First Lake in Hamilton County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for First Lake in the Hamilton County part of New York. Height above sea level is 1,598 feet. Surface area is around 55 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Bank access stretches around 1.3 miles in total. Tupper Lake is the closest place, 27 miles off. The big place round here is Albany, 88 miles distant. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on First Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Hamilton County cover lake trout, brook trout and yellow perch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish First Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 64°F and January about 14°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid April. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near early December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Plan any trip to First Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is a campsite half a mile from the water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Second Lake is 0.6 miles off. Ask locally about First Lake if anything is unclear.