Fishing Clear Pond in Hamilton County, New York

• Overview

  Clear Pond stands in Hamilton County, New York. Around the bank it is mixed forest. At about 73 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. With about 1.4 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Nearest place of any size is Tupper Lake, 20 miles away. The nearest city of size is Kingston, 86 miles away. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Clear Pond

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Species logged across Hamilton County include lake trout, brook trout, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Read Clear Pond 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. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. Break-up sits around mid April on average, with the water closing again about early December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. It holds true on Clear Pond more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Bog Lake at 0.6 miles is the sensible second choice. None of that is settled for Clear Pond in what we hold.