New Hampshire
Fishing License 2026.

License required?

Yes

Where to apply?

NH Fish and Game Department, online via NH Outdoors portal, authorized agents statewide.

Cost

Resident annual $45; non-resident annual $63; non-resident 1-day $15, 3-day $28, 7-day $35. Resident 1-day $10. No separate trout stamp (included).

Validity

Calendar year (Jan 1 – Dec 31).

Available online?

Yes

Required age 16+. Residents 68+ free permanent license. Saltwater: NH requires free Saltwater Recreational Fishing License for ocean fishing (register via NH F&G) — residents and non-residents both, included free with annual license or separate free registration. Ice fishing uses same license. Free Fishing Day first Saturday June.

Closed seasons

Brook trout streams 4th Saturday April – Oct 15 (designated trout ponds vary). Landlocked salmon Lake Winnipesaukee: April 1 – Sept 30. Striped bass (saltwater): no closed season but 28–31" slot only, 1 fish/day.

Catch limits

Brook trout: 5/day, 6" min (streams). Lake trout Winnipesaukee: 2/day, 18" min. Landlocked salmon: 2/day, 15" min. Smallmouth bass: 2/day during May–June C&R, then 5/day 12" min. Striped bass (marine): 1/day 28–31" slot. Tautog: 1/day 16", April–June + Nov.

Prohibited methods

No live bait in designated fly-fishing-only waters (Upper Connecticut, Pemigewasset tributaries). Max 2 lines open-water, 6 lines ice fishing (Winnipesaukee special). No snagging except smelt with dip nets.

Catch & Release

Mandatory bass C&R May 15 – June 15 statewide. Striper slot is effectively mandatory C&R outside 28–31". Designated wild-trout streams: artificial lures only.

NH has only 18 miles of coast but sits on prime striper migration. Shore fishing Hampton Beach / Rye / Seabrook legal year-round with saltwater registration. Lake Winnipesaukee open year-round but fish-finder electronics banned in certain derbies.

Best season

May–June (post-ice salmon peak Winnipesaukee, striper run Great Bay), September–October (fall stripers, cool-water bass). Ice fishing January–March on big lakes.

Freshwater

1,300 lakes and ponds, 10,000 miles of streams. Winnipesaukee dominates; Squam Lake (Golden Pond) trophy lake trout; White Mountain streams native brookies.

Saltwater

18 miles of Atlantic coast (Seabrook to Portsmouth). Great Bay estuary is prime striper nursery. Jeffreys Ledge offshore (25 miles) holds cod, haddock, bluefin.

Equipment

Kittery Trading Post (just across ME border). Bait shops in Meredith, Wolfeboro (Winnipesaukee hubs), Hampton (saltwater). Ice fishing gear stocked Dec–March.

Fishing guides

$400–$600/day Winnipesaukee salmon; $500–$850 striper charter Great Bay/offshore; $350–$550 fly guide Connecticut River.

Transport

Manchester-Boston Regional (MHT) serves southern NH (45 min Winnipesaukee). Boston Logan 1.5 hrs to coast, 2 hrs to Lakes Region. Portland ME 1 hr to seacoast.

Safety

Ice thickness judgment (4–12" thresholds). Offshore bluefin grounds (Jeffreys Ledge) require weather window — Gulf of Maine fog closes in fast. Hampton shore crowded peak summer.

License fees

$45 resident / $63 non-resident annual

Guide prices

$350–$850/day (offshore charters highest)

Daily budget

DIY freshwater: $50–$80/day. Half-day striper charter: $450–$600. Full-day offshore bluefin: $1,200–$2,500 split between 4 anglers.