Diamond Lake in Hamilton County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In New York, Diamond Lake belongs to Hamilton County. Country round the bank runs to lake country bush. Roughly 25 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. It is high ground by New York standards. Dolgeville at 14 miles is the nearest place to stop. Albany sits 67 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Diamond Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Fish documented in Hamilton County include lake trout, brook trout, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and brown bullhead. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Diamond Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 64°F on average, January about 15°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. The open-water window runs from around mid April to about early December in an average year. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. It holds true on Diamond Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Long Lake at 0.7 miles is the sensible second choice. What applies at Diamond Lake may have changed since it was mapped.