April is for Trout

I was nine years old when I became hooked on trout fishing—that was seventy years ago. To this day my favorite breakfast is a pair of trout caught at daybreak, pan-fried and seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon. Each year, nearly a million catchable-size trout are stocked in the state's waters, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. The state's trout hatcheries raise the three basic types—brook, rainbow, and brown trout. April marks the traditional start of trout fishing. Lake trout and salmon waterbodies open for fishing on the first; designated trout ponds open on the fourth Saturday of the month; and streams and some non-designated trout ponds are being stocked with hatchery trout and are open all year. Locally, those lake trout and salmon lakes include Granite Lake in Nelson and Stoddard; Nubanusit Lake in Hancock and Nelson; and Silver Lake in Nelson and Harrisville. In addition to lake trout and salmon, brook trout, rainbow trout and brown trout are also legal to catch. The daily limit is four fish and no more than two can be lake trout or salmon. The designated trout ponds in the area include Dublin Lake in Dublin; Gilmore Pond in Jaffrey; Hunts Pond in Hancock; Sand Pond in Marlow and Lempster; Spoonwood Pond in Nelson; Stone Pond in Marlborough and Dublin; Swanzey Lake in Swanzey; Whittemore Lake in Bennington and Greenfield; and Willard Pond in Antrim (fly-fishing only). The daily limit on these ponds is five fish or five pounds, whichever is reached first. Non-designated ponds the state stocks with hatchery trout are open all year, as are streams. Locally these ponds include Forest Lake in Winchester (brook, rainbow and brown trout); Franklin Pierce Lake in Hillsborough (rainbow and brown trout); Gustin Pond in Marlow (brook, rainbow and brown trout); Laurel Lake in Fitzwilliam (rainbow and brown trout); Newell Pond in Alstead (brook, rainbow and brown trout); and Warren Lake in Alstead (rainbow and brown trout). The daily limit is five fish or five pounds, whichever is reached first. All the rules are spelled out in the New Hampshire Freshwater Fishing Digest available wherever licenses are sold and online at nhfishandgame.com. Their website also includes a stocking report that allows anglers to select specific water bodies to see what has been stocked. It includes such data as date stocked, species, age class, number of fish, poundage and what hatchery they came from. Last year, the department launched a New Hampshire Stocked Trout Angler Survey and encourages anglers to report on their fishing trips on stocked waterbodies. Participation will help fishery biologists create better fishing opportunities in the state. You can even submit a photo of your catch. Submit your fishing report by using your smartphone to scan the QR code on the signs posted at select access sites or by visiting the stocking report on the department's website.