New Hampshire Winter Trout Stocking

Brook Trout | Credit: NPS

Trout are popular with ice fishing anglers in New Hampshire. Each fall, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (NHFG) stocks trout in streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds to enhance the Granite state's winter ice fishery.

Winter anglers interested in catching trout in New Hampshire can find regulations and places to fish on the NHFG website.

New Hampshire lakes and ponds that were stocked with trout during the fall of 2024 and are open to ice fishing include:

Akers Pond in Errol, Beaver Pond in Woodstock, Bow Lake in Strafford, Cedar Pond in Milan, Big Diamond Pond in Stewartstown (opened January 1, 2025), Higher Ground Pond in Wentworth, Highland Lake in Andover, Hildreth Pond in Warren, Little Dan Hole Pond in Ossipee, Manning Lake in Gilmanton, Martin Meadow Pond in Lancaster, Mascoma Lake in Enfield, Mirror Lake in Woodstock, Newfound Lake in Bristol, Oguntz Lake in Lyman, Pearl Lake in Lisbon, Perch Pond in Lisbon, Pleasant Lake in Deerfield, Streeter Pond in Sugar Hill, Sunapee Lake in Newbury, Tewksbury Pond in Grafton, Webster Lake in Franklin, White Lake in Tamworth, and Winnisquam Lake in Laconia.

In addition to those locations, numerous other New Hampshire waterbodies are open for year-round fishing.

“The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s hatcheries stock post-spawn brook and brown trout into selected waterbodies that do not have a closed season before winter,” said Fish and Game’s Inland Fisheries Program Supervisor John Magee. “These fish can range from 2 to 3 pounds each. Numbers, dates, and stocking locations vary annually. I would encourage anglers of all skill levels to take advantage of this season’s stocked opportunities throughout New Hampshire when weather conditions are favorable and once the ice is safe.”

Productive locations to fish include in some of the tailwater fisheries such as the Newfound River, according to Magee. “When water levels are drawn down on larger lakes for the fall, prize-sized fish often drop down below dams, creating opportunities for savvy winter anglers.

New Hampshire free fishing day is January 18.

For more information about ice fishing in New Hampshire, visit www.wildlife.nh.gov.

source: New Hampshire Fish and Game Department