Bates Pond Fishing Guide, Essex County, New York

• Overview

  Bates Pond is one of the Essex County listings for New York. The water sits 1,709 feet up. At roughly 4 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Most waters listed here for Essex County are larger. Tupper Lake is the closest town at 24 miles. Albany sits 91 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Bates Pond

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Open biodiversity records for Essex County list brown trout, brook trout and white sucker. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Bates Pond the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 14°F and July at about 64°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid April. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly early December. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. The season on Bates Pond follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. The nearest alternative is Otter Pond, 1.2 miles out. For Bates Pond, the notice at the access point is the final word.