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31-acre pond near NEW DURHAM. The lake tops out around 10 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
On the chart, DOWNING POND draws 31 acres inside 0.9 miles of shoreline. A shoreline index of 1.1 says round and simple: fish relate to depth changes here, not shoreline features. The whole water is littoral — nothing here runs deeper than ~15 ft, so it's all weed-and-bait territory. End to end it runs roughly 0.3 mi, about 0.2 mi across. You'll find it in Strafford County. For a second option, Jones Dam Pond lies 1 mi north.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: largemouth bass in 2 to 10 ft. The depth story barely changes: 3 to 10 ft through summer, 3 to 10 ft in winter. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (3 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Break off the point (6 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
In spring, brown bullhead run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 3 to 10 ft before dropping to 3 to 10 ft for winter. Winter brown bullhead concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 9 ft. Fish it in after dark and the evening and you'll meet the bite.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | night & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | dusk | Deep basin (9 ft) | |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) |
When the water first warms, chain pickerel slide up into 2 to 10 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 10 ft, winter 3 to 10 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a weedless spoon + trailer or a buzzbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Weedless spoon + trailer, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jerkbait along weed edges, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jigging spoon (through ice) |
Structure-wise the chart holds 5 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 9 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for New Hampshire waters are set by the New Hampshire Fish and Game — and special regulations can apply to DOWNING POND specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New Hampshire fishing regulations →
DOWNING POND is about 10 ft (3 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, brown bullhead, chain pickerel on DOWNING POND.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on DOWNING POND is regulated by the New Hampshire Fish and Game. Check the official New Hampshire regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Jones Dam Pond 1 mi · CLUB POND 1 mi · Marsh Pond 2 mi · CHALK POND (STRAFFORD) 3 mi · Marchs Pond 3 mi · Marsh Pond (Mill Pond) 3 mi · Merrymeeting Lake 3 mi · BEAR POND (BELKNAP) 4 mi · Halfmoon Lake 4 mi · Sunrise Lake 5 mi · Gilman Pond 5 mi · Locke Lake 5 mi
See how DOWNING POND stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in New Hampshire · best chain pickerel lakes in New Hampshire · best brown bullhead lakes in New Hampshire
More water nearby: Strafford County fishing maps (26 charts). Browse all New Hampshire fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.