Bonner Lake Fishing in St. Lawrence County, New York

• Overview

  In New York, Bonner Lake falls inside St. Lawrence County. It stands 784 feet above sea level. Around 57 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. A shoreline of some 1.5 miles keeps the choices simple. Gouverneur sits 9.8 miles from the bank. Kingston sits 58 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Bonner Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Survey and observation records for St. Lawrence County include rock bass, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch and white sucker. The county list is broader than any single water. Take Bonner Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 68°F and January reads 15°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid April. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly early December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. On Bonner Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Should this one be busy, Clear Lake is 1.4 miles off. Treat Bonner Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.