New Hampshire fishing reports
247 reports for New Hampshire — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Fall Striper Run Builds North Toward the NH Coast
No live buoy or gauge readings came back for the Gulf of Maine NH coast this cycle, so this update leans on the regional picture feeding into it. Striped bass are "beginning to show signs of organizing into a full-on fall run with isolated blitz action," particularly to the north, per The Fisherman's New England Video Fishing Forecast (Sept. 10). That tracks with reports from The Fisherman's South Shore Massachusetts to Maine coverage: stripers are still stacked up and feeding heavily in southern Maine, with anglers there "waiting and salivating" for that push to migrate into local waters, while bass have already begun exiting Boston Harbor and working south past Hull and Plymouth on pogies. Bottom fishing in the Gulf of Maine is mixed — Beauport Fishing Adventures is doing well on cusk, redfish, and pollock, though cod have lagged expectations since the reopened Gulf of Maine season, and bluefish have been scarce region-wide all year.
Winnipesaukee's Big Lakes Still Producing Into Early Fall
Lake Winnipesaukee is holding up well as summer turns toward fall. Roger Aziz, Jr.'s regional roundup (The Fisherman — New England Freshwater) reports that "big waters such as Lake Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam Lake, and Newfound Lake are still churning out impressive" fishing heading into September — a good sign for anglers working the state's larger lake systems right now. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge data came back for this stretch today, so treat water temperature and flow as unconfirmed rather than assumed; lean on seasonal norms and local word until fresh readings post. The same New England Freshwater dispatch also flags steady northern pike activity on nearby big rivers in the district, reinforcing that New Hampshire's larger waters are fishing well as a group this week, not just Winnipesaukee in isolation. With a new moon overhead, expect low-light bites to carry extra weight over the next few days. Check current NH regulations before harvesting — seasons and limits can shift this time of year.
Merrimack Pike Stack Up Below Essex Dam Ahead of Fall Turn
Northern pike are the story on the Merrimack this week — Roger Aziz Jr., per The Fisherman — New England Freshwater, calls pike above the Essex Dam in Lawrence the hottest bite in the Northeast Wildlife District right now, with fish running a touch small at roughly 25 inches average but plentiful enough to keep a rod bent all evening. The same report notes New Hampshire's bigger lakes — Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam, and Newfound — are still producing well as the calendar turns toward fall. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for this cycle, so water temperature and flow are unconfirmed; check a local gauge before you launch. Absent direct reports on bass or lake trout this week, expect the typical early-September pattern: smallmouth sliding toward deeper structure as weed growth thins, and lake trout holding near the thermocline in Winnipesaukee's deeper basins. Tonight's new moon favors low-light dawn and dusk bites.
Stripers stack up south of NH as fall push builds
Stripers are stacking up in Massachusetts waters just south of the New Hampshire coast, with early signs pointing toward a strong Gulf of Maine push in the weeks ahead. Per The Fisherman's South Shore Massachusetts to Maine report, Belsan's Bait and Tackle described a huge school of stripers moving south from Minot down to Egypt Beach, while blitzing bass that had piled up in Boston Harbor are now exiting and working south toward Hull and Plymouth. Surfland, in the same report, noted anglers are "waiting and salivating" for the stripers still chowing down in southern Maine to begin filtering into local waters — exactly the fish that eventually pass the NH coast. Offshore, Beauport Fishing Adventures reports the reopened Gulf of Maine groundfish season producing cusk, redfish, and pollock, with cod lagging expectations, while bluefish remain scarce to absent across the region. No buoy or gauge readings are available for this update, so treat conditions as a regional synthesis rather than direct NH instrument data.
Striper Migration From Southern Maine Nears the NH Coast
Anglers along the South Shore Massachusetts to Maine corridor are all watching the same thing this week — the striper push moving down from southern Maine that many expect to reach New Hampshire waters soon, per reports collected by The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME. Surfland is already seeing good numbers of bass holding at the south end of the island, with bait working best: clams or worms on bottom by day, eels after dark. Closer to Boston, correspondent Dave Anderson describes blitzing striped bass exiting Boston Harbor and moving south toward Hull and Plymouth, fed by a heavy showing of pogies that's also stirring up giant bluefin nearby. Offshore in the Gulf of Maine, Beauport Fishing Adventures reports a steady cusk, redfish, and pollock bite, though cod haven't turned up in the numbers hoped for since the season reopened. Bluefish remain scarce region-wide this fall.
Groundfish Steady, Stripers Staged for Fall Push on NH's Gulf of Maine Coast
NOAA buoy 44007 in the Gulf of Maine logged 62°F water and a light 6 m/s breeze this morning, still comfortable water for the region's late-summer holdovers. Bottom fishing is the more reliable bite right now: per The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME, Capt. Tom Lukegord of Beauport Fishing Adventures reports steady action on cusk, redfish, and pollock, though codfish haven't been as plentiful as hoped since the Gulf of Maine season reopened. Bluefish remain scarce across the region this year, per the same report. Striped bass are still working through southern Maine waters and haven't yet begun their typical fall push south into New Hampshire and Massachusetts, per the South Shore Massachusetts to Maine dispatch — anglers up and down the coast are watching for that migration to kick into gear. September historically opens up the offshore grounds, and that pattern appears to be holding here.
Winnipesaukee's Big Water Keeps Producing as Fall Nears
Lake Winnipesaukee's flow gauge (USGS 01081000) is holding steady near 338 cfs, a solid late-summer baseline with no dramatic swings to report. Per The Fisherman — New England Freshwater, New Hampshire's big waters — Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam, and Newfound Lake — are still producing solid results as the calendar turns toward fall, keeping smallmouth bass and lake trout the go-to targets for boat anglers working structure and deeper water. Panfish anglers should take a cue from Wired 2 Fish's late-summer advice: as water warms and weeds thicken, bluegill and crappie often slide off classic shallow cover and suspend deeper or around structure, so downsizing baits and probing deeper water pays off right now. With a waning crescent moon overhead, expect a fairly typical late-summer pattern through the week — steady grinding for anglers willing to work the depths rather than fish memory-shallow spots.
Merrimack River Pike Stay Hot Above Essex Dam
Northern pike remain the standout freshwater bite in the region right now, with Roger Aziz Jr., per The Fisherman — New England Freshwater, reporting plentiful pike above the Essex Dam on the Merrimack River in Lawrence, most running around 25 inches. The same report notes that New Hampshire's big lakes — Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam, and Newfound — are still producing solid catches heading into early September. Flow at USGS gauge 01073500 sits low at 9.29 cfs, typical for this stretch after a dry late summer, and no fresh water-temperature reading came through this cycle. Panfish behavior is shifting too: per Wired 2 Fish's seasonal notes, warm surface water is pushing bluegill and crappie off shallow cover and suspending them over deeper structure and open water, so downsizing baits should help. Smallmouth and largemouth bass remain a solid option around Winnipesaukee as the fall transition nears. Check current New Hampshire regulations before harvesting pike or bass this week.
Gulf of Maine cod reopens as stripers stage a fall push
The Gulf of Maine cod fishery reopened September 1 with a one-fish limit at a 23-inch minimum, per Dave Anderson's report for The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME — the first legal cod opportunity of 2026 for anglers working north of the closed Southern New England stock area, which stays shut through year-end. The same regional column notes striped bass are "coming down the coast in waves" as the strong Maine bite slides slowly south, while Boston Harbor is still holding wild blitz action on bass and bluefish, per The Fisherman (Northeast)'s New England forecast. One Massachusetts shop adds that Boston's blitzing stripers "have had no reason to push south, yet," so the timing of a Gulf of Maine push toward NH remains fluid. No live buoy or gauge readings were available for the NH coast this cycle, so treat conditions as regionally inferred until fresh data comes in.
Winnipesaukee's fall bass and trout bite build as nights cool
No buoy or gauge readings came back for Lake Winnipesaukee this week, and none of the angler-intel feeds filed a report from the lake itself, so this update leans on regional signal and typical early-September patterns rather than on-lake testimony. Elsewhere in New Hampshire, The Fisherman — New England Freshwater reports smallmouth bass still producing well in the Merrimack River's Hooksett and Nashua sections, a sign the state's smallmouth bite remains strong heading into fall even with low water in spots. On Winnipesaukee specifically, this is typically the stretch when smallmouth turn aggressive around rocky points and drop-offs as surface temperatures ease, lake trout and landlocked salmon start pushing toward the thermocline break, and largemouth in the weedier coves key on baitfish pushed shallow by cooling nights. With a waning crescent moon overhead, dawn and dusk should be the sharper windows. Confirm current conditions locally before heading out, since no direct lake reports were available to verify the pattern has started.
NH smallmouth hold steady on the Merrimack as pike wake up upriver
Smallmouth bass fishing remains solid through the New Hampshire stretches of the Merrimack River this week, with normal water levels and continued good numbers reported out of both the Hooksett and Nashua sections, per The Fisherman — New England Freshwater. In the deeper water further upriver, anglers are also starting to connect with northern pike, a welcome secondary target as the smallmouth bite holds through the early-September transition. No direct reports came in this cycle from Lake Winnipesaukee itself, so anglers there should lean on typical early-fall patterns: smallmouth and largemouth easing toward shallower structure as summer weed growth begins to thin, with lake trout starting their seasonal drift toward deeper, cooler water. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge data was available for this region this cycle, so treat flow and water temperature as unconfirmed until you check a local source before heading out. Overall, early fall is historically a strong stretch on both waters, and the Merrimack's steady bite fits that pattern.
Gulf of Maine cod reopens as stripers push south from Maine
The Gulf of Maine cod fishery reopened September 1 with a one-fish limit at a 23-inch minimum, per The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME, while the Southern New England stock area stays closed through year-end. Beauport Fishing Adventures was expected to run trips taking advantage of the fresh opening. Meanwhile striped bass are working their way down the coast from Maine, with the same report noting insane fishing to the north slowly sliding south toward the Merrimack stretch — good news for NH's stretch of Gulf of Maine coastline sitting right in that path. Local eel-slingers and plug-slingers along the Refuge have been picking off slot fish on bottom bait. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this stretch today, so treat water temps and swell as check-before-you-go until better data lands. Early September typically marks the start of the real fall push here.