Rye, NH Fishing: Rye Harbor Charter Boats & Rules

Rye Harbor's Anchor Boats: Harvester and Black Dog

Harvester Fishing Charters, based at 1870 Ocean Blvd in Rye Harbor, is run by Captain Peter Aikens III, who has fished the New Hampshire coast his whole life. The fleet includes a 272 Robalo center console and, new for the 2026 season, a 33-foot Onslow Bay center console rated for up to five passengers and equipped with night vision, a six-person life raft, and integrated safety systems. Harvester books inshore light-tackle striped bass trips, offshore bluefin tuna and shark charters, deep-sea bottom fishing, and private tours including Isles of Shoals sightseeing and fireworks-viewing runs; the same operation runs seasonal flats-fishing charters for snook, redfish, and sea trout out of southwest Florida from January through May. Reach the boat directly, text preferred, at (603) 926-0264.

Sharing Rye Harbor State Marina is Black Dog Fishing Charters, a father-and-son operation run by Captain Butch and his son Captain John, both USCG-licensed and, between them, carrying more than 70 years on the New England coastline. Their boat, The Black Dog, is a classic 31-foot West Bay lobster boat named after Butch's black Labrador, Christy, and licensed for up to six passengers. Trips include 8-hour all-day cod and haddock bottom-fishing charters, 4-hour half-day striped bass and mackerel trips, a dedicated lobster charter, a scenic harbor cruise, and, unusually, an ash-scattering ceremony charter. The dock line is (603) 817-7797, with sailing by appointment daily.

Two More Boats at the Same Small Dock

Hooked On Fish Charters LLC, also based at 1870 Ocean Blvd, is run by Captain Kyle aboard a 1994 Osmond Beal, a 36-foot by 13-foot power boat repowered with a 2016 450-horsepower Cummins diesel and fitted out with a bathroom, a built-in 5kW diesel generator, a V-berth, a galley, and current Garmin electronics — a genuinely full-featured six-passenger boat rather than a bare-bones skiff. Booked trips cover bluefin tuna, deep-sea bottom fishing, striped bass, and shark, plus whale-watching, harbor cruises, and island tours. Call the boat at (603) 395-6232.

Tontine Fishing Charters, captained by Matthew Krajewski, meets guests at the Granite State Whale Watch dock, also at 1870 Ocean Blvd — meaning all four of Rye Harbor's active charter operations effectively share the same short stretch of dock. Tontine runs a spread of six-hour beginner and targeted striped-bass trips and longer 10- and 12-hour private bottom-fishing charters for haddock, cod, pollock, and redfish, plus bluefin tuna, shark, and halibut trips, with private-charter pricing running roughly $900 to $1,700 depending on trip length. As of this spring's reports, the boat was posting quality haddock and strong redfish numbers, with open-boat haddock trips booking out into May.

Shore Fishing: Rye Harbor's Jetties and Odiorne Point

Rye also has a real, if less organized, shore-fishing scene that does not require a boat. Rye Harbor itself is enclosed by two jetties, and regional surf-fishing sources describe it as a genuine striper destination, with an early-morning incoming tide typically producing the best action as schooling bass move through the harbor mouth. A few miles north, Odiorne Point State Park, sitting right at the mouth of the Piscataqua River near the Maine border, is another cited striped-bass spot, with freshwater inflow and jetty-style structure that anglers describe as classic striper water. Both spots are open, public shore access rather than charter-boat exclusive, a genuine option for anyone without a boat or a charter budget.

Licenses, and the Non-Fishing Boat Sharing the Dock

New Hampshire does require a license for recreational saltwater fishing. Per NH Fish and Game's own rules, anyone age 16 or older fishing coastal or estuarine waters — from shore, a private boat, or a kayak — needs a NH Recreational Saltwater Fishing License, currently $11 including the agent fee. Anyone fishing aboard a licensed charter or party boat, meaning every operator listed on this page, is exempt, since the boat's own license covers its paying passengers. New Hampshire's Free Fishing Day, the first Saturday in June, waives the license requirement entirely for residents and nonresidents alike fishing anywhere in the state that day.

Worth knowing if you are looking at that same 1870 Ocean Blvd dock: not every boat there is a fishing charter. Island Cruises, marketed as Uncle Oscar's, runs Isles of Shoals tours, Star Island ferry service, and whale watches from the same address, built on the claim that Rye Harbor is the closest mainland port to the Isles of Shoals — a real, currently operating business, just not a rod-and-reel one. The honest summary: Rye Harbor supports four active, independently run charter operations at a single small dock, a genuinely rare concentration for a town this size, plus a real jetty and Odiorne Point shore-fishing option for anglers without a boat. Confirm current trip schedules, pricing, and licensing details directly before you go, since small-boat operations run on weather and tides, not a fixed timetable.