Barnes Pond in Essex County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Essex County entry here is Barnes Pond, in New York. This is rolling bush country. This is a pocket water of some 13 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. The nearest town is North Elba, 27 miles away. Albany sits 84 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Barnes Pond

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Fish documented in Essex County include brown trout, brook trout, white sucker and pumpkinseed. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Barnes Pond a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 64°F; by January the average is down near 15°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly early December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Expect Barnes Pond to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Duck Pond, 0.6 miles out. Nothing on Barnes Pond should be assumed from this page alone.