Saddlebag Lake, New York: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Saddlebag Lake sits in Otsego County, out in New York. Elevation runs to 1,230 feet. At 13 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. For a base, Oneonta sits 7.8 miles out. Albany sits 62 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. More in the same country: Goodyear Lake at 2.2 miles, Crumhorn Lake roughly 2.4 miles, Mud Lake at 4.3 miles, Wilber Lake roughly 5 miles and Arnold Lake at 5.8 miles. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Saddlebag Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Reported across Otsego County: brown trout, brook trout, white sucker and common carp. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Saddlebag Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 67°F; by January the average is down near 20°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice-out usually falls in early April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. On average, early April opens the water and mid December closes it again. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Saddlebag Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Goodyear Lake sits 2.2 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Saddlebag Lake for certain.