WHY FISH NH? New Hampshire Fish and Game Department

Just step outside to find scenic fishing here in wild Take Me New Hampshire – we’ve got great fishing around every corner: ™ u Fishing! 12,000 miles of river and streams. u 975 lakes and ponds. u Fishing for bass, trout, salmon, pike, walleye, pickerel, Great North Woods perch and more… u Record big fish – and some wily wild fish too! u Scenic vistas and wildlife abound. u Nearly a million trout stocked each year – just for you! Learn more about fishing in New Hampshire at fishnh.com © SCULPIES / DREAMSTIME.COM

Shoreline Fishing Guide COMPOSITE IMAGE / DREAMSTIME.COM COMPOSITE IMAGE

New Hampshire Fish and Game Connecting you to life outdoors™

NEW HAMPSHIRE FISH AND GAME DEPARTMENT 11 Hazen Drive l Concord, NH 03301 l (603) 271-2501

Your purchase of fishing tackle and motorboat fuels, along with license sales, helps fund sport fish restoration and management in New Hampshire fishnh.com North Country Fishing – The Great Escape! PITTSBURG CLARKSVILLE Whether you’re fly-fishing for big rainbows or casting a line while enjoying a riverside picnic, fishing New Hampshire’s Great North Woods will be an experience to remember. Relax COLEBROOK in scenic natural surroundings. Catch a glimpse of moose, osprey or loons. Pull in a fighting brookie. There’s no better DIXVILLE COLUMBIA place than New Hampshire’s North Country to get away from it ERROL all and go fishing. Lake From world-class fly-fishing waters to serene lakes and Umbagog welcoming riverbank waysides, use this handy guide to find NORTH STRATFORD your own North Country fishing hole. Why wait?

DUMMER Try these scenic shoreline sites in the Great North Woods, just a few of many great North Country CAMBRIDGE fishing spots to enjoy: STARK MILAN l Connecticut River SUCCESS l Little Diamond Pond l Androscoggin River BERLIN

l Upper Ammonoosuc River JEFFERSON

GORHAM

Catch-and-release Fishing for fun, not food? Make Never remove a deeply swallowed hook sure you practice “catch-and-release.” from the fish’s throat or stomach — instead, cut A fish that is properly handled will the leader and leave the hook in the fish. It will have the best chance for survival. eventually work free or rust away. Here’s how: l Use barbless hooks or hooks with pinched barbs. l Land the fish quickly, so it does not become exhausted or stressed. l Release the fish while it’s still in the water. l To remove the hook, gently back it out of the fish’s mouth. You can use pliers for this.

Residents can fish both banks of the Connecticut River with a N.H. license; nonresidents need a Vermont license to fish from the Vermont shorebank Fish of the Fish Identification Chart Great North Woods

Use this handy guide to choose the best baits and to see what kind of fish you’ve caught. Brook Trout Baits to Use Largemouth Bass Natural Baits

Worms and crawlers

Crayfish Rainbow Trout Smallmouth Bass

Hellgrammites

Minnows Brown Trout Brown Trout Yellow Perch Perch Yellow Artificial Baits

Flies (wet, dry, streamers)

Spoons Chain Pickerel Chain Pickerel Landlocked Salmon

In-line spinner

baits

Artificial putty baits Cusk (burbot) Cusk (burbot) Bullhead (horned pout) fishnh.com Match Your Bait to Your Catch FISH ILLUSTRATIONS: brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, LM bass, SM bass, yellow perch, pickerel, bullhead, ©DUANE RAVER/USFWS ; ATLANTIC SALMON, © VICTOR YOUNG; CUSK, © JOSEPH TOMELLERI

The N.H. record chain pickerel is 8 lbs., 26” long Fish and Game has a regional office in Lancaster; call (603) 788-3164 Connecticut River QUEBEC PITTSBURG 3 1b Anglers can expect to catch several species CANADA Lake Francis of trout – brook, brown and rainbow – as well as 141 D 1c e landlocked salmon, in this beautiful stretch of the 1a a d

Connecticut River downstream from its headwater

114 CLARKSVILLE W lakes. An equal number of stocked and wild fish a t 114 e r keep the action hot. S t 145 rea m B op ro 1. Pittsburg — Good access points include: 2 ish ok Big B Diamond (1a) a N.H. Fish and Game pull-off/kiosk STEWARTSTOWN Pond near the State garage, (1b) Pittsburg- Clarksville covered bridge (locals call it 102 4 Little Bacon Road Bridge) just south of town, and Diamond (1c) Murphy Dam parking area. Pond

. 2. Canaan Dam, West Stewartstown d R

VERMONT COLEBROOK d n This area offers wide, deep-water fishing for o P

d n beginners or kids, while the fast water below o m M ia oh D the dam will test casting skills and frequently aw er k iv River 26 gives up monster brown trout. Good parking R S im

and fishing access. m s Beckmans Point

St re 3. Lyman Falls, Columbia — This am

stretch of river is awesome nursery habitat ut 3 ic t

for coldwater fish, and anglers can catch c COLUMBIA e n

naturally reproduced brook, brown and n o

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rainbow trout. Find good foot access to

the river off Route 3 via a private gravel road. Note that only catch-and-release and 3 artificial lures and flies may be used. NASH STREAM STRATFORD FOREST 4. Little Diamond Pond, Stewartstown 0 1 2 3 ODELL You’ll find some of the best shoreline trout MILES fishing in Coos County at Little Diamond Pond. Anglers do very well from shore catching brook and rainbow trout. The parking lot can accommodate about 30 cars and boat trailers. On the shore of the pond, 1,500-acre Coleman State Park offers camping (no hook-ups), hiking and canoeing. For more information, visit nhstateparks.org. MADSEN / DREAMSTIME.COM © T.M.

For fly-fishing, try between the Connecticut Lakes, especially Magalloway Bridge to Greens Point, and First Connecticut Lake Dam to the Lake Francis inlet 26 Androscoggin River

The entire length of the Androscoggin River is ERROL home to trout and smallmouth bass. From Errol to Berlin, the Androscoggin offers tremendous access and unlimited fishing opportunities, as the river Sm er o iv ky R C parallels Route 16 for almost 20 miles. a m 16

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A offers access to classic trout waters. Munn Pond 2. Seven Islands Bridge, Errol — An oppor- Moose tunity to cross the river and cast from both sides Pond into pool, riffle and glide sections of river.

M ill sfie ld Po 3. Pontook Reservoir, Dummer nd

R d. 2 Enjoy traditional, pond-style fishing in the impoundment. The river below the dam is a Sessions Be a r white-water trout fishery. Ample parking and boat Pond B ro o launch. k 4. Paul Bofinger Wayside State Park, 16 Dummer — Allows access to an otherwise DUMMER quiet and secluded section of river and can be a

hotspot for taking smallmouth on a fly rod.

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Lake Francis State Park in Pittsburg offers anglers a base for exploring the Connecticut Lakes Kids under age 16 fish for free Androscoggin River cont. 110B

5. Nansen Wayside State Park, Milan 16 Great fishing access and a popular spot for wading, picnicking and boating. A n MILAN d 6. Northern Forest Heritage Park r o

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at the park’s waterfront, then stop in at the S Su i cc d es e s B R r R o o logging camp museum to learn about the i a o v d k 5 e

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o story of the working forest. a R d i SUCCESS v e 7. Further down the Androscoggin r From the Sawmill Dam in Berlin through

Shelburne to the Maine border, fishing for Cates H ill H Ro or ad ne big browns and rainbows is phenomenal. B r o Access the river from the whole length of o k

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river on the north side), and from Route 2 n a il M A k v r a e P . on the south side of the river. Below the

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with access via the state land on the south 6 d Pon Success Br shore. This section of the river has no closed oo t k e

e r season, but is catch-and-release and single- t S s hin tc hook artificial lure/fly only, giving the angler Hu excellent opportunities at trophy fish.

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Shake the bushes to see what the trout are eating Keep an eye out for rising water on rivers Upper Ammonoosuc 110

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Anglers looking for a more solitary d ok Pond D r . experience will enjoy the upstream reaches of the

Spring Rd. N Upper Ammonoosuc River and the West Branch o S p r r t u h c of the Upper Ammonoosuc River (shaded in red) e B v r i

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in Milan and Berlin. The “Kilkenny Loop” – Bog R c

d h . Dam Road – off York Pond Road from Route 110, MILAN roo offers the best access to this area, with excellent s B k Nay in g Lang Rd. Pond opportunities for brook trout. ig H

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From rushing rivers to secluded streams, the r 0 3

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unrivaled beauty of the Great North Woods makes p

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it well worth the trip.

The state record brown trout tipped the scales at 16 pounds, 6 ounces Visit the Berlin Fish Hatchery to see big fish What to Bring

Make a fun day even better by taking along the right gear. You’ll want to have:

l Fishing rods with spin-casting reels and 8-pound-test line l Tackle box with hooks, bobbers, nonlead sinkers, artificial baits and a pair of pliers l N.H. Freshwater Fishing Digest l Cooler with ice for storing your catch l Binoculars for wildlife watching Basic rigging setup Keep your family comfortable while they’re fishing, and they’ll ask to come with you again. Have them dress for the To rig your fishing rod, start with fresh bait weather, and be ready for whatever the day might bring. and a sharp hook. Add a nonlead sinker* to keep Keep the bug spray handy, as well as a simple first aid kit, your bait near the fish. Top it off with a bobber, sunscreen, sunglasses and hats. Pack plenty of snacks and which keeps your bait off the bottom — and lets drinks, too — but keep in mind that some fishing sites you know when you have a bite! have many users. To help keep these places clean and safe, * N.H. State Law prohibits the use of certain sizes bring along a small trash bag and carry out everything you of lead tackle in all fresh waters in the state. bring in. Learn more at fishleadfree.org.

Need-to-know knots Clinch Knot Palomar Knot

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REVISED 10/2016

See stocking info and fishing reports at:www.fishnh.com/fishing/trout-stocking.html