Chesham Pond, New Hampshire: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  This water sits in Cheshire County, New Hampshire. The bank is 1,161 feet above sea level. Roughly 91 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The whole outline is near 1.7 miles, and most of it is walkable. Harrisville is the closest place, 2 miles off. The big place round here is Manchester, 35 miles distant. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Chesham Pond

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Open biodiversity records for Cheshire County list rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and rainbow smelt. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Chesham Pond the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 19°F to 67°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. The water is typically free of ice between mid April and mid December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. It holds true on Chesham Pond more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Mapping shows a ramp about half a mile from the shore. A carry of half a mile from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Russell Reservoir, 0.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Chesham Pond, the notice at the access point is the final word.