Handsome Pond Fishing Guide, Hamilton County, New York

• Overview

  In New York, Handsome Pond falls inside Hamilton County. This is rolling bush ground. At about 153 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Roughly 2.4 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. On our Hamilton County list it sits near the top for size. Tupper Lake is the closest town at 12 miles. Saranac Lake follows at 25 miles, then North Elba at 28 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Handsome Pond

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Hamilton County list lake trout, brook trout, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Handsome Pond the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 13°F to 64°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Ice clears near late April and comes back about early December in a typical year. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Handsome Pond fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. The nearest alternative is Mohegan Lake, 1.1 miles out. Ask locally about Handsome Pond if anything is unclear.