Stearns Mudhole Fishing Guide, Herkimer County, New York

• Overview

  Stearns Mudhole is one of the Herkimer County waters in New York. This is mixed forest country. Compared with other New York water on our list, it sits high. Boonville sits 27 miles from the bank. The big place round here is Syracuse, 75 miles distant. Within a short drive: Honnedaga Lake out at 1.6 miles, Jones Lake roughly 1.7 miles, Twin Lakes out at 2.1 miles, Little Deer Lake roughly 2.2 miles and Baby Lake out at 2.5 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Stearns Mudhole

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for Herkimer County list white sucker, yellow perch and brook trout. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. At Stearns Mudhole light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 63°F, with January the cold end at about 13°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late April. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at late November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Time your trip to Stearns Mudhole by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, Honnedaga Lake is 1.6 miles distant. Nothing on Stearns Mudhole should be assumed from this page alone.