New Hampshire fishing reports
289 reports for New Hampshire — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Rough Gulf of Maine surf keeps NH striper run moving
NOAA buoy 44007 logged a 57°F surface read with 9.2-foot seas and steady wind out of the Gulf of Maine overnight, rougher water than typical for a September full-moon week. Per The Fisherman's South Shore Massachusetts to Maine column, surf regulars have been driving north into New Hampshire and Maine, where striped bass are holding in good numbers rather than pushing south yet. One angler working the surf after dark took fish to 42 inches on a slowly crawled needlefish plug.
Fall turnover puts Winnipesaukee bass and walleye on the move
Lake Winnipesaukee is deep into its fall turnover window, with USGS gauge 01081000 on the Winnipesaukee River holding a steady late-September outflow. Cooling surface water is nudging fish off summer haunts and onto structure and dying weed edges, the same shift Fishing the Midwest describes for this time of year, when baitfish and gamefish abandon fading weed beds for the green ones still holding oxygen. Wired 2 Fish's seasonal timing guide points anglers toward the low-light hours around dawn and dusk as bass shift into active-hunting mode, and Field & Stream's fall rig roundup backs that up with presentation advice built specifically for this cooling-water period.
Merrimack River pike, crappie biting through low water
Water levels on the Merrimack River are running low, but the fish haven't slowed down. Methuen angler Roger Aziz Jr., a regular voice in The Fisherman's New England Freshwater report, fished the river this week and landed five northern pike along with a handful of crappie, a solid showing given the reduced flow. With the region under a full moon, low-light windows at dawn and dusk should carry extra weight for anglers planning trips this week.
Striped Bass Still Holding Strong Along the NH Coast
Striped bass are holding along the New Hampshire and Maine coastline while surf anglers to the south make the drive up to find them, according to The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME, which described local hardcores driving north because fish here seem in no hurry to continue their seasonal push south. That gives NH surf and inshore water a stronger claim on this fall's migration than it's had in recent weeks, right as the wider Northeast fishery shifts into its most active stretch of the year.
Winnipesaukee's Fall Transition Kicks Off as Baitfish School Up
Lake Winnipesaukee is settling into its fall transition, the seasonal shift when weed growth fades and baitfish pull tight into schools, pushing predator fish into an active feeding pattern. Nearby New England freshwater fisheries are already showing it: per The Fisherman's New England Freshwater column, an angler working the Merrimack River this week landed five Northern Pike along with a handful of Crappie as baitfish balled up for the season, a sign of the same cool-down now moving across Winnipesaukee's coves and points.
Fall push builds south of NH, stripers wait on cooler nights
Southern New England's fall run is underway: Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) reports false albacore and bonito thick on the oceanfront and a tautog bite building, while striped bass action has stayed lackluster and is expected to turn on once the chilly nights and northerly winds forecast this week move through. For the NH Gulf of Maine coast, that cooling trend is the leading indicator to watch. Baitfish pushed out of estuaries by dropping water temperatures typically pull migrating stripers and albies north along the coast in the weeks that follow, and this week's shift looks like the first real sign of it.
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.