Natural lake

Squam Lake

Grafton, Carroll & Belknap Counties, New Hampshire

Squam Lake is New Hampshire's second largest lake, north of Lake Winnipesaukee near Holderness. It holds lake trout, landlocked salmon and good smallmouth bass.

Air temp in Holderness, NH Loading current temperature…

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Current air temperature at Squam Lake (National Weather Service) ↗

Surface area6,791 acres

Max depth99 ft

Shoreline—

Boat motorsCheck local rules

Species

Fishery rating out of 5.

Smallmouth Bass●●●●○

Rock, gravel and points. Tubes, jerkbaits and drop-shots.

Lake Trout●●●●○

Deep, cold water. Downriggers or vertical jigging.

Landlocked Salmon●●●○○

Salmon are stocked each year.

Largemouth Bass●●●○○

Weeds, docks and wood in the shallows.

Chain Pickerel●●●○○

Weedy coves. Spinners, spoons and live shiners, all year.

When they bite

Month-by-month activity for each target species.

	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Smallmouth Bass
Lake Trout
Landlocked Salmon
Largemouth Bass

SlowFairGoodHot

Boat launches

3 launch sites. Fees and hours change, so confirm before you go.

Squam Lake Public Boat Launch (Route 113)Free
Public ramp on NH Route 113 in Holderness; free, no jet skis; use for boats over 25 hpDirections ↗
Squam Lakes Association LaunchFee
SLA headquarters off Route 3 in Holderness; 25 hp max, $5 parking for non-membersDirections ↗
More public accessPublic
See New Hampshire Fish & Game or the lake manager's website for all ramps and feesDirections ↗

Size & creel limits

Minimum size and daily limit for each species in Squam Lake are published by the state. Look up the current size and creel limits for this lake directly: New Hampshire Fish and Game Department ↗

Rules change, so confirm current limits with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department before you fish.

Bait & tackle nearby

Closest shops to the lake and its boat launches. Call ahead for live bait and hours.

Squam River BaitNearby
Ashland, NH(603) 968-2146 Directions ↗
AJ's Bait & TackleNearby
8 Maple St, Meredith, NH(603) 279-3152 Directions ↗

Search more bait shops near Squam Lake ↗

Local tips

The public launch is in the southwest corner off Route 113 with a two-lane concrete ramp.
The state has a PCB fish consumption advisory for Squam, so catch and release is a good choice.
Squam connects to Little Squam Lake by a short channel with its own public access.

Angler reports

Water temp, what's biting, and anything else other anglers should know about Squam Lake.

Loading reports...

View on interactive map

Zoom and pan on a street, satellite or terrain map. Red pins are boat launches.