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Fishing EXETER RESERVOIR: what the data says
28-acre reservoir near EXETER. 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 follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Yellow Perch fishing at EXETER RESERVOIR
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Best bite is early morning. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Chain Pickerel fishing at EXETER RESERVOIR
Spring chain pickerel on EXETER RESERVOIR hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for chain pickerel in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a weedless spoon + trailer or a buzzbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Weedless spoon + trailer, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait along weed edges, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon (through ice) |
Largemouth Bass fishing at EXETER RESERVOIR
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at EXETER RESERVOIR
Spring bluegill on EXETER RESERVOIR hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 3 to 10 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 10 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at EXETER RESERVOIR
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for fall smallmouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
White Perch fishing at EXETER RESERVOIR
Spring white perch on EXETER RESERVOIR hold shallow, usually 3 to 10 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for white perch in summer. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a small spinner rig drifted or a 1/8 oz jigging spoon gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 10 ft | dusk | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | Small spinner rig drifted, 1/8 oz jigging spoon |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Blade bait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | dusk | Small rattle spoon, Tungsten + spikes |
EXETER RESERVOIR also holds brook trout (3 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 10 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 10 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 8 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is EXETER RESERVOIR?
EXETER RESERVOIR is about 10 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in EXETER RESERVOIR?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, brook trout, chain pickerel, white perch, brown bullhead on EXETER RESERVOIR.
Where is the best fishing spot on EXETER RESERVOIR?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish EXETER RESERVOIR?
For yellow perch, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Powwow Pond · Hampton Harbor · Greenwood Pond · Great Pond · EEL POND · Country Pond
See how EXETER RESERVOIR stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in New Hampshire · best smallmouth bass lakes in New Hampshire · best bluegill lakes in New Hampshire · best yellow perch lakes in New Hampshire
Browse all New Hampshire fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.