New Hampshire fishing reports
114 reports for New Hampshire — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Merrimack smallmouth heat up as the spring shad run fades
Roger Aziz, Jr. in Methuen, reporting for The Fisherman — New England Freshwater, says the Merrimack River's shad run is effectively finished — his most recent outing produced just four fish — but smallmouth bass are more than filling the gap, with anglers loading up on topwater lures, jigs, and spinnerbaits through the Lowell and Lawrence sections. Striped bass are still holding near the river's mouth, a welcome bonus for anglers working that stretch before the fish push further out. Aziz notes lakes across New Hampshire continue to produce bass generally, though results are uneven: Lake Attitash blanked for him this trip, with smaller ponds outperforming the bigger water. No fresh buoy or gauge data came through for Merrimack or Winnipesaukee this cycle, so treat flow and surface temps as typical mid-July conditions until the next update. Expect both bass species to lean on dawn and dusk windows as daytime heat pushes fish toward deeper, shaded structure.
Winnipesaukee bass dig deep as summer heat sets in
Lakes across New Hampshire continue to churn out bass this week, according to The Fisherman — New England Freshwater's regional roundup, even with no direct buoy or gauge readings available for Winnipesaukee itself. The broader pattern showing up across nearby freshwater reports is consistent: at Congamond Lakes in Massachusetts, surface temps hit 86 to 88 degrees and both largemouth and smallmouth bass slid off the shallows onto deeper structure and into holes, per the same publisher. Near Buzzards Bay, shore anglers found deep largemouth tough to reach and instead worked finesse-size Ned rigs and drop-shotted plastics in smaller ponds to keep catching fish through the heat. Expect Winnipesaukee's bass to be running a similar script right now: most active during the low-light morning and evening windows, more sluggish and structure-bound through midday. Smallmouth remain the headline draw on the lake itself this time of year, with lake trout and landlocked salmon holding deeper and cooler as summer progresses.
Striped bass push offshore and after dark as summer bite settles in
The closest geographic read we have for the Gulf of Maine's NH coast comes from the South Shore Massachusetts to Maine reports, and they show striped bass sliding firmly into summer patterns. Surfland Bait and Tackle says bass have largely abandoned the rivers as water temps climbed, with Joppa Flats one of the last inshore holdouts even as that bite has faded over the last seven to ten days; better action has pushed out front where sand eels and mackerel are thick. Beauport Fishing Adventures and Belsan's Bait and Tackle both point anglers toward coastal humps and local ledges holding decent bass, especially around tide changes, while Dave Anderson notes stripers shifting to deeper water and overnight hours as daytime effort turns to tog and mackerel. Offshore groundfish trips are mixing haddock with codfish that must be released, and OTW Saltwater's offshore roundup has bluefin tuna spreading north into the Gulf of Maine.
Winnipesaukee bass dig into summer patterns as trout go deep
Tactical Bassin's latest summer coverage highlights jig-and-minnow strolling and shade-seeking bass as the go-to pattern once water temperatures climb through mid-summer, and that's the shift Lake Winnipesaukee anglers should expect this stretch. No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for the lake this cycle, and none of today's angler-intel feeds filed a direct Winnipesaukee report, so this update leans on typical mid-July freshwater behavior for a deep, clear lake at this latitude. Smallmouth and largemouth bass should be pushing toward weedlines, docks, and shaded cover during peak sun, echoing the seasonal bass patterns described by Fishing the Midwest and Tactical Bassin this week, while lake trout and landlocked salmon typically slide toward the thermocline in deeper basins to escape surface warmth. Yellow perch tend to hold steady over deeper structure through summer. Treat this as a seasonal-pattern guide rather than an on-the-water account until local sources check in.
Merrimack smallmouth turn on as shad run winds down
Roger Aziz Jr. in Methuen reports the Merrimack River's shad run has wound down, with a recent outing yielding just four fish. Smallmouth bass are picking up the slack, though: loads of smallmouth are hitting topwater lures, jigs, and spinnerbaits through the Lowell and Lawrence stretches, per his report for The Fisherman — New England Freshwater. Striped bass are still holding at the river's mouth for anglers working that stretch. Away from the river, Aziz found Lake Attitash slow for bass but noted small ponds producing better, echoing a broader regional pattern. With no NH buoy or gauge readings available this cycle, this report leans on angler intel, and New England freshwater reports elsewhere describe surface temps pushing into the mid to upper 80s with bass sliding into deeper, cooler structure during peak sun. For Merrimack and Winnipesaukee anglers, that points toward dawn and dusk smallmouth windows and deeper largemouth presentations through midday this week.
Striper bite slides into summer mode across the Gulf of Maine
Buoy 44007 has Gulf of Maine water sitting at 61°F with light 5 m/s wind and mild 73°F air, conditions that push striped bass into a classic summer pattern. No angler intel filed directly from the NH coast this cycle, but the closest regional read comes from The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME feed: Dave Anderson notes the striper bite has "begun to slide into summer patterns," with deeper water producing best and surf/inshore action largely relegated to overnight hours. Beauport Fishing Adventures reports bass still biting well on the turns of the tide, both inshore and offshore, with some fish pushing into the mid-40-inch class, while mackerel remain thick along ledges holding bait. Belsan's Bait and Tackle adds that inshore blitzes have thinned as the bite pushes offshore to bait-rich ledges, and blackfish are starting to show at local jetties. Cod remain catch-and-release only; haddock is inconsistent but findable with some searching.
Summer bass bite favors early shadows on Lake Winnipesaukee
Per Tactical Bassin's summer bass coverage this week, hot mid-July conditions are pushing bass shallow into shadow cover during the early morning and back to deeper structure once the sun climbs, a pattern that tracks well for Lake Winnipesaukee's smallmouth and largemouth fishery right now. Locally, the USGS gauge (01081000) read a moderate 440 cfs as of Tuesday evening, though water temperature wasn't reported for that observation. No New Hampshire-specific reports came through this week's feeds, so we're leaning on regional summer patterns rather than fresh local intel. With a new moon overhead, low-light windows at dawn and dusk should fish best for shallow bass. Lake trout and landlocked salmon typically slide deep and go quiet through peak summer heat as the thermocline sets up, and nothing in this week's feeds suggests otherwise. Jigs and finesse presentations worked slow along cover remain the go-to approach for bass through the hottest stretch of summer.
Smallmouth bite heats up on the Merrimack as shad run wraps
Flows on the Merrimack are running light, with the USGS gauge at 01073500 reading 28.8 cfs, typical for a mid-July low-water stretch. Per The Fisherman — New England Freshwater, the spring shad run has wrapped up for the season, with a recent Methuen outing yielding just four fish, but striped bass are still holding at the river's mouth. The bigger freshwater story right now is smallmouth: anglers are finding loads of them on topwater lures, jigs, and spinnerbaits through the Lowell and Lawrence stretches. Around Winnipesaukee and the broader NH lake country, bass fishing continues to churn out fish, though results are uneven, with small ponds reportedly outproducing bigger water at the moment. With a new moon overhead and light flows across the watershed, early morning and low-light windows should be the highest-percentage play into the weekend.
Striper push shifts north toward NH as mackerel swarm inshore
Maine striper guys reported a strong push of larger fish this week, per The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME — a good sign for New Hampshire's Gulf of Maine coast, sandwiched between that push and the strengthening Massachusetts North Shore bite. No NH buoy or gauge data came back this cycle, so this report leans on conditions bracketing the coastline. The best bass action has shifted north of Cape Cod into Cohasset, Boston Harbor, and Nantasket, while the Merrimack River bite just south of the NH line is winding down, though Joppa Flats is still holding fish for tube-and-worm trollers. Mackerel remain thick on most trips, a reliable forage signal, and Gloucester and Rockport are seeing steady flounder action nearby. Offshore, haddock fishing is inconsistent as the spawn wraps up. With bait pushing north and stripers following, NH's rocky shoreline and river mouths should keep producing through the week.
Winnipesaukee bass settle into steady summer patterns
Watershed flow near Lake Winnipesaukee is running near 836 cfs at USGS gauge 01081000 this week, a steady read with no dramatic swings. Direct water-temperature data wasn't available at reading time, but with July sun the lake has almost certainly settled into typical warm-season stratification. Regional New England freshwater reports (per The Fisherman — New England Freshwater) describe ponds and lakes across the region firmly in "summertime mode" — trout bites going quiet while bass fishing locks into classic warm-water patterns, with fake frogs, Whopper Ploppers, Senkos, and shiners producing best early and late in the day. Expect a similar script on Winnipesaukee: smallmouth and largemouth working structure and weed edges at dawn and dusk, lake trout and landlocked salmon sliding deeper to find cooler water, and perch holding steady in modest numbers. The waning crescent moon this week favors low-light bites more than usual.
Summer bass patterns settle in on Winnipesaukee and the Merrimack
Mid-July heat has pushed New Hampshire's inland waters into a full summer pattern, and the technique talk out of the freshwater fishing world this week backs that up. Bass are holding tight to cover and structure as the sun climbs, with Tactical Bassin's crew reporting big largemouth and smallmouth loading the boat on finesse paddletails and jigs worked slow around emerging weeds and shade lines. Fishing the Midwest echoes the same theme, pointing anglers toward working weedlines methodically rather than running and gunning, a pattern that translates directly to Merrimack backwaters and Winnipesaukee's weedy coves. No direct water-temp or flow readings came through our buoy and gauge feeds for this region today, so treat conditions as typical for mid-July until a fresh reading posts. Early mornings and evenings remain the highest-percentage windows as surface temps climb through the day. Pickerel and perch should stay opportunistic around the same cover bass are using.
Striper Push Builds Along the Gulf of Maine North of Cape Ann
A strong push of larger striped bass has moved into Maine waters this week, according to a Maine correspondent cited by The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME, part of a broader northward shift in the bite from Cape Ann up through the Merrimack and into Boston Harbor as bass settle into summer patterns. Mackerel remain thick across the Gulf of Maine, per Beauport Fishing Adventures out of Gloucester, giving both stripers and anglers a reliable forage base to key on. Offshore, haddock fishing has been inconsistent as those fish wind down their spawning period, with Tilly's Basin producing better than most spots, per the same report. For NH anglers sitting between these two zones, the read is a strengthening striper bite pushing up the coast with bait holding fish in place, worth working tide changes and low-light hours while the mackerel schools keep bass fixed nearshore. No live buoy or gauge data was available for this update, so treat water temps as seasonal estimates until confirmed on the water.
Fishing in New Hampshire
New Hampshire runs from salt to summit. A short but real coastline puts stripers and bluefish in Great Bay and along the beaches all summer. Lake Winnipesaukee anchors the lakes region with smallmouth, lake trout, and landlocked salmon, and the White Mountains feed cold, clean trout streams that fish beautifully all season. When winter comes, this is one of New England's best ice fishing states.
When to fish New Hampshire
Landlocked salmon and lake trout feed near the surface right after ice-out on the big lakes, the best window of the year for them. Stocked and wild trout turn on across the streams as the water warms.
Winnipesaukee and the lakes region produce steady smallmouth all summer, with salmon and lakers holding deep. On the coast, stripers and blues push into Great Bay and along the beaches.
Trout and salmon feed hard before winter, smallmouth school up on rocky structure, and the rivers fish as well as they look. The last stripers slide south along the coast.
Hard water opens up lake trout, cusk, perch, pickerel, and rainbow trout across the lakes region, with bob-house villages appearing on the big lakes every year.
Waters to know
Wayfinder builds a plan for your exact water and day from live buoys, gauges, tides, and recent reports. Free, about 30 seconds.
Common questions
Do I need a license to fish in New Hampshire?
Yes, New Hampshire requires a fishing license for most anglers, sold online through NH Fish and Game. Saltwater fishing has its own requirements, so check the current rules for the water you plan to fish.
What fish can I catch in New Hampshire?
Smallmouth and largemouth bass, lake trout, landlocked salmon, brook, brown, and rainbow trout, walleye, pickerel, cusk, and panfish inland. The seacoast adds striped bass, bluefish, and mackerel.
When is the best time to fish New Hampshire?
Ice-out in spring is the famous window for salmon and lake trout, summer is prime for smallmouth and stripers, fall fishes beautifully everywhere, and winter is one of New England's best ice seasons.
Where can I check current New Hampshire fishing conditions?
This page carries our current New Hampshire fishing reports, built daily from NOAA buoys, USGS river gauges, tides, and local sources. For a plan built around your exact water and day, try the free Wayfinder trip planner.
Seasons and limits change: verify current regulations with NH Fish and Game before keeping fish.
Run a business serving New Hampshire anglers? Sponsor this page →