Runaway Pond in Merrimack County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Within Merrimack County, New Hampshire, you have Runaway Pond. Elevation runs to 735 feet. The water measures roughly 17 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Some 4.8 miles away sits Canterbury, the nearest settlement. After that come Gilmanton at 5 miles and Belmont at 5.2 miles. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Runaway Pond

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Open biodiversity records for Merrimack County list rainbow trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, brown trout and rainbow smelt. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. On Runaway Pond the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 68°F on average, January about 19°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early April. Break-up near early April, freeze-up near mid December: that is the shape of an average year. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Runaway Pond runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, Long Pond is 0.2 miles distant. Confirm before you fish Runaway Pond.