Fishing Pemingewasset Lake in Belknap County, New Hampshire

• Overview

  Pemingewasset Lake is one of the Belknap County listings for New Hampshire. Beyond the shoreline you have mixed forest. Surface area runs to roughly 249 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. The margin runs to about 3.7 miles in total. Start from Meredith, 5.5 miles down the road. After that come Ashland at 5.8 miles and Bridgewater at 7.3 miles. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Pemingewasset Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name rainbow trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and brown trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Pemingewasset Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 68°F; the cold one sits at 18°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early April. From about early April to around mid December, expect open water on the long-run figures. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Time your trip to Pemingewasset Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. Kelley-Drake Conservation Area takes in this water; protected-area rules will apply. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Double Dammed Pond at 1.9 miles is the sensible second choice. What applies at Pemingewasset Lake may have changed since it was mapped.