Silver Lake Fishing near Lowville, New York

• Overview

  Silver Lake sits in Herkimer County, out in New York. The water sits 2,110 feet up. It runs to roughly 60 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The whole outline is near 1.1 miles, and most of it is walkable. Compared with other New York water on our list, it sits high. Lowville sits 29 miles from here and is the nearest stop. It is 83 miles to Kingston, the nearest city. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Silver Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Species logged across Herkimer County include white sucker, yellow perch, brook trout, brown bullhead and brown trout. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. At Silver Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 64°F, while January sits near 13°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Silver Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. 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. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Razorback Pond, 0.6 miles out. Ask locally about Silver Lake if anything is unclear.