Metcalf Lake in Hamilton County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Metcalf Lake is one of the Hamilton County waters in New York. The country here is pine and birch. The water covers some 95 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Roughly 3.0 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. It is high ground by New York standards. Dolgeville is the closest town at 26 miles. Albany sits 73 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Metcalf Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Hamilton County cover lake trout, brook trout, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Fish Metcalf Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 63°F and January near 13°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near early December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Metcalf Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Failing this one, try Buck Pond, 0.4 miles away. The position on Metcalf Lake is worth confirming on the day.