Mountain Pond Fishing near Tupper Lake, New York

• Overview

  Franklin County in New York is where Mountain Pond sits. Everything around it is lake country bush. Surface area runs to about 13 acres — small enough to read in one session. Tupper Lake sits 10 miles from the bank. Saranac Lake lies 14 miles off, Lake Placid another 22 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Mountain Pond

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Survey and observation records for Franklin County include brook trout, white sucker, brown trout, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Mountain Pond the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 65°F and January about 13°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near early December in autumn. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Anyone fishing Mountain Pond regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. A campsite lies 150 yards away for anyone staying over. Facilities run to toilets 0.9 miles from the water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Ledge Pond sits 0.8 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing on Mountain Pond should be assumed from this page alone.