Fishing Cat Pond in Franklin County, New York

• Overview

  Franklin County in New York is where Cat Pond sits. Elevation runs to 1,555 feet. At about 49 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The bank runs about 1.5 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Tupper Lake at 13 miles is the nearest place to stop. The big place round here is Ville-Marie, 86 miles distant. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Cat Pond

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Fish documented in Franklin County include brook trout, white sucker, brown trout, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. On Cat Pond a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 65°F and January at 13°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. From about late April to around early December, expect open water on the long-run figures. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. At Cat Pond the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, Lydia Pond is 1.1 miles distant. Confirm access to Cat Pond locally before you travel.