"Big Pond" North of Otis

[Jaycr3183]

Hey GUys, since I am not from the area, I have been trying to look at new places to fish and have been researching "Big Pond" in Otis. Its just North of Otis Reservoir.  Its literally 2 hours from my house so the worry of me fishing every week should be discarded immediately. lol.  It looks fairly small, which I like and says is holds a good population of pan fish. I am not looking for spots on the lake, but has anyone ever fished it??? I noticed that people fish it for LMB, but they don't interest me at all. Any information would be greatly appreciated guys and gals.  And if you wanna know anything about the lakes that I fish, just ask. (Buel, Copake, Saratoga, Lonely, Lk. George, etc etc etc)

[five fathoms]

 Is it otherwise known as "Big Benton"? I ice-fished it only once, and that was last year. I did poorly, catching one small crappie, and a few runty perch. This was the result of an entire day spent prospecting for fish, too, so I'm not sold on this lake yet. I know it serves up lots of small/medium white perch in the summer, and supposedly its stocked with trout. Still, I know some people who like it, and my one day's failure isn't reason to write it off.  In the winter you access it at a beach on the opposite end of the lake from the fisherman's access/boat ramp.   

[Jaycr3183]

thank you for the response Five.  Do you fish with a flasher or blind?? if you used a flasher did you mark alotta fish??!!

[five fathoms]

 Nope, I fished blind. For all I know, there could have been a lot of fish I was missing. I did make an effort to work the entire water column, though - from the bottom to within a few feet of the ice. As I remember it, most of the areas I tried were 15 feet or deeper, and this was early January. Maybe the fish were all hunkered in the shallows?

[nitrousair]

thank you for the response Five.  Do you fish with a flasher or blind?? if you used a flasher did you mark alotta fish??!!

I ordered a humminbird ice 35 monday night and it should be delivered on friday just in time for my first outing on ashmere lake! I am pumped for saturday!

[tafts ta]

Place gets stocked with killer trout. It is not a well oxygenated lake however, so resident populations stay on the small side with the exceptions of smallies. A few green backs too. Lots of dead water till ya hit a honey hole

Last I checked the ice was sketchy up there, not sure if its improved.

[jss111678]

i have the ice 35 works good you should like it

[CatskillsFisher]

I also have the H-Bird Ice 35... don't know how I fished without it..lol ...Great flasher for the money...have fun and catch lots of fish!!!

[Jaycr3183]

Catskill fisher.........Names familiar!!!

[MR WOZ]

I fished it in the spring was catching some nice trout. I accessed it from the boat ramp, You have to go through a long channel to get to the actual lake that way. I wouldn`t recomend walking in that way...plus it might not freeze either!

[Jaycr3183]

Thanks for info mr woz. Im not much of a trout guy. More of a panfish guy.