Lees Pond in Sullivan County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lees Pond is one of the Sullivan County waters in New York. The setting is pine and birch on every side. Nearest place of any size is Monticello, 6.2 miles away. Paterson sits 55 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Within a short drive: 0.5 miles out stands Ruddick Pond, 1.1 miles away is McAuleys Lake, 1.2 miles out stands Crescent Lake, 1.9 miles away is Birchwood Pond and 2.2 miles out stands Cliff Lake. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lees Pond

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Fish documented in Sullivan County include brown trout, brook trout, smallmouth bass and white sucker. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Read Lees Pond for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 69°F at the top of summer and 23°F at the bottom of winter. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Count the season from break-up, usually early April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early April and starts locking again about late December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lees Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Ruddick Pond is 0.5 miles off. Check the current arrangement for Lees Pond.