Fishing Thurston Pond in Steuben County, New York

• Overview

  Thurston Pond sits in Steuben County, out in New York. Country round the bank runs to rolling bush. At 21 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. With about 1.0 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Addison is the closest place, 8.3 miles off. Further out sit Bath (8.5 miles) and Gang Mills (9.6 miles). The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Thurston Pond

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Steuben County include brown trout, white sucker, tessellated darter, banded darter and alewife. The county list is broader than any single water. Thurston Pond repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 22°F in January to roughly 67°F in July. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. After early April the shallows warm and the fish move up. The lid tends to go about early April and return around mid December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. At Thurston Pond the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, Goodhue Lake is 2.6 miles distant. For Thurston Pond in particular, ask before you travel.