Conference wahoo::fishing

Hey Don...

We should get together and meet.  I live in Pembroke (aka Suncook) and have
fished the Merrimack at the falls in Hooksett.  Quite a few smallmouth below
the dam, a few walleye (so I'm told) and an occassional trout or landlocked
salmon from upstream.

There are quite a few other ponds and lakes that I've done with my fishin'
buddy, Chris Fletcher.  Give me a call and we'll get together.  I'm in MK01.

Joe

    I met with Joe, lives a few miles from me, and works about 50 yards
    from me, we'll do some fishing together.  
    
    It looks like smallmouth will be the target around the dam area in 
    Hooksett.  Joe also informed me that the Merrimack is a class B around 
    there, so the fish may be eaten!
    
    Anyone else have any info on the Merrimack?			-Don Mac
                                                                
    

    I tried the Merrimack at the Bow launch this weekend, had something
    on the line about 20 inches long, and fairly skinny - to thin for
    a smallmouth - but as I already confessed in note 53.17 - I lossed
    it, due to the 'first time out this year unpreparedness syndrome'
    
    It possibly could have been a salmon - oy maybe just a sucker...
    
    don mac

Speaking of salmon...

Is anyone out there familiar with these fish.  Now that I know the Merrimack 
holds some of these critters, I'd like to know more about them.   The only 
thing that I do know is that they are scarce enough to be a 'catch and release'
fish.  

So, anyone out there got some advice to lend?

don mac

    RE: 82.1  shiners vs dead bait
    
    I was there too Joe, and I saw the same thing, I was throwing
    everything from grubs to buzz baits, and all I got was one little
    scrapper largemouth.  I talked to a guy who took a 3lb smallmouth
    out of there in the am (I was there from 3pm-5:30pm) - the guy failed
    to offer what he took it on, but it did appear that people were
    catching fish w/ shiners...
    						don mac

    I've been doing well by the Bow Power Plant, since my previous
    comments.
    
    A couple of days ago I landed a beautiful 3 1/2lb smallmouth, with
    a rubber worm.
                                                     
    I've been catching lots of smallmouth here, most run smaller though,
    around 1-2 lbs (with rubber worms)
    
    Don Mac

    Any truth to the rumor that the EPA has granted permission to
    Manchester to dump raw sewage into the Merrimac as a result of the
    construction of an Apartement complex that will overload the manchester
    treatment plant? I heard this from my Dad, seems a damn shame after
    all the effort that has gone into cleaning up the river.....
    
    dave

    I HOPE NOT!
    
    The Merrimack is ALREADY bad enough from Manchester on down.
    
    Above Manchester it's pretty clean nowadays, about a mile north
    of the Bow power plant, the water is actually pretty clear, there's
    even a nice secluded sandy beach that is often crowded.  Also, the
    Bow boat launch has been "taken over" by local water skiers.  Every
    weekend there's a crowd there, watching SkiNautiques (sp?) buzz
    skiers through the (permanent) slalom course they have setup.  It's
    actually becoming a recreational river once again, it'd be a shame
    to start pumping trash into it again.  I believe there's even a
    canoe rental place right on the river by the Hooksett damn now...
    
    Don Mac

    re.-2 
    
    A couple of weeks ago, there was a good write-up in the NH Sunday
    paper on the supposed planned dumping into the Merrimack from the
    new condo development.  The author did a good job at getting everyone's
    attention.  The next week there was a follow up article saying that
    he recieved lots of response, including one (from someone in the
    government, I don't recall who) saying that it was a "misunderstanding"
    and that there will be no dumping.   
    
    Don Mac  

Has anyone heard when the fish ladder at the Amoskeag bridge in Manchester 
is supposed to be complete?  I go by there every day and it doesn't look like 
it will be done in time for the shad run this year.

HSJ

    
       I don't know when they will finish it. It looks like its going
    to take another couple of months but I'm not in the costruction
    business so it might be sooner. 
       I was curious about the fact that when they finish that
    one there is still another dam upstream that would be insurmountable
    for any sea run fish, the Hooksett power plant. Are there plans
    to build one there also? Are there any more dams upstream that i
    dont know about. I asking this because of the possibility of atlantic
    salmon returning the the river.
    
    Kevin

    I'm not certain, but I believe there are some forces (Federal law
    maybe?) that a fish ladder has to be operational within a certain
    time (a year or 2 or 3) of when the dam is blocking the migration
    of salmon.  That's why the fish ladders have been working there
    way upstream one at a time from Lawrence; then Lowell; then Manchester.
    
    Mark,
    

I spoke with a friend of mine recently who is a conservation officer in NH 
and he said that the ladder in Manchester should be done within a couple of 
months.  He also said that there will not be a need for a ladder at the 
falls/dam in Hooksett as they are now routing water over the sluice-way and 
that salmon and shad can make it over the top.  That means that next year, 
hopefully, the shad and salmon can make it up river at least as far as 
Concord.

HSJ

    Does anyone know if the boat launch just south of the Granite St
    bridge is public or private?  And does anyone have directions to
    the boat launch??
    
    	Thanks,
    
    	MoeB

    The only boat launch that I know of is on the east side.  I believe
    that it is private, and I'm not sure where the owner lives.  The
    only way I know of to get there is to take a left off of Calef accross
    from the church (the cemetary is on the corner).  keep going down
    until you come to the water, and go right.  Sorry if these aren't
    to explicit, I was only down there once.
    joe a.

    Thanks Joe, but I don't think that's the ramp I saw.  There is a
    newly tarred launch about 150-250 yards south of the Granite St
    bridge, on the east side, which appears to have a dirt road leading
    down to it.  It is just south of the factory, and north of the Queen
    city bridge.  I'll try to find out how to get there after work tonight
    if no one responds back.
    
    	Thanks,
    
    	MoeB

    let me know how it is if you go.  we live on gold right by calef.
    i can walk to the river, and i can't wait to try for some shad after
    work.  last year one poor soul landed the 1st salmon in 100 years
    from the merrimack in machester.  he got his up by the dam.  also
    with the release of some 500 trout at the granite st. bridge, you
    never know what you'll get.
    

    RE. .14
    
    I drove around the area after work Friday, and the best I can come
    up with is this:
    
    The ramp appears to be connected to a dirt road off of Commercial
    St. (Take Granite St exit off of Rte 3, right hand turn across river,
    then another right hand turn onto Commerical).  Unfortuneatly the
    road has a locked gate on it (also connects to a "tow away" car
    storage lot for the M.P.D.).   
    
    Next step I guess it to contact the M.P.D. and see if they have
    any objections people using the dirt road for porting a boat or
    canoe.
    
    Sorry I couldn't come up with anything better,
    
    MoeB
    

    	The town of Manchester has made available three more access
    points on the M'mack.  They are at Arms Park, Loeb Park off of Granite
    Street, and South Commercial street (as described in .14-.18).
    
    	Some more info on the Commercial St ramp:  The road leading
    to the launch is newly surfaced (dirt), but does have a rather steep
    slope down to the river.  Once you reach the river, there is a "J",
    so that you can pull a car/truck in and then back down the ramp.
    This ramp gives acces to the river from the Granite St Bridge to
    where I293 crosses the river, about 2 miles down stream.  I don't
    trailor a boat, but it seems this launch may be better suited for
    cartops/canoes.
    
    
    	MoeB

    Can anyone tell me where I can launch my boat at the mouth of
    the river or close to it?
    
    SHAWN

       As someone said, there is a ramp at Salisbury State Beach. The
    entrance is on the right, just before you get to the amusement park,
    (coming from the South)
                                                             Denny

    Salsbury State Park    $3
    Can't get any closer

    How is this ramp? Does it have a dock for loading. I have a 21 foot
    and I just cannot beach it.
    
    Bruce

    I launched a few times last year right at the Newburyport town dock
    area.  There's a Marine/Fishing Store with a good ramp, docking
    and plenty of 
    parking, and it cost 7.00 (i think)..I don't remember the name of
    the store (Hudson's maybe?)..maybe one of you river rats can supply
    the name.  I havent been there this year..been using Rye Harbor.

    There are 3 ramps I've used in that area.  The best, in my opinion,
    is the ramp at Salsbury State Park.  It is steep enough for just
    about any size boat, the area is clean, plenty of parking, and it's
    only $3.  There is also a pretty good private ramp in Newburryport,
    I believe it's called 3R's, or something like that.  It's located
    behind the ice cream place, just before you get into town.  That
    one cost $10 to launch, it's plenty steep enough, but can be 
    slippery at low tide.  The worst of the three is the public launch
    at Newburryport.  The ramp's quite shallow at all tides.  There
    is plenty of parking and it's free.  The area is used as a local
    hangout for the neighborhood kids, especially on weekend nights.
    I probably won't use it again.  Smart money is at the Salsbury
    State Park.
    
    The Gaffer
    

    Thanks for the replies , looks like I'll be using the salsbury 
    ramp. 
    
    Shawn
    

Frist let me say ( and I said before ) that the Merrimack River
is indeed a very dangerous place. Do not go running around
with reckless abandon until you are familar with all the 
submerged hazzards.

It is not my intent to scare or frighten you but the Merrimack
between the route 1 bridge and the mouth can be dangerous

Oh yea and in the Fog need I say more. Throw out your anchor
and wait. I have all so fallen asleep while alone.

So make yourself familar with these hazards.

There are several sumerg break water that extend out along
and from the points of woodbrige Island.

Half tide rock

Lunt Rock

Badgers Rocks

At night it easy to get disorganized.

Places to fish depend on how low the tide is as to when it is 
best

Salibury drift
Shad creek
woodbriddge island
half tide rock
badgers
the jetties
the mouth up to as far as 3/4 mile from the tip of jetties
Sportsmen lounge
Jappa flats
Behind woodbrige Island
in front of black water creek

Learn the rips and you will find bass.

Now there are 5 ramps that I know of
First there is a high tide only ramp on the lower
street that leads to plum island

There is the ramp at hudsons which near the Captain quarters or
Hiltons for those of you that party boat fish

The town park ( mentioned before )

3R's Marina which stands for Ray,Red,and Ray The owners
I have used this ramp and had land storage for years
here

and Salibury state park which is 3.00 per launch or 20.00
per season if you buy a season pass. This is the way
for the serious angler to go.

There is a large number of what we call regular night fishermen.
These are the guys that go out many times a week. Most of the 
serious night fishermen launch from 3 R's. They are tight jawed 
and very difficult to get to know. If you pay your dues
you can join the faterity... They are on a first name bassis..
Many fish alone or with one partner...

Depending on the tide , time of year,etc will determine the 
methods used to catch big bass.

sometimes we troll wire with goo goo eyes
sometimes we cast live ells or troll worms.
you can drift worms and ells also
Buck tails work well also.
learn to shut off lights and not to motor into
the hot spots. Bass are spooky and when they are up on the flats 
gourging worms your approach may determine if you are 
successful.

Also they leave the river and fish the beaches up to 20
miles away. There are a zillion places over near the parker 
river, crains beach, bass rock, high sandy, middle grounds.
etc etc.

General speaking in aug the beach is the best fishing.
Sometimes in the fall the bass do not enter the river like they 
did in early summer. If you see lights suspeded in the out going 
tide out in and near the mouth they are mostly trolling wire...
These are bass fishermen.

The whole right at the end of the nort jetty is a particulrly
good spot.

I hope this helps. Please throw back all shorts and let me know
when the bass are out of danger and I will chase them again.


Bear
  

    Anyone out there fish the mouth of the Merrimack yet this year?
    Any reports of stripers or blues?  I'll be heading Friday evening.
    1989, the year of the 50 pound striper  :*)
    
    Gone fishin
    

    The blues are in, caught a dozen Friday night just inside the
    mouth of the river.  Also caught a 1/2 dozen stripers after dark.
    One striper went 32", bigger than any of the blues, but back it
    went.  The Environmental Police were at the Salsbury ramp when
    we took out at 1am.  They were very friendly and professional,
    happy to report.  From what everyone said, this is very early
    for thr blues.  Love it.
    
    Gone fishin
    

    Are there any other boat launches, besides Salisbury, on the Merrimack
    that provide Ocean access?  Any directions would be appreciated.
    
    Dave
    

    I have posted an article on the New Hampshire River Protection and
    Management Program in the PICA::NEW_HAMPSHIRE notesfile (note #173.12).
    
    There will be a public hearing on the nomination of the lower Merrimack
    (from Merrimack/Bedford town line to Massachussetts border) to this
    program at the Griffin Memorial School in Litchfield this Thursday
    7-Dec-1989 at 7:30 PM.
    
    Acceptance of this portion of the Merrimack river under this program
    would benefit fishermen by protecting the river from additional
    development and pollution.

       {cross-posted in NEW_HAMPSHIRE and ENVIRONMENTAL_ISSUES notesfiles}
    
       I attended a public hearing in Litchfield last night on the 
       nomination of the lower Merrimack river (the segment bordered
       by the towns of Merrimack, Litchfield, Hudson, and Nashua) to the 
       NH Rivers Management & Protection Program as sponsored by the 
       Merrimack River Watershed Council. In addition to the members of 
       the Rivers Management Advisory Committee, there were roughly 35 
       citizens present at the hearing.

       Almost all of the comments made about the nomination were very
       positive indicating a strong base of support for the measure. The
       only concerns voiced at the hearing were those of a Water Co.
       employee who felt restrictions on out-of-basin transfers of water
       and minimum instream flow requirements could hamper further
       growth in other regions of the state (such as Portsmouth) should
       they encounter problems with existing water supplies. Members of
       the panel responded that other non-designated rivers could still
       be tapped as alternative sources.

       The Merrimack river has come a long way since the days when it
       was one of the most polluted waterways in the country. In one
       respect the past pollution problems have been a blessing in that
       it served to protect the river banks from overdevelopment.

       I regularly canoe and fish (catch & release of course) along the
       river and I can attest to the beauty of the river, especially in
       the Merrimack/Litchfield area. It is surprising how natural and
       serene the tree-lined river banks look considering the close
       proximity  of the congested DW highway with it's string of
       strip-malls. One only needs to see the blue-heron around the next
       bend, the hawks circling above the tall pines, or the majesty of
       the American bald eagle (sighted on the river near the Merrimack/
       Bedford border this past summer) to realize that this river is worth
       preserving. 
      
       The time to act is now. I have included below a copy of a handout
       describing the program. If you support the nomination of the
       lower Merrimack River to this program, please take the time to
       extract, complete, and sign the letter at the end of this reply
       (or write your own) and send to the address given

		*** NO LATER THAN 15-DEC-1989 ***

       If you need more information concerning the program, call the
       Rivers Coordinator, NH Dept of Environmental Services at
       603-271-3503.

       Thanks for your support.
       - Dave Thompsen
              
{from a handout written by the NH Dept of Environmental Services:}

	THE NEW HAMPSHIRE RIVERS MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION PROGRAM

			Questions and Answers

     o How did the Rivers Management and Protection Program get started?

       In 1988, the State Legislature created the Rivers Management and
       Protection program in response to the increasing and competing
       demands we place on our rivers. The purpose of the program is to
       protect our state's significant river resources through the joint
       efforts of state and local governments. State designation of
       outstanding rivers and river segments will protect the
       significant instream resources, such as fisheries and water
       quality. Local river corridor management plans will address the
       use and conservation of the shoreline and adjacent lands that
       make up the river corridor.

       The program is administered by the Department of Environmental
       Services (DES) and is staffed by the State Rivers Coordinator.
       A State Rivers Management Advisory Committee (RMAC) composed of
       many river interests has been established to advise the
       department on the implementation of the program.

     o How does the state designation process work?

       A river can be nominated by any New Hampshire citizen or
       organization. A nomination must include a complete inventory of
       the river's resources and be submitted to the Commissioner of DES.
       After an evaluation by the Rivers Coordinator and RMAC, and a
       public hearing, the commissioner will forward approved
       nominations to the State Legislature. Before a river can be
       protected and managed under the program, the Legislature must
       adopt a bill that designates the river.

     o How does designation protect the river?

       A bill with specific protection measures for designated rivers
       has been submitted to the State Legislature for consideration
       during the 1990 session. The bill creates a river classification
       system made up of natural, rural, and community rivers.
       Protection measures for each classification have been develped to
       protect instream river resources through the regulation of dams,
       water quality and quantity, siting of solid and hazardous waste
       facilities, and recreational use. Until the State Legislature
       adopts the protection measure bill, the level of protection that
       will be given to designated rivers is uncertain. A summary of the
       proposed protection measures appear on the back of this page {see
       below}.

     o Will designation affect local land use control in the river
       corridor?

       No. Neither the Rivers Management and Protection Program Act nor
       the proposed protection measure gives the state any authority
       over local land use decisions. What is a local decision before
       the designation of a river will remain a local decision following
       designation.

     o Besides protection for instream river resources, what else does
       the designation provide?

       Designation will increase awareness of the river and may provide
       an incentive for communities along the river to adopt corridor
       management plans to insure that future development is consistent
       with the designation of the river. The department of
       Environmental Services will offer technical assistance to
       communities that wish to pursue the adoption of a corridor plan,
       with priority for assistance being given to communities along
       designated rivers.


              SUMMARY OF PROPOSED PROTECTION MEASURES

				Natural	   Rural     Community
				Rivers	   Rivers    Rivers		
       Dams
         New dams               No         No        No
	 Breached dams          No         No        Yes
	 Existing dams          No         Yes       Yes
       

       Channel alterations      No         Yes       Yes

       Water quality            A or B     B         B

       Established protected    Yes        Yes       Yes
        instream flows

       Interbasin transfers     No         No        No

       Waste disposal
         New landfills          No         No        No
	 New solid waste
          facilities            250 ft     250 ft    250 ft
         New hazardous waste
          storage facilities    No         No        No

       Recreational use
         Motorboats             No         Headway   Headway
                                           speed*     speed*

	* only when within 150 ft of shore - max 6 MPH
       
{end of handout}

                                                 <your-name>
                                                 <street-address>
                                                 <city, state zip>
                                                 <todays-date>


        Beth Patrino/Rivers Coordinator
        NH Dept of Environmental Services
        PO Box 95, 6 Hazen Drive
        Concord, NH 03301


        Dear Ms. Patrino,


        I would like to express my support for the nomination of the 

        lower Merrimack River to the New Hampshire Rivers Management & 

        Protection program as sponsored by the Merrimack River Watershed

        Council. Please feel free to forward this letter to members

        of the Rivers Management Advisory Committee and to

        representatives of the New Hampshire State Legislature involved

        in the designation of rivers to this program.



        Regards,

       

    I don't think I'd feel comfortable supporting the nomination do to
    the line that restricts boat speed to 6mph. Everything else looks
    great...there's more than enough boating regulations already to
    cover instances when speed should be reduced, with out adding a blanket
    speed limit to any body of water...Just my two cents...
    
    Marty

    Ditto.  I too would hate to see a speed limit on the Merrimack, but
    would love to see it protected from future development.
    
    I've been on all but a couple of miles of the Merrimack in NH.  The
    couple of miles that I have passed up are in and directly below
    downtown Manchester - raw sewerage is not my idea of scenic beauty.
    
    The Merrimack is in alot better shape than most folks realize, hence
    the little development along most of its shores.  I think it's great
    that agencies want to protect it before the developers catch on and
    quickly ruin the rivers mostly natural banks.
    
    From Franklin to Boscawen the water is still crystal clear.  In
    Boscawen, where the stained waters of the Contoocook River enter, the  
    rivers clarity diminishes but it is still real clean.
    
    In Bow, the warm waters discharged from the PSNH power plant tend to 
    darken the water slightly more - but the water is still pretty clean.  
    From here down to the Amoskeg Damn folks have been swimming and skiing
    for years.
    
    Below Manchester the rivers banks are still unspoiled, but the the
    water quality is poor.  And as you head north from Nashua up towards
    Manchester you start smelling a bad odor.  I think this is from the
    Merrimack Sewage treatment plant, however the smell does appear to
    linger on even as you move past it toward Manchester.
    
    From North Nashua heading towards Mass the water quality appears to
    improve after a stretch - and you start seeing life and camps along the
    rivers edge.
    
    The last time I was in that section a large section of the west bank
    was taped off with yellow tape, around the outskirts of WR Grace, where 
    a possible cyanide spill was under investigation...
    
    I love the Merrimack. I've caught real nice smallmouth from Tyngsboro
    to Franklin.  It's a great fishing resource.  I hope the state
    continues to take better care of it - but I think a 6mph speed limit
    is ridiculous.
    
    In my opinion, the lower section of the river lends itself more to 
    power boats than canoes.  And a 6mph speed limit would limit it to
    canoes (more or less).
    
    I's rather see the northern most section protected.  This area is still
    pristine.  And a 6mph limit wouldn't matter because is canoe country,
    with lots of nice mellow rapids.
    
    Anyway... I hadn't planned on writing a book here, but the Merrimack is
    a subject that is near and dear to me.  I've been following the
    articles in the papers about this.  If they could do this w/o the speed
    limit I'd write a bunch of letters.
    
    donmac - who is looking forward to spring time canoe camping fishing
    	     adventure on the mighty merrimack

    Don,
    The thing I always found funny about the merrimack is that
    the people who use it for swimmimg, skiing and the such always
    think that their water is clean as they're above the next larger
    city...It always amazed me. I had a friend who use to water ski
    out of their camp just north of Lawerance. Other people in
    the Hookset stretch. The river has made a great deal of progress,
    but doesn't Franklin NH still dump raw sewerage into it, as well
    as any part of Concord NH thats east of the river (Concord Heights 
    and East Concord) ? I find it interesting to hear that the water
    quality often reaches places that it improves, at least in clarity
    down stream...What happens to all the stuff already poured in ?
    I fished it twice and had fun both times, but still would feel
    funny jumping in for a swim, no matter what part of the river it
    was...
    
    Marty
    

    I don't know if Franklin or Concord are dumping - I have no heard that 
    from an official source.  If Franklin is, I can tell you that it does
    not  "visually" appear to be harming the river.  The water is still
    crystal clear up there. 
    
    I'm no biologist but, the way I see it, I think its natural that the
    water quality will often improve as it gets further from a the
    pollution source.  Bio-degradable waste will continue to breakdown as
    the river fllows.  Rivers are capable of removing our waste efficiently. 
    Only when rivers are abused by trying to have them remove too much
    waste do they become polluted (any bio majors out there want to give us
    the scoop?)
    
    donmac - who will occasionally water ski above manchester - and has 
             no problem at all swimming above boscawen 8^)

    RE: 6 MPH limit
    
    This limitation is actually an existing state law. I just confirmed
    this with the people from the NH Dept of Safety Services (phone # is
    603-271-3336). The law states that all watercraft must travel at or
    below headway speed or that speed required to maintain steerage
    control but at no time to exceed 6 MPH when within 150 ft of shore (in
    addition to other obstructions such as swimming platforms). This
    applies to ALL public waters including rivers. In this case, the NH 
    Rivers Program is simply reiterating an existing law.
    
    I think there are other concerns here too:
    
    - many portions of the lower Merrimack, especially bordering
      Merrimack/Litchfield are too narrow to go faster than 6 MPH without
      causing a wake that would disturb other boats/canoes, wildlife, etc.
    
    - there are many obstructions/shallow spots that would make a faster
      speed foolhardy
    
    - boat wakes cause erosion of the river banks
    
    Even if you still oppose that limit, I would suggest you write to the
    DES. Let them know you support the program in general but are opposed 
    to the speed limit. Also send a copy to the Dept of Safety Services
    since they responsible for boating regulations.
    
    
    RE: development of the river banks
    
    Be aware that this program does not prevent development of the
    riverbanks (other than channel alterations and waste disposal sites).
    Only the enactment of a shoreline zoning regulation would accomplish
    that. It is hoped that the NH Rivers Program will act as a springboard
    for enacting that legislation at the local level in the near future.

    RE: pollution
    
    As for the lower Merrimack within NH, the most significant inputs of
    pollution have been from raw sewage from West Manchester and
    primary-treated sewage from Nashua. Nashua just opened their new
    secondary-treatment facility a couple of months ago, so that source
    has been reduced significantly,
    
    Manchester is now under an EPA-driven federal court order to alleviate
    their sewage discharge (which is substantial). Manchester has responded
    by building interceptor lines that will connect the sewage outfall from
    West Manchester with the sewage treatment facility on the East side of
    the river. This construction project gained some notariety last spring
    when their construction equipment became stranded in the middle of the
    river by the spring floodwaters. The current completion date for this
    project is 1992. At that time, the major point pollution source in our
    stretch of the Merrimack will be halted.

    Dave,
    As far as speed goes, a good portion of the river must be at least 300
    ft wide, so you should be able to stay law abiding by shooting up the
    middle. When it narrows down to less then 300 ft then the law covers
    it as you have stated...We have a place on lake Sunapee and put up
    with the hassles of wakes a zillion times more than the Merrimack
    will ever have to, so I can't really buy into the argument that it
    should be made more exclusive for that reason...I don't want to
    nit pick though...I'd rather have the 6mph speed limit and some protection
    for it then nothing at all....
    
    Don,
    It makes sense that the river should be able to handle some of the
    waste...I guess it's just the thought of it...
    
    Marty
    

re: 6 MPH limit

I've seen the NH Dept. of Saftey patrolling the section from the Hooksett 
dam down to Manchester and I don't recall ever seeing them nail someone for 
exceeding 6 mph.  In fact, even at the widest section I seriously doubt that 
the river exceeds 300 feet across.  Boats constantly blast up and down the 
river, including under the Hooksett bridge at high speeds.  On a couple of 
occassions I've seen some hi-performance cigarette-type boats pushing almost 
100 mph (!!!) between the Hooksett bridge and Manchester.  These guys are 
running twin 250 hp+ outboards on $75,000 boats.  Of course, what Safety 
Department officer is gonna catch up with them??

I agree with Don that the quality of the Merrimack is, in general, very good 
and getting better.  I would certainly advocate and support any measure to 
ensure that the river continue to be managed and kept clean.  Although I've 
fished the Merrimack for a few years, I've only recently (this year) 
discovered how great the smallmouth fishing is and I want to see it stay 
that way.

-HSJ-  

    RE: 6 MPH limit
    
    Just to clarify, this limit is not new and is stated in the NH Rivers
    Program legislation simply to contrast with the "natural" river
    category restriction of "no motorboats"; note that the Merrimack will
    be classified as a "community" river, NOT a "natural" one, so in fact
    there are no additional boating restrictions on the Merrimack other
    than those within the existing laws.
    
    
    RE: boat wake effects on Lake Sunapee vs Merrimack river
    
    There are three reasons why boat wakes can cause more significant
    erosion on a river than on a lake. First, the wider expanses of a
    typical lake allow for a dampening effect on boat wakes. Second, many
    rivers (including the Merrimack) have sandy banks which erode more easily
    than lake shorelines which tend to have more concrete jetties, piers,
    and seawalls. Third, river banks are already stressed by natural
    erosion causes such as the natural flow of the river and the spring
    floodwaters.
    
    As far as amount of boat traffic, the Merrimack sees very little
    traffic now, but that will change in the future as the water is cleaned
    up even further. For example, a developer in Tyngsboro, MA is in the
    process of applying for the permits necessary to build a 96-slip marina
    on the river.
    
    
    RE: pollution
    
    Rivers do have the ability to dilute a small amount of sewage without
    significant harm to the environment but this amount has always been far 
    exceeded in most rivers near urban centers (such as the Merrimack). One
    of the real problems of exceeding the river's natural ability to handle
    waste is that the oxygen content of the water is severely reduced by
    the metabolism of the bacteria and other organisms that breakdown the
    added waste (refered to as BOD - biochemical oxygen demand). This is a
    situation where man has upset the balance - the result is extensive
    algae blooms and dead fish (which are literally suffocated by lack of
    O2).

    I should point out that the interests of fishermen are represented
    on the Rivers Management Advisory Committee by Ellis Hatch from the
    Fish & Game Commission and Donald Normandeau of the Fish & Game Dept.
    I don't know much about about these gentlemen, but I can only assume
    they have sportsmen's interests at heart. The Rivers Coordinator, Beth
    Patrino, specifically stated at the hearing that the program strongly
    supports recreational uses (such as boating, fishing, etc) that do not 
    have a significant negative impact on other desireable uses of the river.

    Does any one know if you need a permit to harvest mussels from
    the Joppa Flats, just inside the mouth of the Merriamck?
    Is there any reason why they wouldn't work as well as clams
    when bottom fishing for cod?  Anyone ever use them?
    
    Thanks
    Gone fishin
    Gaff

 I imagine that you need some sort of permit (probably a clamming license)
in order to take mussels. I don't know for sure, but it's a pretty safe bet.

 I think that mussels would probably be tougher to keep on the hook than
sea clams, but might work ok in the early spring/late fall when the fish are
in 30-60 feet of water. I'd bet they'd tend to fall off on a 250 foot drop.
Maybe if you only took big ones...  

 The Doctah

    There is no license required to take mussels. 
    
    JIm