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

• Overview

  The Essex County entry here is Bloody Pond, in New York. The bank is 1,165 feet above sea level. It covers about 5 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Essex County. Mineville lies 9.2 miles from the water. The nearest city of size is Albany, 93 miles away. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Bloody Pond

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Essex County include brown trout, brook trout, white sucker and pumpkinseed. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Anyone new to Bloody Pond should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 67°F and January about 17°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. On average, mid April opens the water and early December closes it again. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. That is the shape of the year on Bloody Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Hammond Pond, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Bloody Pond in particular, ask before you travel.