Connecticut River
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Special regulations for Connecticut River, as the state words them
Grafton County · River · NH
Today's rule hereParsed
- Season
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Gear
- two hooks may be used for bait per line, one with a single hook point and the other with no more than three hook pointsStatewide
- Bait
- Only the following species shall be possessed and used as live fish for bait when fishing any freshwaters of the stateStatewide
- Poles
- A person may use up to 2 lines for open-water fishingStatewide
| Species | Daily limit | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|
White suckers | no bag limits | - | Statewide |
Crayfish | no daily bag or possession limits | - | Statewide |
smelt | 2 quarts liquid measure of whole (head and tail intact) freshwater smelt in the 24-hour period between 12 noon one day and 12 noon the following day | - | Statewide |
Trout | 1 fish (through the ice) | - | This water |
cusk | No daily limits | min. no length or weight limits | Statewide |
lake trout Varies by water: lake trout minimum length is 16 inches (Exception to NH-Maine General Interstate Rules); Minimum length 15 inches., limit 2 fish daily limit.; minimum length 15 inches (General Fishing Rules for Rivers & Streams) | See size | min. 15 inches | Statewide |
brook trout | brook trout daily limit is 1 fish | min. brook trout minimum length is 18 inches | Statewide |
trout species (combined), lake trout | The combined daily bag limit for all trout species, is 2 fish; the daily limit for lake trout is 2 fish | - | Statewide |
Landlocked Salmon Varies by water: minimum length 15 inches, limit 2 fish daily limit (General Fishing Rules for Rivers & Streams) | 2 fish daily limit. | min. Minimum length 15 inches. | Statewide |
Chain Pickerel | 10 fish | - | This water |
Northern Pike | 1 fish | min. minimum total length 28 inches | This water |
Walleye | 4 fish, of which only 1 can be larger than 18 inches | min. No person shall take walleye 16 to 18 inches | This water |
Rock Bass | No daily limits | min. no length or weight limits | Statewide |
Carp | No daily limits | min. no length or weight limits | Statewide |
American Shad | Catch and release only. | - | Statewide |
Lake Whitefish | 2 fish daily limit | min. no length or weight limits | Statewide |
Suckers | No daily limits | min. no length or weight limits | Statewide |
The official text, verbatimOfficial text
Straight from NH's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.
- All fish“Connecticut River” means all waters of the river including the bays, set backs and tributaries, only to the first highway bridge crossing said tributaries on the Vermont and New Hampshire sides.
- All fishAll New Hampshire resident and Vermont resident fishing licenses are valid for the taking of fish from the Connecticut River as defined above. All other nonresidents with a N.H. nonresident fishing license shall only take fish east of the Vermont low water mark while on the Connecticut River.
- All fishPoles No more than 6 ice fishing devices are allowed. When fishing in open water, no more than 2 lines may be used.
- All fishThe rules below apply during the open season for fishing. Fishing for species not listed here, the general rules apply.
- Atlantic SalmonNo open season for Atlantic salmon until declared by the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission (dates as written)
- Trout
- TroutDaily limit 1 fish (through the ice)
- CarpGear any legal method and by bow and arrow with cord attached
- Chain PickerelDaily limit 10 fish
- Northern PikeDaily limit 1 fishSize minimum total length 28 inches
- WalleyeDaily limit 4 fish, of which only 1 can be larger than 18 inchesSize No person shall take walleye 16 to 18 inches
- All fishGear Fishing shall be permitted by artificial lures and flies only. All lures and flies shall have barbless hooks or shall have all barbs pinched so they will not interfere with removal of the hook from the fish. All fish are to be immediately released unharmed.
- all speciesGear Fly-fishing onlycatch-and-release for all species.
- troutDaily limit 2 fishGear Fly-fishing only
- troutDaily limit 2 fishSize 12 inchesGear Fly-fishing only
- troutDaily limit 5 fish or 5 lbs.Gear single barbless hook, artificial lures/flies (Jan. 1 to March 31)
- trout and salmonJanuary 1 through March 31 (out of season today)Daily limit all trout and salmon shall be immediately released unharmedGear barbless, single hook lures and flies only
How this answer was assembled
- StatewideStatewide river rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
- This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
- Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.
Where this stretch begins and ends
The drawn shape is the named water, matched from the official list against OpenStreetMap and accepted only because the name resolved to a single feature in this water's county.
Different sections of this water can have different rules. The exact section boundaries are not marked on the map yet; each rule above describes in plain words where it starts and ends, and that written description is the authoritative boundary. Map boundaries come water by water, never as a guess.
Season at a glanceDerived
Sampled mid-month from the dated rows; short windows can slip between samples. The rows above are authoritative.
At the water nowContext
Streamflow: 1,490 cfs at connecticut river at wells river, vt (2026-07-30 06:30)
Forecast: National Weather Service. Flow: nearest active USGS gauge in this water's area, which may sit on a different reach. Conditions are context, not rules.
What are you fishing for here?Advice
Pick from the species named in Connecticut River's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.
Receipts
Local services near Connecticut River
Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.
Run a shop or guide service on Connecticut River? Get listed.