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: Fishing!™ u 12,000 miles of river and streams. u 975 lakes and ponds. u Fishing for bass, trout, salmon, pike, walleye, pickerel, Manchester/Nashua Region 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

Shoreline Fishing Guide COMPOSITE IMAGE © DREAMSTIME.COM

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 Manchester/Nashua: Great Fishing Close to Home CANDIA HOOKSETT Remember how much fun you used to have going fishing? Don’t miss out on the good times this year! Get outdoors GOFFSTOWN

and take advantage of the great fishing available at the many Piscataquog River Massabesic scenic rivers and lakes of the Manchester/Nashua region. Lake AUBURN Fishing is a great way to relax and reconnect with friends and family. Children under 16 don’t need a license to fish, so MANCHESTER bring them along for a day of fresh air, activity and family fun. Whether you fish for an hour or picnic and stay the day, you’ll BEDFORD enjoy the fun and challenge of fishing — right around the DERRY LONDONDERRY corner from home. Merrimack River

LITCHFIELD Look inside for just a few of the many places to MERRIMACK try shoreline fishing near you:

l Massabesic Lake, Manchester HUDSON SALEM l Piscataquog River, Manchester Nashua River NASHUA New Hampshire l Mine Falls Park, Nashua Massachusetts

l More fishing spots in Manchester and Nashua

Catch-and-Release Fishing for fun, not food? Make Never remove a deeply swallowed hook from the fish’s sure you practice “catch-and- throat or stomach — instead, cut the leader and leave the release.” A fish that is properly hook in the fish. It will eventually work free or rust away. handled will have the best chance for survival. 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. © JUSTIN HOFFMAN OUTDOORS / DREAMSTIME.COM

Observe the water – let the fish show you where to cast Keep your hooks sharp Fish New Hampshire and relax New Hampshire Fish Fish Identification Chart

Use this handy guide to choose the best baits and to see what kind of fish you’ve caught. Bluegill

Baits to Use* Largemouth Bass Natural Baits Worms Grasshoppers and and crickets crawlers

Crayfish Minnows Smallmouth Bass Smallmouth Bass Pumpkinseed Sunfish

Hellgrammites Dough ball and corn White Perch Artificial Baits Black Crappie Flies (wet, dry, Jigs and streamers) curl tail grubs

Spoons Crank baits Yellow Perch Yellow Bullhead ( horned pout )

In-line spinner baits Topwater baits (popper)

Artificial putty baits Carp

fishnh.com Chain Pickerel

* N.H. State Law prohibits the use of certain sizes of lead tackle in all fresh waters in the Match Your Bait to Your Catch state. Learn more at fishleadfree.org. Fish Illustrations © DUANE RAVER/USFWS

The best times to fish are the 3 days before and the 3 days after the full moon and new moon Kids under 16 fish free in New Hampshire! MANCHESTER Massabesic Lake AUBURN

The jewel of greater Manchester, Massabesic Lake boasts numerous areas for fishing 101 access, offering the shorebank Little angler the best fishing around. Massabesic Gravel fire roads follow the 121 Lake shoreline. Note that this lake is the main water supply for the area, so Massabesic Lake Front (East Pond) special regulations apply; no wading Park or swimming are allowed. Try one 11 of these areas at Massabesic Lake Clair’s for fishing and family activities: Landing 33 1. Front Park — Take Exit 1 off Route 101. Head south Deer Neck on Bypass 28 through the Bridge 22 traffic circle, and you’ll find Massabesic Lake (West Pond)– a large park with plenty of CLOSED TO BYP shoreline access. The best THE PUBLIC 28 121 fishing is at the south end

of the park, near a drainage 0 1 2 culvert. MILES

2. Deer Neck Bridge — All you need to Further south on Bypass start fishing is 28, try fishing the narrow a local fishing hole, a simple channel that connects the rig and a good two sides of Massabesic buddy. Lake — and be sure to save some time for exploring the nearby walking trails.

3. Clair’s Landing — In the village of Auburn on Route 121, you’ll find a spot that’s a great pick for a family outing, offering excellent fishing and additional fishing sites along the shore. © YOBRO 10 / DREAMSTIME.COM

See stocking info and fishing reports atfishnh.com/fishing/trout-stocking.html The state record largemouth bass weighed 10.5 lbs.

M 28 27 e r Fish the Merrimack River! r i m a CANDIA

3A c

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HOOKSETT

R

The Merrimack offers endless opportunities . Tower Hill 88 for anglers in south-central New Hampshire. Try Pond GOFFSTOWN 293 some of these great fishing spots in Manchester 2 Little 101 P Massabesic is 93 and Nashua: ca Lake t 3 aq 7 uo 7 g

114 1 1. Arms Park (Riverfront Park), R. 1 Massabesic Manchester — Easy access to some Lake 66 great smallmouth bass fishing. 121 28 28A BYP AUBURN 2. Below the Amoskeag Bridge, 293 Manchester — Additional shorebank MANCHESTER 28 access to the Merrimack. Manchester-Boston Regional Airport 102 3. Moore’s Falls Conservation Area, 101 3 Litchfield — A good fishing spot near BEDFORD the city with that “out of the way” feel. Find 28 128 . R 3 the river access about 2.5 miles south of the 3 DERRY k c a airport on Route 3A. Look for a brown kiosk im LONDONDERRY r r e with space for parking. M

28 3A LITCHFIELD 4. Taylor Falls Bridge, Nashua — MERRIMACK 93 Access the Merrimack River here and near the bridges on Route 111 to fish for carp, smallmouth and largemouth bass. 102 3 5. Greeley Park, Nashua — Plenty of fine spots to fish the Merrimack River, plus a 101A nearby boat launch. 5 111 44 SALEM NASHUA HUDSON 128 . R 0 5 1 2 3 4 Local ponds in the a ashu 3A Manchester Area N MILES Here anglers can catch perch, chain pickerel, sunfish, bass and more. TryStevens Pond (6) off Bridge Street in Manchester, or Little Massabesic (7) in Auburn. Tower Hill Pond (8) in Candia is another local favorite; this pond is part of Manchester Water Works and, like Massabesic Lake, is a protected water supply. © BRUCE MACQUEEN / DREAMSTIME.COM

“If the angler did not lose a fish now and then, he would surely not appreciate the capture of one” The( Angler’s Secret, 1904) Piscataquog River

The Piscataquog has become popular with anglers in the Manchester area. Fishing for trout is at its best in spring and early summer, while the water is still cool.

1. Kelley Street Bridge — The upper part of the river below the bridge is a good place to start out trout fishing. As you work your way downstream to the Merrimack, the river changes to a warmwater fishery, where smallmouth and largemouth bass and © HWAHL3 / DREAMSTIME.COM © HWAHL3 other fish are plentiful. good fishing for both cold and warmwater fish. The park 2. Piscataquog River Park — The park’s growing entrance on the east side of the river, off Douglas Street trail system on both sides of the river provides doz- (2a), has a boat launch. Or, park on the west side, off ens of places to cast your line, right in the middle of Precourt St. (2b) for access to riverside walking trails.

Nazaire Amory St. Biron bridge Kelley St. 1 2

Pinard St. Putnam St. Commercial St. 2a Merrimack R. Canal St. Main St. PISCATAQUOG Koehler St.

GOFFSTOWN RIVER PARK Douglas St. 293

Piscataquog R. 3A

Rockland Ave. 114A 2b Douglas St. MANCHESTER Granite St.

Mast Rd. Precourt St.

BEDFORD

Sylvester St. Varney St.

Merrimack R.

So. Main St. Second St.

0 ¼ ½ ¾ 1 MILES

Federal Sport Fish Restoration funds help manage New Hampshire’s fisheries The record for yellow perch in N.H. is 2 lbs. 6 oz. Mine Falls Park

Just minutes from downtown Nashua, Mine Falls Park’s network of trails follows the Nashua River, offering rewarding fishing opportunities along the way.

1. Nashua River — From below Mine Falls Dam to downtown, you’ll find several miles of trails and excellent fishing access to the river.

This area gives anglers the ideal opportunity to © STEVEN OEHLENSCHLAGER / DREAMSTIME.COM cast their lines for abundant smallmouth bass, bluegills, largemouth bass and carp. Explore the 2. Mill Pond — Enjoy easy shoreline access and great possibilities of the beautiful Nashua River! fishing for largemouth bass, bluegills and yellow perch.

101A

Broad St.

Nashua

Mall Colliseum Ave. Colliseum

Nashua R. Broad St. Pine St. Nashua Whipple St. Upstone Dr. Nashua R. Canal MarieLINCOLN Ave. Power PARK

Sioux Ave.

MINE FALLS 3 W. Hollis Nashua Simon St. Ledge St. Cheyenne Dr. PARK H.S. Sanborn Dr. 111

11 Pine St.

Mine Falls Dam Mill Pond Riverside St. W. Hollis Kingsley St.

Mill Pond Access 22 111 Nashua R. W. Hollis 0 ¼ ½ ¾ 1 MILES

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

Need-to-know knots

Clinch Knot Palomar Knot

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REVISED 10/2016

More Americans fish than play golf and tennis combined The largest brook trout recorded in New Hampshire was 9 pounds