Fishing at Madison Pond, Chenango County, New York

• Overview

  Chenango County, New York, is where Madison Pond sits. It stands 1,768 feet above sea level. Sherburne lies 6.5 miles from the water. It is 48 miles to Syracuse, the nearest city. Others worth noting: Chenango Lake within 1.2 miles, Jackson Pond some 1.9 miles off, Hunt Pond within 3 miles, Silver Lake some 5.1 miles off and Mead Pond within 5.2 miles. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Madison Pond

  We hold no depth figure for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Chenango County include white sucker, brown trout, brook trout and tessellated darter. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. At Madison Pond the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 67°F; by January the average is down near 20°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early April. In an average year the thaw lands around early April and the freeze near mid December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. That is the shape of the year on Madison Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Chenango Lake, 1.2 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Madison Pond.