Gull Pond in Franklin County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  This water sits in Franklin County, New York. What surrounds it is mixed forest. At 292 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. The margin runs to about 3.1 miles in total. Few waters listed in Franklin County are bigger. The closest town, Tupper Lake, is 3.3 miles away. Beyond it, Saranac Lake at 21 miles and Lake Placid at 27 miles. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Gull Pond

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Franklin County records list brook trout, white sucker, brown trout, yellow perch and smallmouth bass among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Fish Gull Pond where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 13°F and July at about 65°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. From about mid April to around early December, expect open water on the long-run figures. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. On Gull Pond the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Piercefield Flow is 1.2 miles distant. For Gull Pond in particular, ask before you travel.