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Ossipee Lake Fishing Report

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

A big shallow lake in the Lakes Region: Ossipee holds bass, pickerel and white perch.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~73 F est.
Air / High
55 / 70 F
Wind
SW 5 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.

Ossipee Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings clear skies, wind SW around 5 mph, falling pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 70. Water sits around 73 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

Smallmouth bassExcellent

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

Northern pikeExcellent

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Rainbow troutExcellent

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassGood

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

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 smallmouth bass 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.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp55 F
High / Low70 / 56 F
WindSW 5-11 mph
Pressure1011.3 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:19 / 19:02
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 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 · Clear, 70/56 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 Ossipee Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

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.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

When to come: the Ossipee Lake 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
Smallmouth bass
Largemouth bass
Northern pike
Rainbow trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 Ossipee Lake 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. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 80 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Sep 9

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Sep 8

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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. Bass and panfish limits per current NH Fish and Game regulations.

Access

State boat launch and town landings; connected bays reachable through channels by boat.

About this water

A 3,000-acre lake fed by the Bearcamp River in Carroll County, New Hampshire.

Fishing Ossipee Lake: the full guide

A sandy-bottomed lake

Ossipee Lake covers about 3,000 acres in Carroll County, New Hampshire, a broad, relatively shallow lake with a sandy bottom fed by the Bearcamp River and draining to the Ossipee River. It holds smallmouth and largemouth bass, chain pickerel, white perch, black crappie and horned pout, with deeper water on the northern side.

Smallmouth on the rock

Smallmouth relate to the rocky points, the drop-offs and the scattered boulder structure, taken on tubes, drop-shots, small crankbaits and topwater through the warm months. The Broad Bay area and the connecting bays hold fish. Early morning and evening are the best windows on a lake with heavy recreational boat traffic.

Largemouth, pickerel and perch

Largemouth and chain pickerel hold the weedy bays, the shoreline wood and the vegetation in the connected Leavitt and Berry bays. White perch school in open water and provide fast action once located, and crappie hold the wood in spring. The lake ices over and produces a solid winter fishery.

Carroll County logistics

Public access is available at the state launch and town landings, with the connected bays reachable by boat through narrow channels. Route 25 and the Ossipee area provide services, and North Conway is thirty minutes north. Summer weekends are busy with recreational boats: fish early or midweek.

Common questions

Is it deep?

Mostly shallow with a sandy bottom, with deeper water on the northern side and around the drop-offs.

Where are the smallmouth?

On the rocky points, boulder structure and drop-offs, best worked early and late.

Is there ice fishing?

Yes: the lake freezes and produces a solid winter fishery for perch, pickerel and pout.

Is fishing good at Ossipee Lake 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 Winnipesaukee16 miSaco River16 miMerrymeeting Lake19 miSquam Lake20 miLake Winnisquam25 miPemigewasset River27 mi
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