Bean Pond Fishing near Tuftonboro, New Hampshire

• Overview

  New Hampshire holds Bean Pond, in Carroll County. Land around it is lake country bush. Surface area runs to about 12 acres — small enough to read in one session. Most waters listed here for Carroll County are larger. The town to know is Tuftonboro, 4.5 miles out. The big place round here is Manchester, 54 miles distant. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Bean Pond

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Across Carroll County, recorded fish include rainbow trout, brown trout and smallmouth bass. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Fish Bean Pond to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 68°F in July and bottoms out near 18°F in January. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early April. Ice usually gives way near early April, and forms again about early December. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. It holds true on Bean Pond more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Moody Pond at 0.7 miles is the nearest alternative. Where Bean Pond is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.