Mountain Lake Fishing near Sloatsburg, New York

• Overview

  Mountain Lake lies in Orange County, in New York. What surrounds it is mixed woodland. At roughly 6 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Orange County. Sloatsburg sits 2.3 miles from the bank. Montebello is 5.3 miles away, with Suffern at 5.5 miles. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Mountain Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. 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. Records held for Orange County cover common carp, brook trout and bluegill. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Anyone new to Mountain Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 26°F in January to roughly 71°F in July. The swings are modest, so patterns change slowly. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Plan around that when you fish Mountain Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Tuxedo Lake, 1.1 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for Mountain Lake in what we hold.