Cranberry Pond in Hamilton County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Cranberry Pond belongs to Hamilton County, New York. It lies 1,791 feet above sea level. The water covers some 27 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The edge runs 1.2 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. The nearest place of any size is Tupper Lake, 29 miles away. Lowville lies 40 miles off, Boonville another 40 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Cranberry Pond

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Public occurrence data for Hamilton County names lake trout, brook trout, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Cranberry Pond responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 64°F and January near 13°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. Climate figures give an open season running late April to early December. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. It holds true on Cranberry Pond more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Should this one be busy, Pelcher Pond is 1.1 miles off. Check the current arrangement for Cranberry Pond.