Gilbert Lake Fishing Guide, Otsego County, New York

• Overview

  Gilbert Lake falls in Otsego County, part of New York. The ground around here is rolling bush. With some 40 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. A shoreline of some 1.1 miles keeps the choices simple. Some 8 miles away sits West End, the nearest settlement. The nearest city of size is Syracuse, 61 miles away. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Gilbert Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Open biodiversity records for Otsego County list brown trout, brook trout, white sucker, common carp and yellow perch. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Take Gilbert Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 67°F and January about 20°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early April and starts locking again about mid December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Gilbert Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a fishing water. Parking within half a mile means no long carry with tackle. There is a jetty half a mile off, worth knowing on a busy day. Mapping marks a fishing place roughly half a mile off. A toilet block sits half a mile away. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Failing this one, try Lake of the Twin Fawns, 1.1 miles away.