Little Tupper Lake Fishing near Tupper Lake, New York

• Overview

  New York holds Little Tupper Lake, in Hamilton County. Around the bank it is pine and birch. Roughly 3.6 sq miles of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. Some 17 miles of shoreline means conditions can differ from one end to the other. Few waters listed in Hamilton County are bigger. Tupper Lake lies 15 miles from the water. Kingston sits 94 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Little Tupper Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. 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. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. The shape of Little Tupper Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 13°F in January and 64°F in July. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid April. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly early December. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Anyone fishing Little Tupper Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, Stony Pond is 1.2 miles distant. For Little Tupper Lake in particular, ask before you travel.