Forest Lake Fishing Guide, Sullivan County, New York

• Overview

  Sullivan County in New York is where Forest Lake sits. It stands 2,287 feet above sea level. It measures about 36 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Bank access stretches around 1.0 miles in total. It is high ground by New York standards. Nearest place of any size is Livingston Manor, 4.3 miles away. The nearest city of size is Albany, 71 miles away. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Forest 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. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Reported across Sullivan County: brown trout, brook trout, smallmouth bass, white sucker and rainbow trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At Forest Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 19°F to 65°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early April until roughly mid December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. That shapes the year on Forest Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Lake Uncas, 0.6 miles out. For Forest Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.