The Floe in Hamilton County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Hamilton County, New York, is where The Floe sits. Elevation runs to 1,644 feet. Roughly 100 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The full circuit measures close to 2.1 miles on foot. Start from Dolgeville, 21 miles down the road. Albany is the closest city, 70 miles away. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on The Floe

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Hamilton County cover lake trout, brook trout and yellow perch. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Work The Floe in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 14°F in January and 64°F in July. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to early December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on The Floe rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Barto Lake sits 1.8 miles off and takes the overflow. For The Floe in particular, ask before you travel.