Fifth Lake Fishing Guide, Essex County, New York

• Overview

  Essex County, New York, is where Fifth Lake sits. It stands 1,611 feet above sea level. It measures about 72 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The edge runs 1.3 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Size puts it in the front rank of our Essex County list. Tupper Lake is the closest place, 26 miles off. The nearest city of size is Albany, 89 miles away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Fifth Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Public occurrence data for Essex County names brown trout, brook trout, white sucker, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The near bank of Fifth Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 15°F in January to roughly 64°F in July. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. The water is typically free of ice between mid April and early December. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Fifth Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping shows no built access close by; expect to walk in from wherever you can leave the car. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Fourth Lake sits 0.4 miles off and takes the overflow. Signs at Fifth Lake carry more weight than any list.