Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeShared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
4,085-acre reservoir near Sunapee. The lake tops out around 100 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. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Lake Sunapee maps at 4,153 acres behind 32.7 miles of shoreline, broken up by 5 islands. A development index of 3.6 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. Roughly 19% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Call it 7.6 mi long by 2.7 mi wide at the broadest reach. It sits in Sullivan County. CHALK POND (MERRIMACK) sits 3 mi southeast — the closest neighbouring chart.
When the water first warms, rainbow trout slide up into 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 38 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (11 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (8 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (8 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Break off the point (38 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Early season smallmouth bass use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 20 to 45 ft one. The chart's best answer is Rock reef — rock pile, 8 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (8 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (8 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (11 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Break off the point (38 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Spring largemouth bass on Lake Sunapee hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Put Main-lake point first on the milk run — a point near 11 ft that grades prime for fall. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Back-bay flat (9 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (11 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (11 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (38 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 30 ft before dropping to 15 to 35 ft for winter. Spring yellow perch concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated feeding flat around 11 ft. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (11 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (11 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (38 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow feeding flat (27 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Spring lake trout on Lake Sunapee hold shallow, usually 10 to 40 ft. By summer they slide out to 30 to 100 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 80 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 100 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in early morning. The summer box starts with a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (11 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 30 to 100 ft | dawn | Deep basin (100 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (8 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Break off the point (38 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
When the water first warms, landlocked salmon slide up into 1 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 25 to 60 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 38 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a dodger + streamer down deep or a thin spoon on lead core rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (11 ft) | Streamer flies (Grey Ghost) off boards, Thin spoon (Mooselook style) |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (38 ft) | Dodger + streamer down deep, Thin spoon on lead core |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (11 ft) | Casting spoon at the mouths, Streamers |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | dawn | Break off the point (38 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Swedish pimple + smelt |
Lake Sunapee also holds chain pickerel (3 to 15 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer), burbot (30 to 100 ft in summer), rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Lake Sunapee carries 20 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 100 ft down.
Access data: New Hampshire Fish & Game — Public Access Sites. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
| Date | Species | Count | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 11 | Rainbow Trout | 700 | — |
| Apr 30 | Landlocked Salmon | 3,313 | — |
Source: NH Fish & Game stocking report, retrieved 2026-08-18.
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 Lake Sunapee specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New Hampshire fishing regulations →
Lake Sunapee is about 100 ft (30 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 rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, yellow perch, lake trout, landlocked salmon, chain pickerel, brown bullhead, burbot, rock bass on Lake Sunapee.
Rock reef is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For rainbow trout, 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.
Yes — per NH Fish & Game stocking report records, Lake Sunapee was most recently stocked May 11 with 700 rainbow trout. The full stocking history is listed above.
Fishing on Lake Sunapee 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.
CHALK POND (MERRIMACK) 3 mi · Messer Pond 3 mi · Perkins Pond 4 mi · Otter Pond 4 mi · Ledge Pond 4 mi · Sunapee Lake, Little 4 mi · RAND POND 5 mi · Kezar Lake 6 mi · DUTCHMAN POND 6 mi · Coniston Lake 6 mi · Pleasant Lake 6 mi · GILE POND 6 mi
See how Lake Sunapee stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in New Hampshire · best smallmouth bass lakes in New Hampshire · best rainbow trout lakes in New Hampshire · best yellow perch lakes in New Hampshire
More water nearby: Sullivan County fishing maps (24 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.