New Hampshire anglers are celebrating the opening of the fishing season for designated trout ponds and ponds reserved for fly fishing only.
Fish and Game officials say trout ponds may be stocked with one or more species of the fish, including brook, rainbow and or brown trout ranging in age from yearlings to 2-year-olds weighing in at up to 1.5 pounds.
They say anglers looking for a wilderness experience should visit some of the more remote trout ponds stocked via helicopter. These include Flat Mountain Pond in Sandwich, Butterfield Pond in Wilmot and Black Pond and Lonesome Lake in Wilmot.
Archery Pond in Allenstown – a fly-fishing-only pond – has a wheelchair-accessible casting platform.
The trout fishing season runs through Oct. 14, although a few ponds managed under wild trout regulations close after Labor Day.
“Trout are prized by anglers because they can be a challenge to catch, and fishing for them is one of the rites of spring,” fisheries biologist Dianne Timmins said.
A list of trout ponds and special rules that apply to certain ponds is available at fishnh.com/fishing/publications.html.