New Hampshire fishing reports
247 reports for New Hampshire — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Striped bass push into NH waters as fall migration builds
NOAA buoy 44007 logged a 59°F sea-surface reading in the Gulf of Maine this morning, still comfortable water for striped bass working the surf line. Surfcasters have been trading Massachusetts beaches for New Hampshire and Maine water, per The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME, where "piles of striped bass" are reportedly in no hurry heading south ahead of the cooling nights. One angler working the surf overnight south of the border found stripers to 42 inches on a slow-crawled needlefish plug. Locally, expect similar fish shadowing bait pushed out of the estuaries as the season turns.
Merrimack pike and crappie holding despite low, cooling water
The Contoocook River gauge (USGS 01091000), a direct Merrimack tributary, read 52°F on a lean 15.8 cfs this morning, in line with what Roger Aziz Jr. described this week for the Merrimack itself: water levels running low, same as most ponds, lakes and rivers across the Northeast Wildlife District right now. He fished the river anyway and did fine, landing five northern pike and a handful of crappies in a single outing, per The Fisherman — New England Freshwater. That's a useful read for anglers eyeing Merrimack and Winnipesaukee water this week: low, cooling flow hasn't shut fish down, it's just concentrating them.
Striper action builds along the MA-to-Maine corridor bordering NH
New Hampshire's Gulf of Maine coast sits inside the same corridor The Fisherman's South Shore Massachusetts to Maine reports are tracking this week, and the signal is bait finally pushing inshore. Belsan's Bait and Tackle noted baitfish moving back into shallower harbors and bays, which is waking up striped bass in the area, with several fish north of the 40-inch mark landed on live bait, plugs, and plastics. Dave Anderson's report from the same corridor echoed it: baitfish flooding inshore has beefed up striper catches this week. Surfland separately flagged a resurgence of activity out of river mouths along the same stretch.
Winnipesaukee bass shift into fall transition patterns
Lake Winnipesaukee is settling into its early-fall largemouth bass transition, the stretch when fish drift off summer weed edges toward baitfish schools and deeper structure. Tactical Bassin's fall coverage this week points anglers toward free-rigged soft plastics and bladed swim jigs worked along the remaining green weed edges, a pattern typical of Northeast lake country as water begins to cool under a First Quarter moon.
Merrimack and Winnipesaukee bass eye the fall transition
New Hampshire's Merrimack and Winnipesaukee waters are heading into the fall transition this week, the shift several national bass outlets are already flagging as the trigger for more aggressive largemouth bass behavior. Tactical Bassin's latest breakdown of the fall transition describes largemouth schooling up and keying on baitfish as dying weed growth pushes fish out of summer cover. Fishing the Midwest's Bob Jensen frames the same shift around targeting the healthiest remaining weeds, noting that as other cover thins, concentrated green growth becomes the reliable starting point.
Stripers wake up on the Gulf of Maine corridor as mackerel push inshore
Mackerel are flooding back into harbors and bays along the Gulf of Maine corridor, waking up striped bass fishing along with it — Belsan's Bait & Tackle (South Shore MA to ME) reports several bass north of 40 inches taken on live bait, plugs, and plastics this week, while Dave Anderson's report from the same stretch notes squid mixed into the mackerel schools. Further north, Beauport Fishing Adventures says codfish action is ramping up, with pollock and haddock holding in decent inshore numbers — an encouraging early signal for NH's groundfish season as water cools. No live buoy or gauge readings came back for the NH coast today, so treat these as regional trend indicators rather than local readings. With the first-quarter moon and cooling nights ahead, expect the bait push — and the bass and bottom bite riding it — to keep building toward the Gulf of Maine's fall run.
Winnipesaukee bass keep firing as fall transition nears
Lake Winnipesaukee's smallmouth and largemouth bass are still the headline act. Per The Fisherman — New England Freshwater, New Hampshire waters including Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam, Newfound, Northwood, Jenness, Canobie, and Great East Lake have been "churning out big smallmouth and largemouth bass" for weeks running — a streak that shows no sign of slowing heading into late September. USGS gauge 01081000 logged flow at 285 cfs early this morning with no water-temperature reading available at that site, so check a surface temp on arrival; typical mid-September Winnipesaukee temps are cooling into the low-to-mid 60s, which usually keeps bass feeding hard as they stage for fall. The same New England Freshwater roundup noted the nearby Merrimack River pike bite has gone quiet, a useful reminder that conditions can vary sharply lake to lake even within one region. With the moon at First Quarter, work structure, drop-offs, and baitfish concentrations for the most consistent action this week.
NH lakes churn out bass as Merrimack River pike bite fades
Roger Aziz, Jr. in Methuen reports the Merrimack River pike bite has cooled, with most anglers launching from the Methuen ramp turning up fewer fish than earlier this season — but the same weekly roundup from The Fisherman — New England Freshwater notes New Hampshire's bigger lakes, including Lake Winnipesaukee, are still "churning out" big smallmouth and largemouth bass. USGS gauge 01073500 shows the river running a lean 13.5 cfs as of this morning, a stable, low-water read that should keep boat traffic light and clarity good on connected waters. Water temperature wasn't available from this gauge, but by mid-September, Winnipesaukee and the Merrimack corridor are typically transitioning into fall patterns, with bass pushing shallower to feed ahead of the cooldown. With a First Quarter moon overhead, expect a steady bite rather than a feeding-frenzy day — work the bass windows early and late, and don't rule out a pike follow if you're working the river.
Fall bait exodus signals a building striper push off NH
Per Saltwater Edge Blog (RI)'s September new-moon forecast, peanut bunker, silversides, bay anchovies, sandeels, herring, and squid are already pushing out of salt ponds and estuaries toward the oceanfront — the shift that typically kicks off the Northeast's fall striper run. Anglers Journal frames the same trend on a wider scale, calling the weeks bracketing the fall equinox 'the heartbeat of the Northeast fishery,' when stripers, bluefish, and bait marshal for their southbound push. That migration corridor runs through the Gulf of Maine before it ever reaches Rhode Island, so NH anglers should expect the same bait-driven activity building or already underway along the NH coast. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge data came through for this stretch this cycle, and no NH-specific catch reports were available, so treat this as a regional seasonal read rather than a confirmed local bite — check a local tide chart or marine forecast before heading out.
Fall Push Builds Along the NH Coast as Bass Move North
Buoy 44007 put Gulf of Maine water at 59°F this week, still comfortable enough to keep striped bass moving as the fall run organizes "particularly to the north," per The Fisherman (Northeast)'s New England video forecast. Along the South Shore Massachusetts to Maine corridor — the closest reporting stretch to the NH coast — Dave Anderson notes mackerel are flooding back inshore and beefing up local striper catches, while Belsan's Bait and Tackle reports several bass north of the 40-inch mark coming on live bait, plugs, and plastics. Further north, Beauport Fishing Adventures says codfish action is ramping up, with pollock and haddock holding in decent numbers alongside good inshore striper counts. Squid are still mostly offshore for now. Winds are light at the buoy, keeping conditions fishable; watch for that northward mackerel push to keep pulling bigger bass tight to structure over the next week.
Winnipesaukee Bass Bite Holds Strong Into Mid-September
Smallmouth and largemouth bass are still producing big numbers on Lake Winnipesaukee, according to Roger Aziz, Jr.'s regional column in The Fisherman — New England Freshwater, which lists Winnipesaukee among a cluster of New Hampshire lakes — alongside Winnisquam, Newfound, Northwood, Jenness Pond, Canobie, and Great East Lake — that have been 'churning out big smallmouth and largemouth bass' for several weeks running. The multi-week phrasing suggests a stable pattern rather than a one-day fluke, which is typical as water starts cooling and bass push onto structure and points ahead of fall turnover. No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for this cycle, so exact surface temps aren't available — anglers should judge depth and presentation off visual clarity and typical mid-September conditions. No direct reports surfaced on lake trout or landlocked salmon this week; both are worth checking as deeper water starts to mix.
NH lake bass keep grinding as Merrimack pike bite cools
Smallmouth and largemouth bass continue to carry the bite across New Hampshire's lake country, with Roger Aziz Jr.'s report in The Fisherman — New England Freshwater noting Lake Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam Lake, Newfound Lake, Northwood Lake, Jenness Pond, Canobie Lake, and Great East Lake have been "churning out big smallmouth and largemouth bass" — a pattern the report says has held steady for weeks. The picture is quieter downstream: the same report found little happening on the Merrimack River itself, where anglers launching out of Methuen are picking at pike but seeing fewer fish than earlier in the season. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, so treat water temp and flow as unknowns for now — early-to-mid September typically still has NH lakes holding onto late-summer warmth. With the moon waxing toward full, expect bass to stay aggressive on area lakes while Merrimack River pike fishing likely stays on the slow side in the near term.