Atlantic Salmon Brood Stock Fishery
Access Opportunities along the Merrimack and Lower Pemigewasset Rivers
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Two ways to download the Atlantic Salmon Fishing and Access Opportunities Map:
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The N.H. Fish and Game Department, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, offers a unique sport-fishing opportunity in the Merrimack and Pemigewasset rivers -- the Atlantic brood stock salmon program.
For anglers out to "Catch the King" of fish, N.H. Fish and Game will stock 800 two- to three-year-old Atlantic salmon into the Merrimack River watershed in Bristol and Franklin this October. Averaging 2 to 3 pounds each, these young fish are a nice catch. But in addition to the standard stocking, up to 500 large, adult salmon will be released near suitable spawning habitat upstream of the Ayers Island Dam in Bristol. Some of these fish will be monitored with radio tags in an attempt to document successful spawning. Anglers are being asked to not disturb the salmon while they are spawning, however, once these fish drop below Ayers Island Dam, they will be fair game for broodstock anglers.
If you catch a large 6- to 16-pound salmon with a green tag beneath the dorsal fin, call Matt Carpenter at 603-271-2612. The 800 two- to three-year old fish that comprise the usual fall stocking are marked with a yellow tag.
To fish for brood stock salmon, anglers need a current New Hampshire fishing license and an $11 brood stock salmon permit. Scroll below for an access map of the fishery and more information about this exciting program. The permit is good for the calendar year.
Click here to buy your $11 salmon permit and fishing license online.
See the action! Click the image to watch a 3-minute video of NH fishing guide Jon Lockwood fishing for brood stock salmon below Sewall's Falls. Click here for more fishing videos. |
Click for more information on:
- Salmon permits
- Bag Limits
- ID of legal salmon
- Salmon print available
- Program outlook
- Where to fish
- Rotational fishing and salmon fishing ethics
Any person taking or attempting to take Atlantic salmon from the Merrimack River or parts of the Pemigewasset River (and their tributaries to the first upstream dam) must have a New Hampshire fishing license and an Atlantic salmon permit, available online (click here to purchase), from any authorized license agent or at Fiish and Game headquarters in Concord. (Note -- the salmon "permit" is a checkbox on the fishing license application.)
Cost of Salmon Permit: $11 for adults age 16 and older. Children under age 16 are not required to hold a fishing license or salmon permit.
- The daily limit for salmon is 1 fish, except in Area 1a (below Eastman Falls Dam in Franklin), which is catch-and-release only.
- The season limit for salmon is 5 fish.
- The minimum total length for salmon is 15 inches.
Identification
of Legal Salmon
Anglers can identify brood stock salmon by a T-bar anchor
tag attached to one side of the base of the dorsal fin. Only
salmon marked with a T-bar anchor tag may be kept. The tag must
remain attached to the salmon while on or leaving the water.
Any salmon not identified by a T-bar anchor tag must be immediately released.
SALMON SEASON:
Year-round. Exception: Salmon taken from October 1 through March 31 shall be immediately released. Spring fishing for brood stock salmon peaks during late April and May, and extends into June until hot weather chases the fish downstream (once water temperatures rise in mid-summer, these migratory fish head for the ocean). An additional stocking takes place in the fall, creating another season in October/November.
SUPPORT THE SALMON PROGRAM! A limited edition print of Joan Wulff -- the world's most renowned fly fisher woman, formerly of New Hampshire, who with her late husband Lee founded the Wulff school of fly fishing -- is available for purchase to benefit the Merrimack River Anadromous Fish Restoration Program. |
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"Joan's Release" by Arthur Taylor
All proceeds from the sale of this print support the salmon restoration program. Artist Arthur Taylor is well-known for his paintings of Atlantic salmon and their environments. |
The brood stock program, operating since 1993, is part of the Merrimack River Anadromous Fish Restoration Program. Before they are released, these brood fish provide eggs for the restoration program's fry-stocking efforts. Each year, N.H. Fish and Game, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service and conservation groups stock over one million fry in the Merrimack River and its tributaries.
While the brood stock program has generated a lot of enthusiasm among anglers, the sport-fishing opportunity is secondary to the overall goal of restoring salmon, shad and river herring to the Merrimack River. Once wild salmon return in significant numbers, the brood stock program will be phased out.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides Federal funding that helps support the Merrimack River Anadromous Fish Restoration Program, which includes the Merrimack River Brood Stock Fishery. The brood stock salmon are raised at the federal hatchery in Nashua. Click here for more information on Fish and Game's Anadromous Fish Restoration program activities.
You can help support
this cooperative state-federal restoration effort by purchasing
a salmon permit-- whether or not you fish -- or by marking
the fisheries donation box on your license application. Thank you! <Return to Top>
Where to Fish: Method and Area Designations
Download the Atlantic Salmon Fishing and Access Opportunities Map (two formats available):
- 11"x17" PDF* (97 KB), or
- Letter-size page (will launch in a separate window)
I. Merrimack and Pemigewasset rivers from Garvins Falls Dam in Bow to the Ayers Island Dam in Bristol and their tributaries to the first upstream dam -- salmon shall be taken by FLY-FISHING ONLY.
"Fly-fishing" means casting with only fly rod, fly reel and fly line combination with an artificial fly attached, to which no additional weight has been added to the fly line or leader, and does not include the use of spinning, spincast, and casting rods and reels and lead core lines.
A fly shall be a single-
or double-pointed hook, unweighted, and shall not be baited.
A fly is defined as a hook dressed with feathers, hair, thread,
tinsel or any similar material to which no spinner, spoon or similar
device is added. The fly is unweighted if the material is added
to the fly as an attractant only and will not make the fly sink.
EXCEPTIONS/Closed Areas include:
- Eastman Falls Dam in Franklin to a point approximately 150 ft. downstream is closed to all fishing.
- Ayers Island Dam in Bristol to a point approximately 300 ft. downstream is closed to all fishing.
- MANAGEMENT AREA 1a: 150 ft. downstream from Eastman Falls Dam to the Rte. 3 and 11 bridge is CATCH AND RELEASE ONLY.
II. Merrimack River from the MA/NH state line to the Garvins Falls Dam in Bow and its tributaries to the first upstream dam -- salmon shall only be taken by:
- fly fishing; or
- by an artificial lure that only has one hook having no more than one hook point.
NOTE: To be consistent with long-term existing Atlantic salmon fisheries in Canada and Maine, New Hampshire's regulations for taking Atlantic salmon will be moving in the direction of angling by fly-fishing only in the future. <Return to Top>
Rotational Fishing and Salmon Angling Ethics
- A concept honored in all great salmon waters, rotational fishing gives all anglers an equal opportunity to fish a salmon pool or a popular section of a river. To rotate properly, the angler should start at the upstream limit of the pool, make a few casts, then move downstream several steps before casting again. Maintain a safe casting distance from other anglers. Repeat the rotation by starting again at the upstream location.
- Respect another angler's raise. If someone stimulates a rise from a salmon, allow them time to switch flies or to make additional casts to the fish.
- Respect a salmon hooked by another angler. Reel your line in until the fish has been landed by the other angler. This will ensure your line will not get tangled with that of the angler who is playing the fish.
- Help land a fish when asked.
- Avoid disturbing salmon in the pool by being careful as you approach the river.
- Be a role model for others. If you're an experienced salmon angler, give advice to the novice who requests it.
- Practice catch-and-release fishing and use barbless hooks. Atlantic salmon are a limited resource. By releasing the fish you catch unharmed, you will provide angling opportunities for others.
- Respect private property, and keep the river and adjacent land free of trash.
- Observe all fishing
regulations and report all violations to Operation Game Thief,
1-800-344-4262.
This page is a summary of the regulations pertaining to the Atlantic salmon brood stock fishery for the Merrimack and Pemigewasset rivers. This is not the full law or rules. For more detailed information concerning regulations, consult the N.H. Fish and Game Law Book. The rules are available and may be viewed at Fish and Game Department headquarters and Legislative Services in Concord, N.H.
