Fishing at Deer Pond, Rockingham County, New Hampshire

• Overview

  Deer Pond sits within Rockingham County in New Hampshire. It sits in pine and birch. Around 39 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. The nearest place of any size is Raymond, 3.8 miles away. Manchester sits 14 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is a fair way off. The shoreline gives more room than the map suggests.

• Where to Fish on Deer Pond

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Survey and observation records for Rockingham County include rainbow trout, largemouth bass, brown trout and bluegill. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The shape of Deer Pond decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 69°F and January near 21°F on the long-run figures. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. After early April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up near early April, freeze-up near mid December: that is the shape of an average year. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Deer Pond runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. The closest car park is half a mile away, so pack accordingly. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Mountain Pond is 1.4 miles off. For Deer Pond, the notice at the access point is the final word.