Fishing Independence Lake in Herkimer County, New York

• Overview

  Out in Herkimer County, New York, sits Independence Lake. The ground round it is rolling bush. The water covers some 56 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. About 1.5 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. It sits higher than most water we list in New York. The town to know is Lowville, 26 miles out. It is 77 miles to Syracuse, the nearest city. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Independence Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in Herkimer County include white sucker, yellow perch, brook trout and brown bullhead. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. At Independence Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 13°F and July at about 64°F, the water has a wide range to work through. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about early December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Time your trip to Independence Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Should this one be busy, Clear Pond is 1.1 miles off. Signs at Independence Lake carry more weight than any list.