Fishing at Dead Lake, Washington County, New York

• Overview

  You will find Dead Lake in Washington County, New York. Elevation runs to 545 feet. About 11 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Some 4.8 miles away sits Cambridge, the nearest settlement. The nearest city of size is Albany, 36 miles away. Not far off: Schoolhouse Lake a shade over 0.2 miles, 0.6 miles away is Lake Lauderdale, Hedges Lake a shade over 0.7 miles, 1.2 miles away is Clark Pond and Carter Pond a shade over 5 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Dead Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. 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. Records held for Washington County cover brown trout, white sucker and tessellated darter. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Dead Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 70°F for July and 19°F for January. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early April. Ice usually gives way near early April, and forms again about mid December. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Dead Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. For a change of water, Schoolhouse Lake is 0.2 miles distant. Confirm before you fish Dead Lake.