Cocheco River
Fishing, stocking, and current conditions
Brown trout and rainbow trout water; 2 stockings on the 2026 record, spread April to May. A USGS gauge reports from this water, so the conditions card on this page is live.
New Hampshire · see it on the national map
The year here
stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details
What swims here
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
Stocking record 2026
Agency feed checked today.
| Date | Species | Size | Fish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8 | Rainbow trout | yearling | 500 | completed |
| May 8 | Brown trout | yearling | 800 | completed |
When to fish Cocheco River
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 9:19-11:19 am and 9:42-11:42 pm | 3:35-4:35 am and 3:52-4:52 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:05 am-12:05 pm and 10:29 pm-12:29 am | 4:46-5:46 am and 4:13-5:13 pm |
Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Eastern Time (EDT).
What the record actually says
- Last stocked May 8
- Flow 24% of the seasonal median
Computed this evening, Oct 23 · New Hampshire fishing forecast
Gear for this water
It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.
For the trout (rainbow trout stocked 1 time here in 2026, moving water)
| Light spinning rod | 5 to 6.5 ft light or ultralight; short rods cast under branches |
| Inline spinners | 1/16 to 1/8 oz silver or gold; swing them across the current seams |
| Drifted bait | single salmon egg or half a crawler under light split shot, rolled along the bottom |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Great Works River ME | 3.1 mi | Jun 8 |
| Bellamy River | 3.5 mi | Apr 17 |
| Oyster River | 4.2 mi | Apr 17 |
| Willand Pond | 4.9 mi | May 7 |
| Smelt Brook ME | 5.1 mi | Apr 28 |
Follow New Hampshire stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule