Sylvan Lake is shaped like a deep bowl and has beautiful clear water with a well defined weedline along its edge. With no gas motors being allowed, this lake is ideal for a relaxing day of fishing. Sylvan Lake is a great place to fish because it offers a variety of fish species to catch. The cold deep water provides good trout habitat, and the shallow weed beds provide great cover for panfish and largemouth bass.
Physical Features:
Elevation: 321 feet
Area: 112 acres
Shoreline Length: 1.8 miles
Max Depth: 140 feet
Mean Depth: 65 feet
County and Town: Dutchess County, Town of Beekman
Access:
Access is provided by the Dutchess County Sportsman Federation. Car-top boat launch located off of County Rte 10. No Gas Motors Allowed.
For more information on this launch including Google Maps driving directions, visit the Boat Launch Sites for Dutchess County page.
Fish Species:
Largemouth bass, brown trout, panfish.
Fishing:
Largemouth Bass
Sylvan Lake has some really nice size bass that can be a challenge to catch because of the crystal clear water. The shallow water has a good mix of vegetation that the bass like to hang out in. Fishing with spinnerbaits and topwater plugs early in the morning and in the evening can produce some aggressive strikes. With the water being as clear as it is, the bass will often go deep into the weeds, and you will need to fish slow using slow plastics to catch them.
Trout
The DEC stocks close to 1,700 brown trout into Sylvan Lake every spring. During the spring months the water temperature will still be cool, and these fish can be caught anywhere on the lake. As the water warms up during the summer, look for the trout in the thermocline; 20 feet down is a good place to start. Anglers report of catching some large hold-over fish up 10 pounds.