Yeah, be careful of that, even though you are doing the right thing by collecting it legally, there still may be a law that puts the screws to you. Learn it all well, this hobby depends on us all staying within the law. Calling and speaking to someone directly is the way to go. Make sure you take down all of their info, and record the date and time as well, just to cover your butt.

OK, try to help a little...

Banded killifish in eastern/central Ma - check the glacial kettle ponds. Walden Pond in concord is most famous but near by Whites pond also in Concord is also great. Mirror lake in Devens is another great example. These are clear, cool deep ponds with very little weeds or structure close to shore. Generally much better for trout fishing than dip netting but banded killies are only found in such around here. Go right to the swimming beaches. They are the schools of "minnows" you can see plain as day in the clear water 3 inches deep. They hate to go where it's more than a foot deep and you can chase the schools up and down the beach and they will never go deep to escape. They can be super easy to collect so watch out for the bloodlust and don't over do it. You could take a whole school in one sweep of a seine. They're not over hardy so don't crowd them.

Thanks for the advice. I will have to check those ponds out. When I went sampling in Mass with Justin one pond he knew of, and one river by the cape teemed with them. Not sure if they are more common near the coast.

Around where I am I only found them in abundance once. Below the Vernon Dam on the Connecticut River. Other trips their haven't found any. Usually finding them is hit or miss, and they are in shallow grassy indentations in the banks of river. Sometimes quite small ones.

Glad NH weather is beginning to allow for collecting/sampling endeavors!

Would like to hear your findings on fish locations and whether or not you think they move over the winter. I've been wondering the same thing about some of my SC fish.

It's been twenty plus years since I've been in Live Free or Die country, but I think it would have convention potential. Mt. Monadnock and Lake Winnipesaukee are still fresh in my mind all these years later.

I think fish here move seasonally as they get harder to find in the fall and vanish from locations I know to find them in summer. At least in Rivers.

As for a convention the best thing NH has going for it convention wise is that saltwater licences cover NH, Maine, and Mass. Meaning you can get three states on one licence for salt. Thus a fresh/salt convention in NH can include tropical strays south of the cape.

My rough convention plan goes like this.

each day except the talk and auction day will couple a saltwater trip or a fresh. fresh locations are northern drainages, coastal drainages, and eastern drainages. For salt I am thinking Rye, Cape cod, and maybe a Maine location. I'd love to have a freshwater trip to maine to add pearl dace, brook stickleback, andarctic char but that is unlikely as it needs another licence. I'd like to have time to fit a shark watch in mass, or some event with woods hole oceanographic into it, but am not sure if it will have time with the collecting. I'd love to have the AFish Nerds crew as one of the guests for the talks,

FirstChAos: You mentioned (northern) redbelly dace, and those are one of the other fish I'd like to try to get (and I cannot in MA, as they are on the 'no really, put that back RIGHT NOW' list).

I can help you find them after you learn whether or not they are legal to own in Mass.

Having a lot of trouble getting a straight answer; going to assume not until I can get an answer. Confusing!

mikez: Oddly, even with the lovely Mini Perfect Dipnet I recently got, all I found in Mill Pond (because I was curious) yesterday was a million crawfish, big tadpoles, various predatory water bugs, and enormous trapdoor snails. Oh, and one tiny fish which looked vaguely like the world's smallest gar (long nose, mouth as big as the entire face). No photos because it was raining and I didn't want to get my phone wet.

I did get a lot of half-decayed leaves, so I was hoping I was in the right sort of place, but did also stay mostly on the shore instead of in the water (I did _also_ go in the water a bit). I'm kind of wondering if they are less common now, or something (also, I could just not know what I'm doing)

Could your gar have been a pickerel? I find juvenile gar in Ohio in late May/June. I should be a bit ahead of you, so just judging from time of year, are you sure it was not a pickerel? They spawn much earlier, and I would suspect that you have juvenile pickerel there by now, but would be surprised if you have juvenile gar yet. Stranger things have happened though. I will be working in Boston a good bit this summer, you should take me out netting. I will be working on Marlborough street between Gloster and Fairfield. off of Beacon street. My work truck is a 16 foot box van, so I won't be using it to get around much. I don't know how much the local cabbies will appreciate wet nets in their vehicles. So I may not get to do much fishing, unless another NANFA member locally (you) was willing to take me out. Think about it.

Skipjack: I'd ordinarily be up for taking you out, but at the moment research and such is overwhelming me so when I go out it's at least in part about being alone.

I understand. Well I will be up there at some point, mostly working. Then for maybe a week or so my wife will fly up, and we will take some time to play around, probably near the ocean mostly. I will shoot you a PM, and if nothing else, we would love some ideas on interesting natural places to visit in the area.

Skipjack, you might consider exploring around the Boston waterfront. Castle Island in south Boston is cool. There's lot's more, most accessable by public transportation. Guys bring fishing gear on the T all the time. Lot's of urban sport fishing going on in Boston and surrounding water. I spent a lot of time catching stripers and bluefish from the powerplant outflow in south Boston myself back in the 90s.

I can't seem to clear my message box but you can email me at mikez01432 [@] yahoo.com with schedule and desire, maybe can help.

Besides the ocean/harbor habitat available in Boston; the entire length of the Charles is accessable from numerous subway stops. It is in the form of a freshish empoundment with some freshwater, some brackish and possibly some exotic species [rumors of tillopia in a warm outflow]. Also accessable is the area of the dam and locks where the river meets the harbor. Millions of alewives, herring and shad use the locks in May and June and striped bass follow them in. The entire area is a series of parks with complete public access and fishing allowed. Don't listen to those stories about muggers and thieves. That was long ago. Still, night fishing is discouraged - and try to act like you belong there.
There is also the "emerald Necklace", a series of parks around the city, including Olmstead Park - home of the "rare" 3 spine stickleback [actually introduced, but who's counting].

Sorry Wispfox, got distracted by a ? I actually knew something about...

If you're pulling piles of dead leaves full of water bugs and snails, you're doing it correctly. You don't need to go out far, wading in mill pond gets sticky, maybe just reach out a little further. Males will be guarding eggs or fry now. They'd be in thick weeds, along structure like the boulders and fallen trees. Be nice to release any large colored up sunnies right now. Take the juvies if you can find 'em.
Let me know if you return, Maybe I'll take my boy on a fishing trip. It's close to home for me.