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Best fishing times / New Hampshire

Best Fishing Times in New Hampshire This Week

Near Meredith, Pittsburg and Portsmouth: today on a 24 hour timeline and the next seven days rated Fair to Best.

Working out the moon and the sun for Meredith, NH, and reading the forecast.

Fishing somewhere else? Enter any ZIP for your own spot

Photo: “Fall fishing on the Madison River at sunrise”, Jacob W. Frank, Yellowstone National Park (NPS), Public domain

New Hampshire at a glance

Solunar windows plus the agency calendar
3
Towns rated this week
Meredith, Pittsburg and Portsmouth
4
Solunar windows a day
two majors, two minors, set against sunrise and sunset
4
Dated entries from the agency
New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
4
Fish the calendar names
trout, smallmouth bass and landlocked salmon
The fishing year

When fish bite in New Hampshire

New Hampshire's fishing year runs from trout ponds opening in late April and smallmouth bass spawning near shore in spring to salmon feeding near 40 feet in summer and December ice for pickerel and perch.

Each entry below is from New Hampshire Fish and Game Department or its published guides, quoted word for word and linked. Line the season up with the week above: a run in its prime and a Great day with a window at first light is the morning to take off.

  1. Fourth Saturday in April to October 15

    Trout

    Designated trout ponds are open from the fourth Saturday in April to October 15.

    “Trout Ponds: 4th Saturday in April - October 15”

    Fishing Seasons in NH | State of New Hampshire Fish and Game, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, read October 9, 2026
  2. Spring

    Smallmouth bass

    Smallmouth bass spawn near shore in spring once water temperatures rise above 59°F (15°C).

    “Smallmouth bass spawn near shore in the spring when water temperatures rise above 15°C (59°F).”

    Smallmouth Bass | State of New Hampshire Fish and Game, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, read October 9, 2026
  3. Summer

    Landlocked salmon

    In summer, landlocked salmon tend to feed just below the thermocline, which usually sets up about 40 feet down.

    “During the summer, salmon tend to feed just below the thermocline, which usually establishes at a depth of about 40 feet.”

    Landlocked Salmon | State of New Hampshire Fish and Game, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, read October 9, 2026
  4. Ice season, from December

    Chain pickerel, perch, black crappie, bass

    If the ice is safe, small ponds can offer ice fishing for chain pickerel, perch, black crappie and bass as early as December.

    “You may be able to ice fish in small ponds for chain pickerel, perch, black crappie, and bass as early as December if the ice is safe.”

    Ice Fishing | State of New Hampshire Fish and Game, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, read October 9, 2026
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Before you go

License, stocking, ice and tides in New Hampshire

New Hampshire fishing licenseWhat a license costs and where to buy one.New Hampshire trout stockingWhere and when the state stocks trout.New Hampshire ice fishingWhen the lakes freeze and the ice is safe.New Hampshire tide chartsHigh and low tide for every station.New Hampshire daylightSunrise, sunset and day length all year.
How the days are rated

Reading the New Hampshire timeline

Each day has two major solunar periods of about two hours, centered on the moon overhead and underfoot, and two minor periods of about an hour at moonrise and moonset. A window within an hour of sunrise or sunset is marked in gold. The rating adds the moon phase, the gold windows and a capped nudge from the National Weather Service forecast for each town. Every factor and its points.

Dawn and dusk are the reliable part; the moon windows are the old angler’s rule.

Surf anglers casting from a sandy beach under a clear blue sky, with the black and white spiral of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse behind them
Shore anglers on Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina. On a bright summer day the Missouri Department of Conservation notes that heat sends fish deeper, so the light windows at either end of the day carry more of the weight. “Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina: Shore anglers”, NPS staff (NPGallery), Public domain

New Hampshire fishing times questions

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