Shellcamp Pond in Belknap County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Shellcamp Pond lies within the bounds of Belknap County, New Hampshire. The surroundings are mixed forest. At about 145 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Shoreline comes to about 2.4 miles, small enough to learn in a day. For a base, Gilmanton sits 1.2 miles out. The nearest city of size is Manchester, 29 miles away. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Shellcamp Pond

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. 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. Fish documented in Belknap County include rainbow trout, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Read Shellcamp Pond before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 19°F to 68°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early April. Open water usually runs from early April until about mid December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. On Shellcamp Pond the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. The water borders Meadow Pond State Forest, so expect the reserve rules to apply. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Rocky Pond is 1.7 miles off. Treat access at Shellcamp Pond as something to verify.