Merritts Pond Fishing near Riverhead, New York

• Overview

  The Suffolk County end of New York holds Merritts Pond. The setting is farm and woodlot on every side. The water measures roughly 10 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. It lies lower than most water we list in New York. The town to know is Riverhead, 0.7 miles out. Riverside is 1.3 miles and Aquebogue 2.4 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Merritts Pond

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. The tide is the timetable on this water; two hours either side of the change usually fish hardest. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Suffolk County, recorded fish include alewife, blueback herring, pumpkinseed and bluegill. Read Merritts Pond for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 73°F and January near 31°F. The calendar is generous: something works in nearly every month. It is not guaranteed even in a cold spell, so check yourself. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. The season on Merritts Pond rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Mapping shows parking within half a mile. There is a jetty 0.9 miles off, worth knowing on a busy day. A picnic spot sits half a mile from the bank. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Cedar Pond sits 1.4 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Merritts Pond for certain.