Sign inSign up freeRecent catches at Swains Lake
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
Fishing Swains Lake: what the data says
631-acre lake near Barrington. NH GRANIT / NH Fish & Game survey water. The lake tops out around 25 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 Swains Lake
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 25 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. 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 | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Swains Lake
Spring yellow perch on Swains Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. 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 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Chain Pickerel fishing at Swains Lake
Start shallow in spring: chain pickerel sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. They move out to 3 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 18 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring chain pickerel. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a weedless spoon + trailer or a buzzbait and you're in the game.
| 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 | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon (through ice) |
Bluegill fishing at Swains Lake
Spring bluegill on Swains Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. 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 | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Swains Lake
Spring smallmouth bass on Swains Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 11 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
White Perch fishing at Swains Lake
Spring white perch on Swains Lake hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 25 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 25 ft, rated prime for summer white perch. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A small spinner rig drifted or a 1/8 oz jigging spoon covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn | Small spinner rig drifted, 1/8 oz jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Blade bait |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | dusk | Small rattle spoon, Tungsten + spikes |
Swains Lake also holds brook trout (8 to 25 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 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 25 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 11 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 6 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is Swains Lake?
Swains Lake is about 25 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 Swains Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, brook trout, chain pickerel, white perch, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Swains Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Swains Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 5 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 Swains Lake?
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
Mendums Pond · WINKLEY LAKE · Nippo Pond · STONEHOUSE POND · Wheelwright Pond · Ayers Pond
See how Swains Lake 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.