There are plenty of spots in Concord to catch a fish for your wall

By Tim Goodwin - Jul 21, 2015 | 0 comments

Turtletown Pond is a great place to drop a line. You can do it from a boat, the pier or the boat launch.

Richie Clar takes in a beautiful afternoon at Hothole Pond.

Sean Mckenzie looks for a bite while dropping a line off the Turtletown Pond pier.

Nothing like taking a walk into the Merrimack River for a little daytime fishing.

Take a drive over to Turtletown Pond and odds are you’ll find someone with a line in the water.

They’ll either be fishing from the pier, at the edge of the boat ramp or a few yards from shore looking for a bite. If you gaze out across the body of water there might be some angler sitting in a canoe enjoying the relaxation that comes with a day of fishing.

And Turtletown Pond is just one of many spots within the city limits where fish need to be on high alert, unless they want to chance being a part of dinner plans. You might not think of Concord as a fishing destination, but those who grew up here, like Mark Beauchesne, find no reason to spend the time or money to leave.

“We have it pretty good here,” said Beauchesne, the advertising and promotions coordinator for New Hampshire Fish and Game and a fishing guide in his spare time for close to two decades. “Once you have the basic knowledge of catching fish, you can go anywhere.”

Now, for full disclosure purposes, the fishing season is technically wrapping up. The best time to cast is during the early spring months through the end of June and a little into July – and again in the fall when the temperatures start to cool. The summer months can get a little warm for the fish to bite, but seasoned and passionate anglers like Beauchesne will go out any chance they can, no matter the month or weather conditions.

“Fish are a lot like people, they have temperature preferences,” Beauchesne said. “June is really the magic month, but people that are like me that are fish crazy, I’m always fishing.”

Beauchesne used to get dropped off at Turtletown Pond as a kid and spend the day. Other times he’d ride his bike to wherever there was water. Spots like Turkey Pond, Horseshoe Pond and Hoit Road Marsh are popular for warm water fishing, as is Hothole Pond, but that one comes with a bit of debate since some say it’s in Loudon and others swear it’s Concord.

“It’s right down the middle,” Beauchesne said.

There are also little oxbows, which are created after a change in the natural course of a river, down off Commercial Street that are known in the fishing circles as the Fort Eddy Ponds.

If you’re looking for cold water, then go no further than the Merrimack River. When Beauchesne was a kid, fishing in the river was fine, but in the 80s it was a no go because of the water quality. Luckily that’s no longer the case.

“If I just want to go fishing, I’m in the river,” Beauchesne said.

There are spots all along the Merrimack to set up shop. You can hit up the beach at the Sewalls Falls Recreation Area off Second Street near the old dam station or the little platforms just down stream. People have been known to go right near the bridge, which is still closed, in case you wanted an update, and up near the Hannah Dustin Memorial.

“The Merrimack is just a fabulous fishery,” Beauchesne said.

You can cast just about anywhere from the edge of the river and even go into the river if you’d like, but make sure to be safe.

“It’s moving water, wear life jackets,” Beauchesne said.

Now while we’ve given you a bunch of spots to go, there’s probably some super secret areas that you have to explore to find.

“You can ask a fisherman where to go, but they probably won’t send you to their spot,” Beauchesne said.

It really all depends on what kind of fish you want to catch. There’s a whole host of different species like yellow perch, small and large mouth bass, brown and brook trout, bluegill and black crappie just waiting for you in the city’s different rivers and ponds.

“There’s more varieties of warm water fish than cold water fish,” Beauchesne said.

And if you just want to hook anything, then bounce around and see what takes your bait. It all depends if you’re planning to fry it up or just go the catch and release route.

“Some people just want to catch something, no matter what it is,” Beauchesne said.

Fish and Game also stocks various bodies of water at the beginning of the season, and their bi-weekly fishing report will give you all the latest information. You can also find all the rules and regulations on the website.

“It’s the fishermen’s responsibility to know what they’re fishing for, what the limit is and what the season is,” Beauchesne said.

For more on fishing in Concord and all around New Hampshire, visit wildlife.state.nh.us.