Fishing at Pea Porridge Pond, Carroll County, New Hampshire

• Overview

  Pea Porridge Pond falls in Carroll County, part of New Hampshire. It lies 643 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 157 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The full circuit measures close to 2.1 miles on foot. Conway is the closest town at 2.7 miles. It is 67 miles to Manchester, the nearest city. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Pea Porridge Pond

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Reported across Carroll County: rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass, rainbow smelt and Atlantic salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Pea Porridge Pond the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 18°F to 68°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early April. Averages suggest open water from about early April through to roughly mid December. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. On Pea Porridge Pond that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is somewhere to leave the car, half a mile off. This sits inside Louise S. Wold Conservation Land, so read the reserve notices first. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Middle Pea Porridge Pond at 0.7 miles is the sensible second choice. Confirm before you fish Pea Porridge Pond.