Fishing Bass Lake in Oswego County, New York

• Overview

  Within Oswego County, New York, you have Bass Lake. Country round the bank runs to pine and birch. The water measures roughly 16 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. You are 7.8 miles from Richland. Syracuse is the closest city, 32 miles away. In the same area: Green Pond within 0.6 miles, Sisley Ponds at 0.6 miles, Trout Pond within 0.8 miles, Black Pond at 0.8 miles and Round Pond within 1.2 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Bass Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Open biodiversity records for Oswego County list alewife, rainbow smelt, lake trout and johnny darter. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. On Bass Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 69°F and January reads 20°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. After early April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early April until roughly mid December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Plan any trip to Bass Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Green Pond at 0.6 miles is the sensible second choice. Nothing here settles the position at Bass Lake for certain.