Fishing French Pond in Lewis County, New York

• Overview

  French Pond is a Lewis County water, in New York. What surrounds it is rolling bush. It covers about 20 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Lowville lies 19 miles from the water. For a city, Kingston is 65 miles off. Other water nearby: Clear Pond at 0.4 miles, Mud Pond near enough 0.4 miles, Twin Ponds at 0.7 miles, Lanes Pond near enough 1.4 miles and Long Pond at 1.7 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on French Pond

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Across Lewis County, recorded fish include white sucker, brown trout, pumpkinseed, brook trout and brown bullhead. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On French Pond a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 65°F; the cold one sits at 14°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. Ice clears near mid April and comes back about early December in a typical year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. The season on French Pond follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. If the gate is shut, Clear Pond at 0.4 miles is the nearest alternative. Ask locally about French Pond if anything is unclear.