Bellamy Reservoir Fishing in Strafford County, New Hampshire

• Overview

  Look for Bellamy Reservoir in Strafford County, New Hampshire. It sits 12 miles in from the sea. Surface area is around 212 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. With 4.7 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Size puts it in the front rank of our Strafford County list. Madbury is the closest place, 2 miles off. Manchester sits 29 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Bellamy Reservoir

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Across Strafford County, recorded fish include rainbow trout, brown trout, largemouth bass and rainbow smelt. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Treat Bellamy Reservoir as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 22°F to 70°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late March. Ice clears near late March and comes back about mid December in a typical year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. That shapes the year on Bellamy Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Mapping marks this water as fished, so there is at least an established use. Parking sits half a mile out, which makes for a walk with tackle. There is a recognised fishing place here: Bellamy Reservoir, half a mile off. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Barbadoes Pond sits 1.1 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat Bellamy Reservoir as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.