Kirk Lake Fishing in Putnam County, New York

• Overview

  Kirk Lake stands in Putnam County, New York. Tidal water begins 11 miles from here. At about 131 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. With about 2.2 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. It ranks high for size among our Putnam County listings. Head to Mahopac, 1.4 miles away, for anything you forgot. After that come Shenorock at 3.9 miles and Carmel Hamlet at 4 miles. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Kirk Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Reported across Putnam County: brown trout, bluegill, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Kirk Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 72°F; the cold one sits at 26°F. Whether it freezes depends on the year. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. At Kirk Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Parking is not close: half a mile from the bank, and no nearer option is mapped. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Lake Mahopac, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing on Kirk Lake should be assumed from this page alone.