Pleasant Lake Fishing near New London, New Hampshire

• Overview

  Pleasant Lake stands in Merrimack County, New Hampshire. The country round it is rolling bush from end to end. This is sizeable water at about 603 acres, and a boat opens up most of it. Some 4.2 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. It is among the larger waters listed here for Merrimack County. Nearest place of any size is New London, 1.8 miles away. Manchester sits 39 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Pleasant Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Records held for Merrimack County cover rainbow trout, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. The county list is broader than any single water. Anyone new to Pleasant Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 67°F, while January sits near 18°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early April. Averages place the thaw at early April and the freeze at early December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. The season on Pleasant Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. There is a mapped slipway roughly half a mile away. Public data records a pier about half a mile out. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Chase Pond, 2.1 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Ask locally about Pleasant Lake if anything is unclear.