Fourth Lake Fishing near Boonville, New York

• Overview

  Fourth Lake stands in Herkimer County, New York. Height above sea level is 2,018 feet. Surface area is around 60 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Bank access stretches around 2.0 miles in total. By elevation it is in the upper part of our New York listings. Boonville is the closest town at 19 miles. After that come Lowville at 30 miles and Oriskany at 34 miles. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Fourth Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Herkimer County include white sucker, yellow perch, brook trout and brown bullhead. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Treat Fourth Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 64°F in July and bottom out at 14°F in January. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Winter locks it down, and mid April brings it back. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about early December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Plan any trip to Fourth Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Third Lake is 0.9 miles distant. Treat Fourth Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.