N.H. Fish and Game Department