1. (a) No fishing tournaments, except as specified in paragraph (k) below, shall be held on waterbodies managed for trout as specified in Fis 406.02, Fis 406.03, Fis 406.07, Fis 407.02, and Fis 407.04.

2. (b) No fishing tournaments shall be held on waterbodies stocked for lake trout and salmon by the department, except:

   1. (1) Black bass tournaments permitted under Fis 503.06;
   2. (2) Tournaments that have been conducted with valid permits prior to January 1, 1999, provided the permit is renewed annually; and
   3. (3) Open water tournaments that target rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris) that have been conducted with valid permits prior to January 1, 2008, provided the permit is renewed annually.
3. (c) No fishing tournaments that target black bass shall be held from ice-in to March 31.

4. (d) A fishing tournament permit application shall be denied by the executive director if:

   1. (1) It would be biologically detrimental to the fish populations in the water body;
   2. (2) A fisheries research or management program on the waterbody would be affected;
   3. (3) It would cause a conflict with another permitted tournament; or
   4. (4) The sponsoring organization has not submitted a report in accordance with Fis 503.04 for a previously held fishing tournament.
5. (e) Fishing tournaments shall be no longer than 3 consecutive days.
6. (f) The minimum length for lake trout and salmon in fishing tournaments, permitted under paragraph (b) above, shall be 22 inches for lake trout and 18 inches for salmon.
7. (g) Culling shall be prohibited, except as specified in Fis 503.06(a).
8. (h) No tournament weigh-ins shall occur at department-controlled access facilities.
9. (i) When a permitted fishing tournament uses a department-controlled boat access facility, no more than 50 percent of the facility’s designated parking spaces shall be used by participants in the tournament.
10. (j) The department shall provide trout only to kids’ derbies.

11. (k) Kids’ derbies shall be subject to the following restrictions:

    1. (1) Effective January 1, 2027, the department may provide trout on a 50-50 matching basis, not to exceed 250 state fish for any one derby, and matching state fish shall only be available for stocking between April 1 and June 30;
    2. (2) Fish imported into the state shall be in compliance with Fis 803;
    3. (3) These derbies shall be held on public fishing waters or on private waters that shall remain open to the public for fishing for the remainder of the open season for trout;
    4. (4) When derbies are held on private waters, the land owner shall provide written assurance of public use to the department;
    5. (5) The derby sponsor shall complete the on-line form “Application to Conduct a Kids Fishing Derby, Rev 01/26, available on line at https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/fishing-new-hampshire/tournaments, at least 30 days prior to the date of the derby;
    6. (6) A permit fee shall not be required for kids’ derbies; and
    7. (7) If the derby sponsor charges an entry fee, the department shall not provide matching fish.

Source. (See Revision Notes at chapter headings for Fis 400 and Fis 500) #5016, eff 1-1-91, EXPIRED: 1-1-97 New. #6478, INTERIM, eff 3-28-97, EXPIRED: 7-26-97 New. #6917, eff 12-22-98; ss by #8119, eff 1-1-05; ss by #10007, eff 1-1-12; ss by #10674, eff 1-1-15; ss by #10855, eff 6-22-15; ss by #12933, eff 11-28-19; ss by #13798, eff 11-1-23; ss by #14445, eff 1-2-26, EXPIRES: 1-2-36