Fishing at Bernie Pond, Rensselaer County, New York

• Overview

  Look for Bernie Pond in the Rensselaer County part of New York. It sits at 1,168 feet above sea level. Surface area runs to about 11 acres — small enough to read in one session. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Rensselaer County. Cropseyville at 1.9 miles is the nearest place to stop. Then Poestenkill, 3.2 miles, and Wynantskill, 6.2 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Bernie Pond

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Rensselaer County, recorded fish include brown trout, common carp, pumpkinseed and chain pickerel. The county list is broader than any single water. On Bernie Pond the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 20°F in January to roughly 69°F in July. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Ice is part of the season here, ending near early April. The open-water window runs from around early April to about mid December in an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. The season on Bernie Pond follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. There is a campsite 0.9 miles from the water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Davitt Pond, 1.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Bernie Pond.