New Hampshire is considering changes to the state’s freshwater fishing rules for designated trout ponds that would open up some cold-water bodies to anglers who use bait rather than just fly fishing.

The proposals will be the subject of public informational sessions in Concord on Tuesday and Lancaster on Wednesday. These are not official public hearings and, according to New Hampshire Fish & Game, “are being held to provide opportunities for anglers to express their interests and concerns on the direction of the proposed fishing rules.”

The change would allow fishing with bait on places like Sky Pond in New Hampton and Profile Lake in Franconia, which is currently limited to fly fishing.  It’s likely to generate pushback from the fly-fishing community: Opening a pond to fishing with live bait usually draws more anglers and, because bait fishing is generally more successful, can have more of an effect on the fish population.

Under the draft proposal, five ponds would remain fly-fishing only, most in the North Country. Eight ponds that are fly-fishing only would be opened to all types of fishing, while more than a dozen other fly-fishing ponds would be opened to a limited set of other types of fishing, with the number of fish that can be caught increased from one or two to five.

The state’s Inland Fisheries Division said in a public statement the proposals are part of efforts to “reorganize and clarify the rules for water bodies managed for recreational fishing.” It hopes to put the rules in effect for the 2025 fishing season, which starts April 1.

Fishing regulations in New Hampshire are formed through a mix of biology for keeping fish populations healthy and economics for keeping anglers happy so they’ll buy fishing licenses. The situation is complicated by the arrival of other species, notably bass, and by climate change, which is altering some cold-water bodies into warm-water bodies that support a different mix of species.

The Tuesday meeting will be at Fish & Game headquarters at 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday’s meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the department’s Region 1 Office at 629B Main St., Lancaster.

The proposed changes can be seen at the Fish and Game website.