Stump Pond Fishing in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire

• Overview

  Stump Pond is set in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. Salt water lies 35 miles off. About 19 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our New Hampshire listings. Nearest place of any size is Hollis, 4.6 miles away. Manchester sits 14 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Stump Pond

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Open biodiversity records for Hillsborough County list rainbow trout, largemouth bass, brown trout and smallmouth bass. The county list is broader than any single water. Stump Pond gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 22°F in January to roughly 70°F in July. Winter shuts the surface down for months. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early April. Climate averages put the opening at about early April and the closing near late December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. It holds true on Stump Pond more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. A parking area is marked roughly 160 yards out. Martin Meadow is the mapped fishing point, half a mile out. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Pennichuck Pond at 1.1 miles is the sensible second choice. Check the position on Stump Pond before loading the car.