Hornet Ponds Fishing near Tupper Lake, New York

• Overview

  Hornet Ponds is set in Hamilton County, New York. Height above sea level is 1,778 feet. The water covers some 48 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. With about 1.2 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Tupper Lake is the closest place, 16 miles off. Beyond it, Saranac Lake at 33 miles and Hannawa Falls at 37 miles. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Hornet Ponds

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Species logged across Hamilton County include lake trout, brook trout, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Take Hornet Ponds a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 13°F to 64°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about early December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Hornet Ponds fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Mapping shows parking within half a mile. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. The nearest alternative is Spring Pond, 1.1 miles out. None of that is settled for Hornet Ponds in what we hold.