Postcard from Lake Winnipesaukee: 52°F water and a quiet November

Fall on the water means cool mornings, fewer boats and fish feeding up before winter. Lake Winnipesaukee covers about 44,600 acres with roughly 288 miles of shoreline at full pool. The main targets on Lake Winnipesaukee are smallmouth bass, lake trout and perch. Knowing which fish are comfortable at today's temperature narrows a big lake down to a few good spots.

Sunset Lake Winnipesaukee New Hampshire. Photo: EgorovaSvetlana, CC BY-SA 4.0

Lake Winnipesaukee view from Ellacoya State Park Gilford New Hampshire. Photo: EgorovaSvetlana, CC BY-SA 4.0

Lake Winnipesaukee from Gunstock Mountain Resort. Photo: Wikiuser100, CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water now

The surface reads 52°F (a few days ago). Expect smallmouth bass on Lake Winnipesaukee to be catchable with patience. Smallmouth handle cool water well; the 50s often bring some of the biggest fish of the year onto rocky points. Lake trout are a fair bet. Cool surface water brings lake trout up toward shore points.

What to pack for

For the calmest weather, Saturday is the pick of the next few days: mostly cloudy, wind around 10 mph and a high near 43°F. The wind builds to its strongest on Friday, out of the north at 15 mph. Dress in layers: mornings on the water run colder than the forecast high suggests.

Where to go

On Lake Winnipesaukee, start at the point drop-off marked on the map, fishing 10 to 24 ft. The bottom falls away fast off this point; fish rest deep and move up the slope to feed. It suits lake trout and smallmouth bass; troll a spoon on deep edges.

Depth map of Lake Winnipesaukee: shoreline, depth shading and contour lines, with today's free fishing spot — **Lake Winnipesaukee lake bed.** Darker blue is deeper water; contour lines every 25 ft. The star marks the free spot named in this report (point drop-off, 10 to 24 ft).

See this spot in 3-D

Plan a visit

Thursday is the best-rated day for the bite. Places to stay near the water are listed below if you want to make a weekend of it.