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Fishing Kinderhook Lake: what the data says
350-acre lake near Chatham. The lake tops out around 33 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Kinderhook Lake
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 33 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 10 to 33 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Chain Pickerel fishing at Kinderhook Lake
Start shallow in spring: chain pickerel sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 3 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 18 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for chain pickerel in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a weedless spoon + trailer or a buzzbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Weedless spoon + trailer, Buzzbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait along weed edges, Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon (through ice) |
White Perch fishing at Kinderhook Lake
In spring, white perch run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 33 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 33 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 33 ft, rated prime for summer white perch. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a small spinner rig drifted or a 1/8 oz jigging spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Summer | 10 to 33 ft | dawn | Small spinner rig drifted, 1/8 oz jigging spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 33 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Blade bait |
| Winter | 10 to 33 ft | dusk | Small rattle spoon, Tungsten + spikes |
Yellow Perch fishing at Kinderhook Lake
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 33 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 10 to 33 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 10 to 33 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Bluegill fishing at Kinderhook Lake
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 33 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 26 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 16 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 10 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Kinderhook Lake?
Kinderhook Lake is about 33 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Kinderhook Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, chain pickerel, white perch on Kinderhook Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Kinderhook Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Kinderhook Lake?
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Saratoga Lake · Ashokan Reservoir · Cossayuna Lake · Schoharie Reservoir · Great Sacandaga Lake · Boyd Corners Reservoir
See how Kinderhook Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in New York · best bluegill lakes in New York · best yellow perch lakes in New York · best chain pickerel lakes in New York
Browse all New York fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.