Dart Lake Fishing Guide, Herkimer County, New York

• Overview

  Dart Lake falls in Herkimer County, part of New York. It sits at 1,759 feet above sea level. With some 140 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. A shoreline of some 2.7 miles keeps the choices simple. Size puts it in the front rank of our Herkimer County list. The nearest town is Lowville, 31 miles away. It is 83 miles to Syracuse, the nearest city. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Dart Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Records held for Herkimer County cover white sucker, yellow perch, brook trout, brown bullhead and brown trout. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Dart Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 64°F, while January sits near 13°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid April until roughly early December. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. The season on Dart Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No built facilities appear in mapping around this 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. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Moss Lake, 1 mile away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Dart Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.