Pelcher Pond in Hamilton County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  This water sits in Hamilton County, New York. Everything around it is rolling bush. Around 45 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Roughly 1.2 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. Tupper Lake lies 30 miles from the water. It is 90 miles to Syracuse, the nearest city. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Pelcher Pond

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Records held for Hamilton County cover lake trout, brook trout, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and brown bullhead. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At Pelcher Pond the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 13°F to 64°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to early December. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Pelcher Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Some banks are open only from a marked point. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Cranberry Pond, 1.1 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Pelcher Pond, the notice at the access point is the final word.