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River · Monadnock Region · New Hampshire

Contoocook River Fishing Guides

A southern New Hampshire river that runs north from the Monadnock highlands to the Merrimack, stocked with trout above Peterborough and holding smallmouth through the lower valley.

A New England river running past a sandbar below low mountains in autumn

Map of the Contoocook River

58 numbered points: 19 access points, 1 bait & fly shop, 10 bridges, 12 parks and conservation areas, 3 regulation section limits, 12 hazards, 1 USGS gauge. Tap a marker for details. Reviewed Sep 25, 2026.

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Access / boat ramp (19)
Bait, tackle & fly shop (1)
Bridge crossing (10)
Park / conservation area (12)
Regulation section limit (3)
Dam / hazard (12)
USGS gauge (1)

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Points are curated from OpenStreetMap and state agency sources; confirm access and hours before you go.

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All 58 points on this map

#	Point	Type	Lat, Lon	Notes
1	Contoocook Lake Dam Jaffrey - head of the river	Dam / hazard	42.80133, -72.02717
2	Rindge to Henniker special-rule section NH Fish & Game - upstream limit at Contoocook Lake	Regulation section limit	42.80133, -72.02717	Section runs from Contoocook Lake downstream to the area marked with signs and wire in West Henniker. Boundary only; see NH Fish and Game for the rules.
3	Carey Park Town of Jaffrey	Park / conservation area	42.80198, -72.02670
4	Nutting Road bridge, Jaffrey	Bridge crossing	42.82280, -72.01892
5	Cheshire Pond Dam Jaffrey	Dam / hazard	42.81701, -72.00843
6	US 202 bridge, Jaffrey Peterborough Street / US 202	Bridge crossing	42.81661, -72.00588
7	Sharon Road bridge, Peterborough	Bridge crossing	42.85269, -71.96382
8	Noone Mills Dam Peterborough	Dam / hazard	42.85976, -71.96134
9	USGS gauge 01082000 - Contoocook River at Peterborough Live flow and stage	USGS gauge	42.86258, -71.95925
10	US 202 / NH 101 bridge, Peterborough Wilton Road	Bridge crossing	42.86898, -71.94954
11	Depot Park Peterborough village	Park / conservation area	42.87606, -71.94902
12	Main Street bridge, Peterborough	Bridge crossing	42.87747, -71.94836
13	North Village Dam Peterborough	Dam / hazard	42.89923, -71.93946
14	Shieling Forest NH Division of Forests and Lands	Park / conservation area	42.89315, -71.93318
15	Wetlands Mitigation Facility access NH DOT - cartop, Peterborough	Access / boat ramp	42.90020, -71.93740
16	Peterborough Common Pathway access Town of Peterborough - cartop	Access / boat ramp	42.92420, -71.94500	Follow the Common Pathway through the tunnel under US 202.
17	Powdermill Pond Access Facility NH Fish & Game - concrete trailer ramp	Access / boat ramp	42.95580, -71.93630
18	Hancock-Greenfield Covered Bridge Forest Road	Bridge crossing	42.95675, -71.93485
19	Powder Mill Pond Hand-Carry Boat Launch Monadnock Paper Mills - cartop	Access / boat ramp	42.98950, -71.93450
20	Powder Mill Pond Dam Bennington	Dam / hazard	42.99268, -71.92411
21	Monadnock Power Station Dam Bennington	Dam / hazard	42.99991, -71.92600
22	Paper Mill Dam Bennington	Dam / hazard	43.00578, -71.92673
23	Contoocook River Access, Bennington Monadnock Paper Mills - cartop	Access / boat ramp	43.00610, -71.93060
24	Depot Street bridge, Antrim	Bridge crossing	43.02598, -71.92839
25	McCabe Forest Society for the Protection of NH Forests	Park / conservation area	43.03822, -71.93064
26	NH 149 bridge, Hillsborough Bridge Street	Bridge crossing	43.11341, -71.89417
27	Riverwalk, Hillsborough Town of Hillsborough	Park / conservation area	43.11396, -71.88919
28	Grimes Park Boat Launch Town of Hillsborough - cartop	Access / boat ramp	43.11443, -71.88549
29	Morse Sporting Goods Hillsborough - tackle and licences	Bait, tackle & fly shop	43.14005, -71.87208
30	Whitewater Section Access Town of Henniker - cartop	Access / boat ramp	43.14425, -71.87021
31	Town Conservation Area, Henniker Town of Henniker - shorebank	Park / conservation area	43.14680, -71.86050
32	Contoocook River Access land NH Fish & Game	Park / conservation area	43.15132, -71.86515
33	West Henniker Contoocook River Access Town of Henniker - cartop	Access / boat ramp	43.16796, -71.84180
34	Contoocook Valley Paper Company Dam The former paper mill dam in West Henniker	Dam / hazard	43.16950, -71.84311
35	Henniker special-rule section NH Fish & Game - anchored on the former paper mill dam	Regulation section limit	43.16950, -71.84311	Section runs from 2,500 ft above the former paper mill dam in West Henniker, marked by signs and wire, upstream one mile to a point marked by signs and wire. Boundary only.
36	Azalea Park Town of Henniker	Park / conservation area	43.17817, -71.82411
37	NH 114 bridge, Henniker Bridge Street	Bridge crossing	43.17876, -71.82198
38	Contoocook River Access Boat Launch US Army Corps of Engineers - cartop	Access / boat ramp	43.17351, -71.81656
39	River Road Boat Launch US Army Corps of Engineers - concrete-plank ramp	Access / boat ramp	43.16638, -71.77160
40	Ames State Forest NH Division of Forests and Lands	Park / conservation area	43.17231, -71.76213
41	Hopkinton Dam US Army Corps of Engineers flood-control dam	Dam / hazard	43.18859, -71.74761
42	Elm Brook boat launch US Army Corps of Engineers	Access / boat ramp	43.19292, -71.74036
43	Elm Brook Park US Army Corps of Engineers	Park / conservation area	43.18824, -71.73585
44	Contoocook Village Dam Hopkinton	Dam / hazard	43.22243, -71.71548
45	Cedar Street Boat Launch Town of Hopkinton - cartop	Access / boat ramp	43.22206, -71.71532
46	Contoocook Railroad Bridge Covered railroad bridge, Hopkinton	Bridge crossing	43.22308, -71.71389
47	Riverway Park Canoe/Kayak Launch Town of Hopkinton - cartop	Access / boat ramp	43.22320, -71.71293
48	Bohanan Farm boat access Town of Hopkinton - cartop	Access / boat ramp	43.23485, -71.69153
49	Mast Yard State Forest NH Division of Forests and Lands	Park / conservation area	43.24075, -71.66302
50	Lehtinen Park North City of Concord - walk-in / shore fishing	Access / boat ramp	43.25140, -71.64810
51	Lehtinen Park / Broad Cove water access City of Concord - walk-in / cartop	Access / boat ramp	43.23331, -71.64784
52	Jim Hill Riverwalk City of Concord - walk-in / shore fishing	Access / boat ramp	43.23970, -71.63930
53	Rolfe Canal Public Boat Ramp City of Concord - concrete trailer ramp	Access / boat ramp	43.26646, -71.61389	Varying current below the dam; keep craft under control.
54	Edward H York Dam Penacook	Dam / hazard	43.26924, -71.61305
55	Penacook Riverside Park City of Concord	Park / conservation area	43.28074, -71.60163
56	Penacook Upper Falls Dam Briar-Hydro Associates	Dam / hazard	43.28281, -71.60120
57	Penacook Street Boat Ramp Gravel trailer ramp; connects to the Merrimack	Access / boat ramp	43.28620, -71.59090
58	Henniker to Concord special-rule section NH Fish & Game - downstream limit at the Merrimack	Regulation section limit	43.28685, -71.58907	Section runs from 2,500 ft above the former paper mill dam in West Henniker downstream to the confluence with the Merrimack River. Boundary only.

Guides on the Contoocook River

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About the Contoocook River

The Contoocook is one of the few New England rivers that runs north, rising in the highlands south of Jaffrey and working up past Peterborough, Hillsborough and Henniker to meet the Merrimack at Penacook. The USGS gauge at Peterborough reads the upper river, the section that gets fished hardest for trout, and reports discharge and stage without a current water temperature series. On a river this size the stage reading is often the more useful number, because a foot of difference changes which runs are wadeable.

The upper Contoocook and its feeder brooks fish as classic southern New Hampshire trout water. New Hampshire Fish and Game stocks brook, brown and rainbow trout through the spring, and there are wild brook trout in the colder tributaries coming off the Monadnock highlands. The river runs over cobble and ledge here, alternating short riffles with dark pools under hemlock, and it fishes well with a short rod and a wading staff. Below Hillsborough the character changes as the river widens and slows through a chain of impoundments and long flat reaches, and smallmouth bass, largemouth, chain pickerel and yellow perch take over.

Most guided work in this part of New Hampshire is wade-based fly fishing on the upper river and its tributaries, sold as half-day and full-day trips out of Peterborough, Keene and Concord. The lower river below Henniker sees paddlecraft traffic, and a canoe or kayak float fishing for smallmouth through the summer flats is a legitimate and underused way to fish it. Public access is generally good, with town landings, state boat accesses and a long run of conservation land frontage.

Timing is straightforward. Spring stocking and cool water make April through early June the productive trout window; by mid-July the upper river warms and low flow concentrates fish into the deepest pools, at which point the smallmouth fishing downstream is the better trip. September and October bring the trout back on the feed as water cools. New Hampshire licenses are required and the regulations linked below carry the current stocking schedule, seasons and limits.

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Access

Peterborough town access at the USGS gauge - the upper-river flow reference and easy wade access.
Noone Falls and Peterborough village pullouts - short walk-in access to the ledge water.
Bennington and Antrim river accesses - middle-river wading and canoe launch points.
Hillsborough town access - the transition point from trout water to warmwater river.
Henniker river accesses - lower-river hand launch for smallmouth floats.
Contoocook village landing in Hopkinton - trailer and hand launch on the lower flats.
Jaffrey and Rindge headwater brooks - wild brook trout wading on the tributaries.

Seasons

Spring: stocking runs through April and May and the upper river fishes best of the year as flows drop off snowmelt.
Summer: the upper river warms and drops; fish the tributary mouths early or float the lower river for smallmouth.
Fall: cooling water in late September and October brings holdover trout back into the runs.
Winter: mostly closed or iced on the flats, with limited open-water access on the upper river.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the Contoocook River?

As of Nov 2, 7:30 am, the USGS gauge CONTOOCOOK RIVER AT PETERBOROUGH, NH reads 30 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Contoocook River?

Anglers target Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Chain Pickerel, Fallfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch on the Contoocook River in New Hampshire.

Where can you access the Contoocook River?

Peterborough town access at the USGS gauge - the upper-river flow reference and easy wade access. Noone Falls and Peterborough village pullouts - short walk-in access to the ledge water. Bennington and Antrim river accesses - middle-river wading and canoe launch points. Hillsborough town access - the transition point from trout water to warmwater river. Henniker river accesses - lower-river hand launch for smallmouth floats. Contoocook village landing in Hopkinton - trailer and hand launch on the lower flats. Jaffrey and Rindge headwater brooks - wild brook trout wading on the tributaries.

When is the best time to fish the Contoocook River?

Spring: stocking runs through April and May and the upper river fishes best of the year as flows drop off snowmelt. Summer: the upper river warms and drops; fish the tributary mouths early or float the lower river for smallmouth. Fall: cooling water in late September and October brings holdover trout back into the runs. Winter: mostly closed or iced on the flats, with limited open-water access on the upper river.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Contoocook River?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the New Hampshire agency site: https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/laws-and-rules

At a glance

State: New Hampshire
Licence: New Hampshire fishing licence
Type: River
Gauge: USGS 01082000
Guides: 0

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Regulations

Rules change by season and section. Read the current regulations from the New Hampshire agency. We never restate regulations.

Nearby waters

Flow, gauge height, and water temperature: U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System, provisional data subject to revision. Percentile computed from USGS daily statistics for this calendar day. All data sources.

Contoocook River Fishing Guides

Map of the Contoocook River

Guides on the Contoocook River

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About the Contoocook River

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