Upper Lake, New York: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Look for Upper Lake in Chautauqua County, New York. The bank is 1,289 feet above sea level. Supplies mean a trip to Fredonia, 5.7 miles off. For a city, Buffalo is 43 miles off. Also within reach: Mud Lake some 0.6 miles off, 0.8 miles away is Middle Lake, Lower Lake some 1.1 miles off, 2.5 miles away is Fredonia Reservoir and Bear Lake some 3 miles off. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Upper Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Chautauqua County records list yellow perch, walleye, pumpkinseed and muskellunge among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Fish Upper Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 69°F, with January the cold end at about 23°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Look for the thaw near early April; the fishing lifts straight after. The season between ice runs from about early April to late December. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. The season on Upper Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. A ramp at Cassadaga Lakes Boat Launch is mapped half a mile away. The nearest mapped parking is half a mile away, so the last stretch is on foot. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Mud Lake is 0.6 miles off. Treat Upper Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.