Chain Ponds Fishing Guide, Herkimer County, New York

• Overview

  Chain Ponds is a Herkimer County water, New York side. It lies 2,090 feet above sea level. This is a pocket water of some 21 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It sits higher than most water we list in New York. Tupper Lake lies 34 miles from the water. Lowville is 34 miles and Boonville 34 miles. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Chain Ponds

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Herkimer County, recorded fish include white sucker, yellow perch, brook trout and brown bullhead. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Read Chain Ponds before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 64°F at the top of summer and 13°F at the bottom of winter. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near early December in autumn. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. On Chain Ponds the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Queer Lake sits 0.8 miles off and takes the overflow. What applies at Chain Ponds may have changed since it was mapped.