Hedges Lake, New York: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Hedges Lake is one of the Washington County waters in New York. The water sits 538 feet up. It measures about 117 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Bank access stretches around 2.0 miles in total. Size puts it in the front rank of our Washington County list. Some 5.5 miles away sits Cambridge, the nearest settlement. Greenwich is 6 miles and Schuylerville 10 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Hedges Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Washington County list brown trout, white sucker, tessellated darter, pumpkinseed and brook trout. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Hedges Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 70°F for July and 19°F for January. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice-out usually falls in early April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. From about early April to around mid December, expect open water on the long-run figures. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Plan any trip to Hedges Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Dead Lake is 0.7 miles off. For Hedges Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.