New Hampshire's trout fishery is the White Mountains and the Great North Woods. Brown trout dominate the larger rivers — the Ellis, the Androscoggin, the Saco — while native brook trout hold the cold headwater tributaries and the upper Connecticut Lakes region. Rainbows are stocked widely, and landlocked salmon — wild Salmo salar — live in the Connecticut Lakes and a few of the larger lakes like Squam and Winnipesaukee. Here's how to tell them apart and where each one lives.
Brown Trout
Introduced — the dominant fly-rod species across larger NH rivers
Brown trout are the bread-and-butter of New Hampshire fly fishing. Introduced in the late 1800s, they took to the cool, fertile, mid-size White Mountains rivers and built self-sustaining wild populations alongside the stocked fishery. The Ellis River near Jackson holds wild browns throughout the gorge section; the Androscoggin at Errol is the trophy water — one of the great recovery stories of New England, from polluted mill river to legitimate big-fish fishery with wild browns, the famous Alder fly hatch, and the C&R section below Berlin. The Saco, the Pemigewasset, and the Connecticut River Trophy Stretch at Pittsburg all hold quality wild and stocked browns.
ID at a glance
Where to find them
Throughout NH's larger rivers. The Ellis River at Jackson — particularly the gorge section — holds wild browns and brookies in classic White Mountains pool-and-riffle water. The Androscoggin from Errol downstream is the trophy water; wild browns mixed with stocked rainbows in big water that requires careful wading. The Saco through North Conway and Conway holds primarily stocked browns with some wild fish in tributaries. The Pemigewasset around Plymouth and the Ammonoosuc through Bethlehem hold mixed wild and stocked browns. The most celebrated brown trout water in NH, though, is the Connecticut River Trophy Stretch at Pittsburg — the cold tailwater below First Connecticut Lake produces the largest browns in the state.
How they fish
Most active in low light — early morning, evening, and overcast days. NH browns key on standard hatches: Hendricksons in May, the famous Alder fly emergence on the Androscoggin in mid-June, sulphurs and Green Drakes through June, terrestrials and tricos through summer, BWOs in the fall. Streamers fish well anytime.
Best season: May through July for the marquee dry-fly hatches (snowmelt willing), with a strong fall window in late September and October — streamers fish well as browns get aggressive ahead of spawning. Mid-summer low and warm flows stress fish on smaller streams; the Androscoggin and Pittsburg Trophy Stretch stay cold all summer thanks to lake-bottom dam releases.
The Androscoggin Alder fly hatch: Mid-June on the Androscoggin around Errol — the alder fly emerges in staggering numbers from the cold, oxygenated tailwater. Wild browns and stocked rainbows key on the dark caddis-like adults for two weeks. It's one of the most distinctive hatches in New England and an annual pilgrimage for regional fly anglers. Black/dark wing patterns size 12–14, fished as a wet or emerger.
Brook Trout
Native — White Mountains headwaters and the Connecticut Lakes region
New Hampshire's only native trout, and the foundation of the state's wild-fish heritage. Brook trout once filled every cold stream in the state — the White Mountains, the Connecticut Lakes region, the Lakes Region tributaries. Today the strongest populations live in the cold, well-protected headwaters of the White Mountain National Forest — small tributaries to the Saco, the Pemigewasset, the Androscoggin, and the Wild River drainage in Evans Notch. The Connecticut Lakes region in far-northern Pittsburg holds wild brookies in the lake-fed streams above First Connecticut Lake; the Cold River in the Sandwich Range foothills holds native brookies in classic tight-canopy mountain freestone water.
ID at a glance
Where to find them
Cold, high-elevation White Mountains streams and the Connecticut Lakes region. The classic wild-brookie water in NH is in the White Mountain National Forest — small feeders to the Saco, the Pemigewasset, and the Androscoggin that you reach on foot. The Wild River in Evans Notch is the most accessible piece of dedicated wild-brookie water in the state. The Cold River near North Sandwich holds native brookies in a Sandwich Range tributary. The Connecticut Lakes region in Pittsburg holds wild brookies in the lake-fed streams above First Connecticut Lake and in lake tributaries throughout the Trophy Stretch corridor.
How they fish
Aggressive opportunists in clean, oxygenated water. A small dry fly drifted into a likely pool will usually produce — Royal Wulff, Adams, Stimulator, BWO. NH brookies aren't selective in the way larger-river browns are; they live in low-productivity water and they eat what passes. The challenge is the cast, not the fly choice — small streams with heavy canopy demand short, accurate presentations.
Best season: late April through early July, then again in early fall, when the water is coldest and the fish are most active. Many NH brook trout waters have season closures or reduced limits to protect fall spawners. Mid-summer low-water periods stress these populations; consider giving the highest, warmest streams a rest in August.
Rainbow Trout
Introduced — stocked widely; the most common put-and-take species
Rainbows are widely stocked across NH and the most commonly caught species on stocked trout rivers and lakes. NH F&G stocks rainbows into the Saco, the Pemigewasset, the Ammonoosuc, the Smith, the Androscoggin, and dozens of smaller streams and lakes each spring. Self-sustaining wild populations are limited in the state, but holdovers from previous-year stockings can reach respectable sizes in waters with good cold summer flows.
ID at a glance
Where to find them
Throughout the state. Stocked rainbows fill put-and-take waters from the Saco corridor in the White Mountains to the Smith River in the Lakes Region. Holdover wild-acting rainbows are most common on the Androscoggin at Errol (cold tailwater extends survival) and the Pittsburg Trophy Stretch below First Connecticut Lake (where year-round cold flows produce the largest holdovers in the state).
How they fish
Stocked rainbows are not selective — small nymphs, attractor dries, and standard nymph rigs all produce. Wild-acting holdover rainbows behave more like wild fish: they hold in seams and current breaks, key on small mayflies and caddis, and demand 5X-and-down tippet on bright days. Best season: spring and fall, with the Androscoggin and Pittsburg fishing well into August.
Landlocked Atlantic Salmon
Native — Connecticut Lakes region, Squam Lake, Lake Winnipesaukee
Landlocked Atlantic salmon are true Atlantic salmon — Salmo salar, descended from sea-run fish that got cut off in NH's interior lake systems during the last ice age. NH's landlocked salmon fishery is smaller than Maine's but follows the same template: salmon live in the lakes, run into the connected rivers to feed on smelt in spring and to spawn in fall. The marquee waters are the Connecticut Lakes region (First Connecticut Lake, Second Connecticut Lake, Lake Francis, and the Trophy Stretch tailwater between them), Squam Lake in the Lakes Region, and Lake Winnipesaukee (where landlocked salmon are managed alongside lake trout in the deeper basins).
ID at a glance
Where to find them
The fly-rod marquee water is the Connecticut River Trophy Stretch below First Connecticut Lake in Pittsburg — cold tailwater accessible to fly anglers, holding both landlocked salmon and trophy browns. Fishing for salmon in Squam and Winnipesaukee is mostly a trolling fishery with conventional tackle; fly anglers can target Champlain-tributary stockers in select Lakes Region inlets in spring near ice-out.
How they fish
On the Trophy Stretch, landlocked salmon respond to small streamers, smelt patterns, and emergers during the spring run. Best window is late April through May, then a shorter fall window in September. Special regulations apply: 15-inch minimum on salmon, 2-fish aggregate including trout, fly-rod access primarily through the cold tailwater reach.
Quick Reference
| Species | Status | Typical size | Best water | Peak season | Signature hatch / fly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown Trout | Introduced | 10–20+ in | Ellis, Androscoggin, Saco, Pemigewasset, Pittsburg Trophy Stretch | May–July hatches; fall streamers | Hendrickson, Alder fly, sulphur, BWO |
| Brook Trout | Native | 6–14 in | WMNF tributaries; Wild River; Cold River; Connecticut Lakes region | April–early July; early fall | Caddis, BWO, Royal Wulff, attractors |
| Rainbow Trout | Introduced | 9–18 in | Stocked widely; holdovers on Androscoggin, Pittsburg Trophy Stretch | Spring and fall | Caddis, BWO, attractor dries |
| Landlocked Salmon | Native | 2–8 lb | Pittsburg Trophy Stretch; Squam Lake; Lake Winnipesaukee | Spring smelt run; fall window | Smelt streamers, caddis, BWO |
A Note on Wild Trout Conservation in NH
New Hampshire's wild trout fishery is concentrated in the White Mountains and the Great North Woods. NH F&G manages a tiered system — Wild Trout Streams, Heritage Trout Waters, and the Pittsburg Trophy Stretch — to protect the populations that remain. The wild-trout footprint is smaller than Maine's but larger than Vermont's; the Heritage waters in particular hold some of the most genetically distinct wild brook trout in the Northeast.
Active wild-trout work in New Hampshire includes: Wild Trout Stream and Heritage Trout Water designation expansion, stocking restrictions on designated wild waters, Connecticut Lakes region management for both wild brookies and landlocked salmon, Androscoggin recovery from the mill-pollution era (still ongoing — the river holds more trophy browns each year), and habitat protection on small WMNF tributaries that hold the strongest native brookie genetics in the state.
Handle them carefully. Wet your hands before touching any wild fish. Keep the fish in the water for hook removal whenever possible. Use barbless single hooks. The Wild and Heritage waters expect it; ethically it's the right call everywhere. Photo, release, move on. The fishery you're standing in has been recovering and being protected for decades — what's left is worth taking care of.
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