Elbow Pond in Merrimack County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Merrimack County entry here is Elbow Pond, in New Hampshire. Height above sea level is 614 feet. It measures about 69 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The form is near circular, and the shelter is limited when it blows. Andover at 1.6 miles is the nearest place to stop. Beyond it, Wilmot at 5.8 miles and Danbury at 6.1 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Elbow Pond

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Merrimack County cover rainbow trout, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Elbow Pond gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 18°F in January to roughly 68°F in July. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early April. Averages place the thaw at early April and the freeze at mid December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. On Elbow Pond that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping shows no built access close by; expect to walk in from wherever you can leave the car. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Adder Pond sits 0.6 miles off and takes the overflow. Rules at Elbow Pond are worth checking on the day.