Ellis Pond near Dover Plains: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Set in Dutchess County, Ellis Pond is a New York water. Salt water lies 33 miles off. At about 63 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Shoreline comes to about 1.7 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Few waters listed in Dutchess County are bigger. Supplies mean a trip to Dover Plains, 4.3 miles off. Kent is 4.7 miles away, with Sherman at 7.6 miles. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Ellis Pond

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Survey and observation records for Dutchess County include common carp, bluegill, brown trout, goldfish and tessellated darter. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Work Ellis Pond in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 71°F, the coldest about 24°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. The lid usually goes in late March, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late March and starts locking again about late December. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. It holds true on Ellis Pond more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, Sharparoon Pond is 2.4 miles distant. What applies at Ellis Pond may have changed since it was mapped.