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Lake Winnisquam Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 11, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

A Lakes Region lake: Winnisquam holds landlocked salmon, lake trout and smallmouth.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
54 / 70 F
Wind
WSW 4 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
11
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Lake Winnisquam offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings clear skies, wind WSW around 4 mph, falling pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 70. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:32 PM-1:32 AM and 11:32 AM-1:32 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Landlocked salmonExcellent

Transition depths: work 15-30 ft along drop-offs and points with trolled smelt imitations, or find them where cold tributaries enter. Early morning is the honest window.

Brook troutExcellent

Prime pocket-water fishing. Work upstream with an attractor dry or a dry-dropper, hitting every seam behind boulders and the head of each plunge pool. Short casts, quiet feet.

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Lake troutGood

Transition depths: work 40-80 ft structure edges with white tubes and flutter spoons. Early mornings can find fish surprisingly high over deep water chasing bait.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 77 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 12, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

New Hampshire requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $45.00 for residents. What a New Hampshire licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing landlocked salmon here? Check the size and bag limits with NHFG before you keep anything.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp54 F
High / Low70 / 53 F
WindWSW 4-13 mph
Pressure1012.2 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:21 / 19:03
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 11 · Partly cloudy, 70/53 F, wind 12 mph, rain 0%

Fair or better. A 12 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Winnisquam: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Landlocked salmon illustration

Landlocked salmon

Best: ice-out through June, and September

Atlantic salmon that never see the sea: smelt-chasing acrobats of Maine and New England lakes, and the reason ice-out is a holiday up north. Transition depths: work 15-30 ft along drop-offs and points with trolled smelt imitations, or find them where cold tributaries enter. Early morning is the honest window.

Brook trout illustration

Brook trout

Best: May-Jun and Sep-Oct

North America’s native char: a small-stream specialist that demands cold, clean water and repays it with the prettiest fish in the woods. Prime pocket-water fishing. Work upstream with an attractor dry or a dry-dropper, hitting every seam behind boulders and the head of each plunge pool. Short casts, quiet feet.

Lake trout illustration

Lake trout

Best: ice-out and fall turnover

The char of the deep: 40-year-old predators patrolling the cold basins of glacial lakes, from the Finger Lakes to the Rockies. Transition depths: work 40-80 ft structure edges with white tubes and flutter spoons. Early mornings can find fish surprisingly high over deep water chasing bait.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

When to come: the Lake Winnisquam calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Landlocked salmon
Brook trout
Lake trout
Smallmouth bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Lake Winnisquam today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 10

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Landlocked salmon led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Sep 9

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Landlocked salmon led the card at excellent. High of 66 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Sep 8

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Landlocked salmon led the card at excellent. High of 75 F, wind to 11 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

New Hampshire requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

New Hampshire license. Landlocked salmon and lake trout are size- and season-regulated: check current NH Fish and Game rules.

Access

State boat launches at Laconia and Belmont; shoreline access at town beaches and parks.

About this water

A 4,260-acre lake in Belknap County, the fourth-largest wholly within New Hampshire.

Fishing Lake Winnisquam: the full guide

A deep lake beside Winnipesaukee

Lake Winnisquam covers about 4,260 acres in Belknap County, New Hampshire, the fourth-largest lake wholly within the state, connected to Winnipesaukee through the Winnipesaukee River. It is deep and cold enough to support landlocked salmon and lake trout alongside smallmouth and largemouth bass, white perch, pickerel and panfish.

Salmon and lake trout

Landlocked salmon are stocked and trolled with streamers and small spoons near the surface at ice-out, then deeper as the water warms. Lake trout hold the deep basins and are trolled with lead core and downriggers or jigged. Both fisheries are best in the shoulder seasons, and the lake produces a good ice fishery.

Bass and perch

Smallmouth work the rocky points, drop-offs and the islands, taken on tubes, drop-shots and small crankbaits. Largemouth hold the weedy coves and shoreline cover. White perch school and provide fast light-tackle action once located, and the lake fishes well through the ice for perch, pickerel and salmon.

Belknap County logistics

State boat launches serve the lake at Laconia and Belmont, with shoreline access at town beaches and parks. Laconia provides services and Winnipesaukee is minutes away for anglers who want bigger water. Summer recreational traffic is heavy: the early morning and evening hours are far better for fishing.

Common questions

When is salmon fishing best?

At ice-out for surface trolling and again in fall; midsummer pushes fish deep.

Is there ice fishing?

Yes: salmon, lake trout, white perch and pickerel are all taken through the ice.

Is it busy?

In summer, yes, with recreational boats. Early mornings and evenings are far better for fishing.

Is fishing good at Lake Winnisquam right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Lake Winnipesaukee9 miSquam Lake15 miNewfound Lake16 miMerrymeeting Lake17 miPemigewasset River18 miOssipee Lake25 mi
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