i had never seen one til i went fishing out in montana, they are a blast on a fly rod. some consider them a junk fish out there, but for catch and release they can be great.

Your fish sounds like a fallfish. Are really a big chub and fairly common in many NH lakes. Give a good fight on light tackle.

Crawfish

In Northern Maine, deep in the Allagash :)we ground up the meat, mixed it with mayo, and ate it like tuna. I beleive they still sell it in the grocery stores mixed up that way. Great eating , could never catch any myself though....