New Hampshire fishing reports
289 reports for New Hampshire — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
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.
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.