Paugus Bay

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Paugus Bay
Location	Belknap County, New Hampshire
Coordinates	43°34′34″N, 71°27′33″WCoordinates: 43°34′34″N, 71°27′33″W
Primary inflows	Lake Winnipesaukee
Primary outflows	Winnipesaukee River
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	4.5 mi (7.2 km)
Max. width	0.8 mi (1.3 km)
Surface area	1,220 acres (4.9 km²)
Surface elevation	504 ft (154 m)
Islands	Plummer Island; Big Island; Little Island
Settlements	Laconia: Weirs Beach, Lakeport

Paugus Bay is a 1,220-acre (4.9 km²) 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.