Fishing at Summit Pond, Herkimer County, New York

• Overview

  Summit Pond falls in Herkimer County, part of New York. The surface lies 2,087 feet up. Surface area runs to about 16 acres — small enough to read in one session. It sits higher than most water we list in New York. Head to Tupper Lake, 28 miles away, for anything you forgot. For a city, Kingston is 79 miles off. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Summit Pond

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Herkimer County include white sucker, yellow perch, brook trout, brown bullhead and brown trout. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Take Summit Pond a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 64°F at the top of summer and 13°F at the bottom of winter. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about early December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. On Summit Pond the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Clear Lake is 0.4 miles distant. Where Summit Pond is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.