Mud Pond in Broome County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Mud Pond sits in Broome County, out in New York. The ground round it is rolling bush. Small at around 17 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Susquehanna sits 6.6 miles from the bank. Syracuse sits 75 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Others worth noting: Fly Pond (1.9 miles), Deer Lake lies 2.1 miles on, White Birch Lake (2.8 miles), Devils Punch Bowl lies 3.4 miles on and Summit Lake (4.2 miles). A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Mud Pond

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Reported across Broome County: smallmouth bass, common carp, brown trout and rock bass. The county list is broader than any single water. The shape of Mud Pond rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 67°F at the top of summer and 21°F at the bottom of winter. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early April. Climate averages put the opening at about early April and the closing near mid December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. At Mud Pond the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Cascade Valley State Forest takes in this water; protected-area rules will apply. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Fly Pond is 1.9 miles distant. None of that is settled for Mud Pond in what we hold.