All waters · New Hampshire · Great Bay Estuary

Great Bay Estuary, NH

Bay in Strafford County, New Hampshire. A roughly 6,000-acre tidal estuary inland from the New Hampshire seacoast, fed by the Squamscott, Lamprey, and Oyster rivers and connected to the Atlantic through the Piscataqua River. Great Bay is the Seacoast's top striped bass destination, with stripers running up the tidal rivers from late spring through fall to chase herring and baitfish. Winter flounder, bluefish, and the occasional American shad and river herring round out the saltwater fishery. Strong tidal currents and extensive eelgrass and mudflats make tide timing critical. Launches at Adams Point, Chapmans Landing, and Newmarket.

60

Overall bite score

Scored 2 min ago · recomputed every 30 minutes

Water tempModeled100
Pressure trendNOAAsteady60
Tide phaseNOAA40
SolunarComputedmoon 61% lit63
Recent stockingState data50
Time of dayComputed50
WindNOAA40
Cloud coverNOAA50
PrecipitationNOAA50

Each instrument reads 0 to 100. The score is their weighted blend, tuned for tidal water. No black box: every reading names its source.

What swims here

7 tracked species in Great Bay Estuary, with the months each fishes best.

Striped Bassabundant
American Eelcommon
White Perchcommon
Winter Floundercommon
American Shadpresent
Bluefishpresent
Smallmouth Basspresent

Water facts

TypeBay
CountyStrafford
StateNew Hampshire
WaterSaltwater, tidal
NOAA station8422687

Tidal estuary with strong currents; fish the tides. Public ramps at Chapmans Landing (Stratham) and Adams Point (Durham). No USGS gauge; tide and water-temperature data use NOAA CO-OPS Squamscott River RR Bridge station (8422687). A New Hampshire saltwater fishing license (or free recreational saltwater registration) is required for striped bass.

See the full forecast for Great Bay Estuary in the app: best windows, 7-day outlook, what to bring, and offline regulations. The score and essentials are free.

Get PescaBite free

Not legal advice. Always verify with official state regulations.

More New Hampshire water

All New Hampshire waters →