Burden Lake in Rensselaer County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In New York, Burden Lake falls inside Rensselaer County. The surface lies 630 feet up. At 369 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. The shoreline runs about 7.0 miles, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. On our Rensselaer County list it sits near the top for size. The nearest town is Averill Park, 2.4 miles away. Albany is the closest city, 11 miles away. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Burden Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Rensselaer County include brown trout, common carp, pumpkinseed and chain pickerel. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The shape of Burden Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 69°F, while January sits near 20°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Ice-out usually falls in early April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages suggest open water from about early April through to roughly mid December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. On Burden Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Parking is close: a car park sits half a mile from the bank. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Crooked Lake is 1.9 miles off. Where Burden Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.