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, Southeast 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 © SCULPIES / DREAMSTIME.COM © HWAHL3 / DREAMSTIME.COM © HWAHL3 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 ROCHESTER Southeastern New Hampshire: 126 MAINE 202 Where fishing is close to home! STRAFFORD 16 Perhaps the most understated feature about 4 DOVER freshwater fishing in southeastern New Hampshire is 9 how easy it can be to escape the crowds, the traffic, NORTHWOOD BARRINGTON and the noise often associated with more populous 125 MADBURY areas. Traditionally, one thinks of heading to the White 152 DEERFIELD 4 Mountains and the northern part of the state to find refuge DURHAM 155 4 and solitude. Here in southeastern New Hampshire, too, NOTTINGHAM 108 16 with minimal effort and travel, you can cast a line in some LEE PAWTUCKAWAY NEWINGTON of the most scenic rivers and ponds in the state. LAKE 152 156 PORTSMOUTH NEWMARKET Try these shorebank fishing spots in 107 GREENLAND southeastern New Hampshire – just a few of EPPING RYE NEWFIELDS RAYMOND 33 the many the area has to offer. Featured sites 1 95 include: 125 101 STRATHAM FREMONT NORTH EXETER HAMPTON l BRENTWOOD Isinglass, Cocheco and Lamprey rivers 107 HAMPTON l Pawtuckaway Lake DANVILLE 108 HAMPTON l Lucas Pond, Barbadoes Pond and the Exeter KINGSTON FALLS Reservoir Fishing the Salt? Our Seashore Fishing Guide shows you where to go. Visit www.fishnh.com. Catch-and-Release Fishing for fun, not food? Make sure you practice “catch-and-release.” A fish that is properly handled will have the best chance for survival. Here’s how: Never remove a deeply swallowed hook from the fish’s throat or stomach — instead, cut the leader and leave the hook in the fish. It will eventually work free or rust away. 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 © STEVE BRIGMAN / DREAMSTIME.COM mouth. You can use pliers for this. At different times of year, more than a dozen fish species can be caught from shore in southeastern New Hampshire waters. Fish of Southeastern New Hampshire 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 and crawlers Grasshoppers and crickets Pumpkinseed Black Crappie Minnows ) Artificial Baits Flies Jigs and horned pout (wet, dry, streamers) curl tail grubs Chain Pickerel Bullhead ( Spoons Crank baits Brook Trout Yellow Perch Yellow In-line spinner baits Topwater baits (popper) Artificial putty baits /USFWS ILLUSTRATIONS Brown Trout fishnh.com Rainbow Trout DUANE RAVER DUANE © Match Your Bait to Your Catch The first Saturday in June and the third Saturday in January are free fishing days in N.H. Pawtuckaway Lake Pawtuckaway State Park furnishes some trails around and largemouth bass, chain pickerel, yellow perch, black parts of Pawtuckaway Lake that shoreline anglers can use to crappie, brown bullhead, pumpkinseed, and bluegill. Fishing catch a variety of warmwater fish species, including small licenses can be purchased at the park store. There is a park admission fee. Take Exit 5 off Rt. 101 to Rt. 156 in Nottingham. ST EVEN S H I L L 1. Fundy Cove D E E R F I E R LD NOTTINGHAM O 152 A Trails can be accessed from the N.H. Fish and D Game boat access site. Extensive shoreline EET STR fishing opportunities on either side of the R O R A TE D T LU F cove. No park entrance fee. From Rt. 156, take Deerfield Road and turn left onto Fundy Road. 1 D E E 2. Neal’s Cove R O F A IE K LD L Just off State Park Road, you’ll find a small I A R R O T A D parking area and good access for casting from IL A TR Y D PAWTUCKAWAY N LE shore. From Rt. 156, turn onto Mountain Road D U Fundy G F E STATE PARK Cove FA and follow signs to the park. RM R D 156 . 3. Beach/campground B A R E D E K R Footbridges allow access to small islands (no R Y A L fishing from the bridges). Fishing also available 2 L A Y N for campers with waterfront sites. Swim and E D A OA 3 R W picnic while you’re here! Plenty of parking. A K C K A R U P Neal’s T W Cove A P E Horse T A Island S T RIVE H D S O R E Park Entrance M O U N T A I N 156 R O A HA D RRIMAN RAYMOND H IL L EPPING R O A D © NHFG / VICTOR YOUNG PHOTO © NHFG / VICTOR YOUNG 0 3 1 2 Trails on either side of the Fundy Cove boat MILES launch provide ample shoreline fishing access. For panfish, also try a small artificial fly or jig under a bobber. Sport Fish Restoration funds help manage N.H.’s fisheries. Southeastern N.H. Trout Ponds Designated trout ponds offer anglers the unique opportunity to enjoy small bodies of water primarily managed for brook trout, brown trout and rainbow trout. These ponds have shorter fishing seasons to allow for greater trout growth and survival. They are stocked multiple times throughout the spring and early summer to enhance shoreline fishing success. Generally, these ponds have a five-fish or five-pound daily limit, and any legal fishing method/gear can be used. Be sure to check the pond’s specific regulations in the N.H. Freshwater Fishing Digest. 1. Lucas Pond, Northwood Access to Lucas Pond is granted to anglers by the town of Northwood. The access area includes a car top launch facility and enough room for several anglers to fish from shore. Motors are prohibited. At times, Lucas Pond can receive heavy fishing pressure, so the waterbody receives large numbers of brook trout, brown trout and rainbow trout. Older age classes of trout are also stocked in the pond. Take Lucas Pond Road off of Rt. 43 or Rt. 152. PHOTO © NHFG / VICTOR YOUNG B O W 4 STR 9 EET 202 FOREST PETERS NORTH WMA 202 9 D RIVER A D O A R POND O R D L NORTHWOOD IE L F IL R H M E OUN E ER TAIN D P COO 43 RO A R D E P P U 1 L U 4 D C Lucas Pond receives ample numbers D R A LUCAS S P A O D O L N GA R D R IE POND L of brook, brown and rainbow trout as F A N R WOODMAN E RO D E AD MARSH D well as some tiger trout. With good D L E WMA I R F R E RO E W AD shoreline access from the boat launch E NOTTINGHAM O D L GE area, a good day of fishing is just a 152 BIG R O A cast away. 43 D LAMONTAGNE 0 2 COFFE 1 ET OWN WMA R D . MILES See stocking info and fishing reports at: www.fishnh.com/fishing/trout-stocking.html Kids under age 16 fish for free. Southeastern N.H. Trout Ponds (cont.) 2. Barbadoes Pond, Madbury/Dover Access to Barbadoes Pond is granted through a cooperative agreement with the City of Dover and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. Take Rt. 9 to Old Stage Road in Madbury. From the parking area, a five-minute walk down a smooth trail will take you to the eastern shoreline of Barbadoes Pond. This 16-acre pond is stocked with both brook trout and rainbow trout. Barbadoes Pond is not as heavily stocked as other designated trout ponds, but this is offset by the Long stretches of wide-open shoreline access and limited fishing pressure make limited fishing pressure here. Barbadoes Pond an ideal spot for some hassle-free fishing action. T O D L A E C N O 9 D o R c h e c o R O N A BARRINGTON D O Riv S e T r A W . D R DOVER TOL S END AD S RO M A O ROA H R D C 9 H N C E. U N V 16 T E A E R F S U BELLAMY 2 B M RESERVOIR U BARBADOES L O D C A POND O R R O O D A L L D A 125 D L D I A O S O R H TA R GE L L Y I B M S O R MADBURY C HAYES R OAD NE 108 LA RY HER C D ROA 0 2 155 MAST LEE 1 MILES © NHFG / VICTOR YOUNG PHOTOS © NHFG / VICTOR YOUNG The best times to fish are the 3 days before and the 3 days after the full moon and new moon.