Phillips Pond, New Hampshire: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Phillips Pond stands in Rockingham County, New Hampshire. The surface lies 213 feet up. It runs to roughly 95 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Around 1.9 miles of margin, front to back. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our New Hampshire listings. Some 0.7 miles away sits Sandown, the nearest settlement. Manchester is the closest city, 14 miles away. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Phillips Pond

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Rockingham County, recorded fish include rainbow trout, largemouth bass, brown trout, bluegill and smallmouth bass. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Read Phillips Pond for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 70°F and January near 22°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early April. Averages place the thaw at early April and the freeze at late December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. At Phillips Pond the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. Part of this sits inside or beside Town Conservation Land, so read the notices. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Showell Pond is 1 mile off. Check the current arrangement for Phillips Pond.