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Fishing Pontook Reservoir: what the data says
45-acre reservoir near Dummer. NH GRANIT / NH Fish & Game survey water. The lake tops out around 15 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.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Pontook Reservoir
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 5 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Pontook Reservoir
Spring yellow perch on Pontook Reservoir hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 5 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Best bite is early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Chain Pickerel fishing at Pontook Reservoir
Spring chain pickerel on Pontook Reservoir hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for chain pickerel in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. 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 | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Weedless spoon + trailer, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait along weed edges, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon (through ice) |
Bluegill fishing at Pontook Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Brown Bullhead fishing at Pontook Reservoir
Spring brown bullhead on Pontook Reservoir hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 12 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 13 ft of water that rates prime for brown bullhead in winter. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday |
Landlocked Salmon fishing at Pontook Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: landlocked salmon sit in 1 to 15 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 5 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 4 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 13 ft of water that rates prime for landlocked salmon in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A dodger + streamer down deep or a thin spoon on lead core covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Streamer flies (Grey Ghost) off boards, Thin spoon (Mooselook style) |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + streamer down deep, Thin spoon on lead core |
| Fall | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon at the mouths, Streamers |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon, Swedish pimple + smelt |
Pontook Reservoir also holds smallmouth bass (5 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 13 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 8 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is Pontook Reservoir?
Pontook Reservoir is about 15 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 Pontook Reservoir?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, landlocked salmon, chain pickerel, brown bullhead on Pontook Reservoir.
Where is the best fishing spot on Pontook Reservoir?
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.
When is the best time to fish Pontook Reservoir?
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.
Nearby waters
Cedar Pond · DUMMER POND, LITTLE · Dummer Pond, Big · Nay Pond · SESSIONS POND · Androscoggin River
See how Pontook 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
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