Lake Frances Fishing near Malone, New York

• Overview

  Lake Frances is a Franklin County water, New York side. It sits 27 miles in from the sea. This is a pocket water of some 14 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. 11 miles away sits Malone, the nearest town. Ville-Marie is the closest city, 66 miles away. Near neighbours: Spring Pond within 0.4 miles, Lake Duane sits 0.5 miles out, Big Duck Pond within 0.9 miles, Twin Ponds sits 1.2 miles out and Little Duck Pond within 1.2 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Lake Frances

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Franklin County include brook trout, white sucker, brown trout and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Fish Lake Frances to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 65°F in July and bottoms out near 13°F in January. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid April. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near early December. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Anyone fishing Lake Frances regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Spring Pond, 0.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Lake Frances is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.