Fishing Mud Pond in Grafton County, New Hampshire

• Overview

  The Grafton County entry here is Mud Pond, in New Hampshire. Height above sea level is 2,283 feet. The water measures roughly 3 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. On size it sits at the modest end of our Grafton County list. Some 9.2 miles away sits Woodstock, the nearest settlement. Manchester sits 74 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Mud Pond

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Across Grafton County, recorded fish include rainbow trout, brook trout, smallmouth bass, brown trout and largemouth bass. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. At Mud Pond the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 15°F in January up to 64°F in July. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid April. From about mid April to around early December, expect open water on the long-run figures. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. It holds true on Mud Pond more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Long Pond, 2.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Mud Pond, the notice at the access point is the final word.