Exeter River
Fishing, stocking, and current conditions
Brook trout, brown trout, and rainbow trout water, stocked 15 times in 2026, spread April to May, heaviest in April; 6,056 fish reported. 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
Brook trout
Brown trout
Stocking record 2026
Agency feed checked today.
| Date | Species | Size | Fish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14 | Rainbow trout | yearling | 1,300 | completed |
| Apr 16 | Brook trout | yearling | 403 | completed |
| Apr 20 | Brown trout x 2 sections | yearling | 300 | completed |
| Apr 20 | Brook trout | yearling | 230 | completed |
| Apr 20 | Brown trout | yearling | 600 | completed |
| Apr 20 | Brown trout | yearling | 800 | completed |
| Apr 20 | Brook trout | yearling | 165 | completed |
| Apr 24 | Brook trout | yearling | 403 | completed |
| Apr 24 | Brown trout | yearling | 480 | completed |
| May 7 | Rainbow trout | yearling | 125 | completed |
| May 7 | Rainbow trout | yearling | 100 | completed |
| May 7 | Rainbow trout | yearling | 600 | completed |
| May 7 | Brook trout | yearling | 100 | completed |
| May 22 | Rainbow trout | yearling | 150 | completed |
When to fish Exeter River
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 9:20-11:20 am and 9:42-11:42 pm | 3:36-4:36 am and 3:52-4:52 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:06 am-12:06 pm and 10:30 pm-12:30 am | 4:46-5:46 am and 4:14-5:14 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 22
- Flow 64% 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 5 times 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Exeter Reservoir | 1.0 mi | May 7 |
| Lamprey River | 6.6 mi | May 22 |
| Winnicut River | 7.3 mi | May 14 |
| Piscassic River | 8.0 mi | Apr 14 |
| North River | 8.2 mi | May 11 |
Follow New Hampshire stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule