New Hampshire Fish and Game

                 Tournament Application Process & Other Rule Changes

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department will begin to accept applications for permits for bass fishing tournaments on December 3rd, 2001 on a first come first serve basis.  There are several conditions that must be met or the permit will not be issued. They are:

1. If you are requesting a permit at a New Hampshire State Access site you cannot hold a weigh-in at that site. The application asks for a weigh-in location so you must make arrangements to weigh in your fish elsewhere.

2. The number of participating boats cannot exceed 50% of the available "car/trailer" parking spaces*. For instance, Newfound Lake has 28 "car/trailer" spaces. You would not be able to hold a tournament with more than 14 boats. Squam has only a total of 25 spaces available. Here is a list of all of the state access sites and the number of parking spaces for each site.  If you have any questions you can call Vikki Leonard or Steve Wheeler ( NH  Fish & Game)at (603) 271-2501 or Dean Percival at (508) 366-2030 (days).

        * Exception to the rule: If you are capable of making parking arrangements off site and include in your application written permission from some other parking area, with contact and telephone number, you may get permission to launch more boats than the specified number determined by the number of parking spaces available. You just cannot park more than the number of permitted "cars/trailers" at a state access ramp.

Rules change: There has been a change in the administrative rules for  MA/NH interstate waters which go into effect January 1, 2002. This means that New Hampshire general rules will prevail when fishing these waters. I believe these interstate waters are listed in the New Hampshire Fishing Regulation book that you get when you get a license. This would include waters like Milton 3 Ponds, Great East, Monomonac etc.  They do not include the Conneticutt River...Bartons Cove launch.

This change means:

1.  a 2 fish daily limit from ice in to May 15th.

2. all bass fishing from May 15th to June 15th (5 fish limit) is immediate catch and release and bass can only be taken with artificial lures and flies.

3. a 2 fish daily limit from June 16 to June 30.

4. a 5 fish daily limit from July 1st to ice in

Warning from the NH F & G Department:

Early morning noise has become a problem mainly from the use of loudspeakers and wave after wave of boats throttling up. Tournament organizers have to address this problem (start the tournament in the middle of the lake?...Dean). Keep in mind that participants who are powering up their boats at the start of an event need to be aware of the New Hampshire boating law that states " when passing within 150 feet of another boat, swimmers, rafts, shore, docks, or mooring fields you must be at headway speed." This will be enforced so take this as a stern warning.