Fishing at Church Pond, St. Lawrence County, New York

• Overview

  Set in St. Lawrence County, New York, this is Church Pond. It stands 1,558 feet above sea level. Small at around 20 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Nearest town is Tupper Lake, 19 miles off. Beyond it, Hannawa Falls at 19 miles and Potsdam at 23 miles. If this one is busy: Lone Pond after 2.2 miles, Carry Falls Reservoir 2.7 miles, Crooked Lake after 2.9 miles, Long Pond 3 miles and Leonard Pond after 3.6 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Church Pond

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Records held for St. Lawrence County cover rock bass, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. The county list is broader than any single water. Read Church Pond for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 65°F at the top of summer and 13°F at the bottom of winter. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. Open water usually runs from mid April until about early December. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. The season on Church Pond follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Lone Pond, 2.2 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for Church Pond in what we hold.