Know Your NH Fish and Game Fishing Regulations
Happy 2021 from Fly Fish NH!
If you’re like me, you spent the last couple of months thinking about the opening of the regular fishing season on January 1 in New Hampshire. I filled my time with some fly fishing for pike, which is a blast in its own right, but there’s something about the allure of trout. Were your dreams filled with brown trout, too?
It was a long wait, but we’re finally here! Maybe some of you have gotten out on the water already. Maybe some of you are thinking about. Or, maybe you’re waiting for more enjoyable weather. In any case, I think all of us could use a refresher on NH Fish and Game Regulations before we fly fish NH this year. To do this, the New Hampshire Freshwater Fishing 2021 Digest has everything we’ll need!
Do You Have Your License Yet?
It’s never too early to buy your NH Fish and Game Fishing license. After all, you’ll have to buy it eventually. It’s not like you’re going to miss out on fly fishing in 2021, are you? Licenses are available online here and can be purchased at any time. When fishing, you have to have this license on you at all times. HOWEVER, a fixed PDF is sufficient to comply with the law. You don’t need to carry a printed version at all times.
Fishing Regulations in New Hampshire
The fishing regulations in New Hampshire can be broken into a couple of categories. General versus special rules, and lakes & ponds versus rivers & streams.
Lakes & Ponds
There are more classifications for lakes and ponds than for rivers and streams. They include: General Rules, Lake Trout and/or Salmon Lakes, Trout Ponds, Fly-Fishing-Only Ponds, and Wild Trout Ponds. Do you know what your local lakes and ponds are? The laws for each differ, as do the opening and closing dates, so you should make sure to review them before heading out this year. Pages 13-20 of the NH Fishing Digest list all of these lakes and ponds, so you can check them there.
Rivers & Streams
Rivers and streams are broken up into general and special regulations. Basically, if a river or stream isn’t listed under the special regulations section (pages 23-25 in the fishing digest) it falls under the general regulations. Before heading out, you should check each. It’s important to note that many rivers’ regulations are different depending on the section you’re in, so make sure to check each stretch you plan to fish.
The Saco River
The Saco River is closest to my home in North Conway, NH so I spend a lot of time guiding and fly fishing here. It’s a good example of why you should check regulations, because the Saco River has general regulations except for in Conway (from Lucy Brook to the Confluence with Artist Falls Brook). That stretch is fly fishing only, and the daily limit for brook trout is (2) fish. Two minutes from North Conway with views of Mount Washington and the 4,000 footers, it’s not a stretch of river you want to miss.
Note: wherever you see brook trout written in the regulations, it refers to more than just brook trout. According to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Digest, brook trout include “brook, rainbow, brown and golden trout, Loch Leven trout and all their hybrids. You can read about this on page 8 of the digest.
The Androscoggin River
The Androscoggin River is another popular fly fishery that I guide frequently. Importantly, Errol Dam to the markers at the dead water at Bragg Bay is regulated as fly-fishing only with a daily limit for brook trout (2) fish; minimum length 12 inches. By contrast, Dummer is different. From the Dummer town line to Pontook Dam is different, and Berlin to Shelburne is different, too.
The Connecticut River.
My favorite fly fishery in the state, the The Connecticut River is broken down into several sections. Not only that, but since it sits on the NH/VT border it falls under specific Interstate Water designations.
The moral of the story is: check your regulations before you fly fish in NH. There are lots of differences between waterbodies, and you’re required to know them.
Important Things You May Have Missed
Know Your Definitions
Pages 8-9 highlight important definitions that will help anglers understand the laws. This is followed on pages 10-11 with important laws and rules.
As an example, have you ever accidently snagged a fish? As clarified in the definitions section of the NH Fishing Digest, “snagging, snatching, or lifting” is defined as “the taking or attempted taking of any fish by foul hooking, that is, hooking the fish in any part of the body other than inside the mouth.” It happens from time to time, but if you ever do snag a fish, you’re legally required to immediately release it. That means no pictures!
Salmon Season is Shorter!
While the regular fishing season opens on January 1 in many of NH’s fisheries, salmon season doesn’t open until April 1st. This is a day that many fly anglers wait for with great anticipation. Even if a section of water is open before then, you cannot legally target salmon there. What’s more, if you accidentally hook and land one, you’re required to release it unharmed immediately. It’s also worth noting that salmon season ends September 30th, which is early compared to most species.
Do you know your fish ID?
While we’re on the topic of salmon, many people confuse them with brown trout. When colored up, the two look very similar. A first clue you can look for is where the jaw ends. If it goes past the eye, it’s likely a brown trout. If not, more likely a salmon. If that doesn’t work, does it have a thick caudal peduncle? If so, it’s more likely a brown trout; if not, it’s more likely a salmon. If you’re still not sure, check the vomerine teeth in the roof of their mouth. Salmon have a single row, whereas brown trout have two rows that are zigzagged. Maine Fish and Game has a great illustration of this on their website, which you can find here.
Reach out to Fly Fish NH
This blog only scratches the surfaces of the nuances that exist in New Hampshire fishing regulations. I’d recommend you take some time to read the 2021 Fishing digest to make yourself familiar.
If you have any questions, reach out and I’d love to help clear them up. It can all be a bit confusing, and I’m here to help.
Tight lines!
