Arch Pond Fishing in Cheshire County, New Hampshire

• Overview

  Arch Pond is a Cheshire County water, in New Hampshire. This is rolling bush country. The water measures roughly 14 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. It is a small entry by Cheshire County standards. Supplies mean a trip to Alstead, 5 miles off. For a city, Manchester is 42 miles off. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Arch Pond

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Survey and observation records for Cheshire County include rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Arch Pond repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 67°F; by January the average is down near 18°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Count the season from break-up, usually early April. From about early April to around mid December, expect open water on the long-run figures. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Arch Pond runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Gustin Pond sits 1 mile off and takes the overflow. Where Arch Pond is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.