Long Pond in Rensselaer County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Rensselaer County, New York, this is Long Pond. This is lake country bush country. With some 114 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. There is roughly 2.5 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Few waters listed in Rensselaer County are bigger. The closest town, Cropseyville, is 6.5 miles away. Albany is the closest city, 19 miles away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Long Pond

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Reported across Rensselaer County: brown trout, common carp, pumpkinseed, chain pickerel and yellow bullhead. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Work Long Pond in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 68°F and January at 19°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Count the season from break-up, usually early April. Open water usually runs from early April until about mid December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Long Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Public data records a boat ramp half a mile out. Parking sits half a mile out, which makes for a walk with tackle. A jetty or pier is mapped about half a mile from here. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Second Pond, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Long Pond may have changed since it was mapped.