CONTACT:
John Viar: (603) 744-5470
May 9, 2023
New Hampton, NH – The 2022 New Hampshire Trophy Fish Program winners were recently announced by John Viar, Region 2 Fisheries Biologist and Trophy Fish Program Coordinator. Award certificates, suitable for framing and signed by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Executive Director and the Fish and Game Commission Chairman, have been distributed to each category winner.
“The Trophy Fish Program provides formal recognition of successful anglers, preserves noteworthy catch data, records new state records, and even provides a few bragging rights,” said Viar. “Meanwhile, fisheries biologists receive valuable data regarding different species and water bodies statewide.”
Sixty-three successful entries were recorded in 2022, with 53 “released” and 10 “kept” submissions. Two new state records were set, both freshwater, including a 35-inch, 12-pound, 8.48-ounce cusk caught by Ryan Scott Ashley of Gilmanton, NH, and a 31.9-inch, 15-pound, 12.8-ounce channel catfish caught by Scott Alexander, Jr., of Sullivan, NH.
Although fewer overall entries were returned compared with 2021, the broad array of 14 species represented the diversity of angling opportunities in the Granite State. A perennial favorite, the largemouth bass yielded 15 successful entries. The wide variety of species submitted each year to the Trophy Fish Program attests to the prospects available in New Hampshire’s lakes, ponds, rivers, and coastal waters.
For a listing of all winning entries, application forms, rules, state records, and winners from past years visit www.fishnh.com/fishing/trophy.html.
