Mouldy Pond in Lewis County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Mouldy Pond in Lewis County, New York. The setting is mixed forest on every side. It covers about 23 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Carthage sits 22 miles from the bank. For a city, Kingston is 66 miles off. Not far off: Little Mouldy Pond 0.2 miles, Silver Dawn Lake just 1.2 miles, Little Silver Dawn Lake 2 miles, Wolf Pond just 3.4 miles and Long Lake 3.4 miles. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Mouldy Pond

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Lewis County include white sucker, brown trout, pumpkinseed and brook trout. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Mouldy Pond light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 15°F in January to roughly 66°F in July. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Expect Mouldy Pond to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. 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. Should this one be busy, Little Mouldy Pond is 0.2 miles off. Rules at Mouldy Pond are worth checking on the day.