Chestnut Ridge Pond near Monticello: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  This water sits in Sullivan County, New York. The country round it is mixed forest from end to end. With some 53 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Roughly 1.2 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. For a base, Monticello sits 10 miles out. Liberty is 11 miles and South Fallsburg 13 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Chestnut Ridge Pond

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Reported across Sullivan County: brown trout, brook trout, smallmouth bass, white sucker and rainbow trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Chestnut Ridge Pond a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 68°F and January at 21°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. After early April the shallows warm and the fish move up. From about early April to around mid December, expect open water on the long-run figures. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. It sets the rhythm of the year at Chestnut Ridge Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, Lake Superior is 1 mile distant. Nothing here settles the position at Chestnut Ridge Pond for certain.