Paugus Bay Fishing Spot

• County: Belknap County
• Acreage: 1227
• Public Fishing: Yes
• Mean Depth: 23'
• Max Depth: 80'
• Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paugus_Bay
• Last Modified By: kash87 on 04/22/21 05:35 AM
• Ask about Paugus Bay in our Fishing Forums

Paugus Bay is a 1,220-acre water body located in Belknap County in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire, in the city of Laconia. It is connected by a short channel at the village of Weirs Beach to Lake Winnipesaukee. With the 19th-century construction of a dam in the community of Lakeport (within Laconia), the elevation of Paugus Bay was raised to that of Lake Winnipesaukee, effectively making the smaller water body an arm of the larger one. Water flowing out of Paugus Bay travels down the Winnipesaukee River to the Merrimack River. Although it is called a bay, Paugus’s size and depth would qualify it as a lake. Its uniformly deep, well oxygenated waters provide lake trout and salmon fishing. In the summer, Paugus is used heavily for recreational boating. To avoid traffic, fish early in the morning and late in the evening. Located in the heart of the Lakes Region, accommodation, services and supplies are readily available in that area. Access points to the bay are plentiful. There is a seasonal campground on the shore of Paugus Bay, Lake Winnipesaukee, Laconia, New Hampshire. There are 132 seasonal sites, a beach, and boat docks.

The best time to fish Paugus for lake trout and salmon is spring just after ice-out in late April. Bass fishing holds up all year. Because ice-out on Paugus is a little earlier than on neighboring waters, it ranks as a popular place to catch that first trout or salmon of the season.