Great Hill Pond in Carroll County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Carroll County end of New Hampshire holds Great Hill Pond. It stands 942 feet above sea level. It measures about 74 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. There is roughly 1.8 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. The town to know is Tamworth, 4 miles out. The big place round here is Manchester, 62 miles distant. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Great Hill Pond

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Fish documented in Carroll County include rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass, rainbow smelt and Atlantic salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Great Hill Pond that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 67°F for July and 17°F for January. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Ice-out usually falls in early April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early April and starts locking again about early December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Great Hill Pond runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try James Pond, 3.4 miles away. Treat access at Great Hill Pond as something to verify.