Swinging Bridge Reservoir Fishing in Sullivan County, New York

• Overview

  New York holds Swinging Bridge Reservoir, in Sullivan County. The country here is mixed forest. About 885 acres, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. Shoreline length is close to 15 miles, and each section fishes a little differently. Few waters listed in Sullivan County are bigger. The town to know is Monticello, 5.8 miles out. Further out sit Rock Hill (9.6 miles) and South Fallsburg (10 miles). It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Swinging Bridge Reservoir

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Sullivan County records list brown trout, brook trout, smallmouth bass, white sucker and rainbow trout among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Work Swinging Bridge Reservoir in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 69°F and January near 22°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Ice-out usually falls in early April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The open-water window runs from around early April to about mid December in an average year. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. The season on Swinging Bridge Reservoir rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. You can launch from a ramp around half a mile away. There is a marina recorded roughly half a mile off. Public data records a pier about half a mile out. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Cliff Lake at 1.2 miles is the sensible second choice. For Swinging Bridge Reservoir, the notice at the access point is the final word.