Kelley Pond Fishing Guide, Herkimer County, New York

• Overview

  Herkimer County in New York is where Kelley Pond sits. The ground around here is mixed forest. At roughly 3 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Most waters listed here for Herkimer County are larger. Nearest town is Lowville, 26 miles off. Then Carthage, 28 miles, and West Carthage, 28 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Kelley Pond

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name white sucker, yellow perch and brook trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The shape of Kelley Pond rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 64°F in July and bottoms out near 13°F in January. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near early December in autumn. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Kelley Pond runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Brindle Pond sits 0.6 miles off and takes the overflow. For Kelley Pond, the notice at the access point is the final word.