Bow Lake Fishing in Strafford County, New Hampshire

• Overview

  Set in Strafford County, Bow Lake is a New Hampshire water. The sea is 24 miles distant. It measures some 1,140 acres, and wind has room to build across it. Some 8.1 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Among the waters listed for Strafford County, none is wider. The closest town, Northwood, is 4 miles away. Manchester is the closest city, 22 miles away. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Bow Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Open biodiversity records for Strafford County list rainbow trout, brown trout and largemouth bass. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Treat Bow Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 69°F on average, January about 20°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Once it clears, about early April, the fishing comes on quickly. Average temperatures cross freezing around early April in spring and again near mid December in autumn. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Bow Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. There is a slipway at Kooakee Island Boat Launch - Beach, roughly half a mile off. Public data records a pier about half a mile out. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Little Bow Pond sits 2.4 miles off and takes the overflow. Check the position on Bow Lake before loading the car.