Southards Pond, New York: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Look for Southards Pond in the Suffolk County part of New York. It sits in open valley country. It measures about 26 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. It lies lower than most water we list in New York. North Babylon sits 0.5 miles from the bank. The big place round here is Jamaica, 25 miles distant. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Southards Pond

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Being tidal, the water moves twice a day, and the fishing moves with it. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Suffolk County records list alewife, blueback herring and pumpkinseed among the fish reported. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Southards Pond repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 74°F on average, January about 31°F. Temperature moves within a narrow band, and so does the fishing. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Southards Pond fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. The car has to stay half a mile away, which shapes how much tackle you bring. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Argyle Lake at 0.9 miles is the sensible second choice. Where Southards Pond is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.