Horseshoe Pond in Essex County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Horseshoe Pond in the Essex County part of New York. It stands 1,385 feet above sea level. About 4 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. On size it sits at the modest end of our Essex County list. You are 10 miles from Ticonderoga. It is 83 miles to Albany, the nearest city. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Horseshoe Pond

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. County-wide records name brown trout, brook trout and white sucker. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Horseshoe Pond gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 17°F to 67°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid April until roughly early December. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. It holds true on Horseshoe Pond more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Crab Pond, 0.4 miles away. Confirm before you fish Horseshoe Pond.