Montgomery Lake in Sullivan County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Sullivan County entry here is Montgomery Lake, in New York. What surrounds it is pine and birch. This is a pocket water of some 22 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. The town to know is Barryville, 3.3 miles out. After that come Sparrow Bush at 13 miles and Hawley at 14 miles. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Montgomery Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Sullivan County include brown trout, brook trout, smallmouth bass, white sucker and rainbow trout. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Montgomery Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 23°F and July at about 69°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Count the season from break-up, usually early April. In an average year the thaw lands around early April and the freeze near late December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Anyone fishing Montgomery Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Failing this one, try Bodine Lake, 0.5 miles away. Nothing on Montgomery Lake should be assumed from this page alone.