Fishing Squam Lake in Grafton County, New Hampshire

• Overview

  Squam Lake is listed under Grafton County, New Hampshire. What surrounds it is pine and birch. Surface area runs to some 10.6 sq miles, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. You have roughly 54 miles of edge to choose from, which rewards a scouting trip. Of the waters listed here in Grafton County, this is the largest. Nearest town is Holderness, 3.4 miles off. The nearest city of size is Manchester, 52 miles away. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Squam Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Grafton County cover rainbow trout, brook trout, smallmouth bass, brown trout and largemouth bass. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Squam Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 67°F and January about 17°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. Open water usually runs from mid April until about early December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Plan around that when you fish Squam Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. A pier half a mile from here gives a platform over deeper water. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Should this one be busy, Intervale Pond is 2.7 miles off. Ask locally about Squam Lake if anything is unclear.