New Hampshire’s open-water season on large lakes managed for landlocked salmon opened Wednesday, April 1.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department manages salmon fishing on Big Squam Lake, Lake Sunapee and Lake Winnipesaukee, along with First and Second Connecticut, Conway, Francis, Merrymeeting, Newfound, Ossipee and Winnisquam lakes. Pleasant Lake in New London is also managed for landlocked salmon, but as a designated trout pond it opens the fourth Saturday in April.
The last day for ice fishing on lakes managed under landlocked salmon and lake trout designations is Tuesday, March 31. No open-water fishing for any species is allowed on those lakes until April 1, and landlocked salmon may not be taken through the ice.
Fish and Game said anglers should use rubber nets and proper release techniques to reduce hook wounding, which can leave fish shorter and in poorer condition than non-hook-wounded fish of the same age.