Fishing Mud Pond in St. Lawrence County, New York

• Overview

  Mud Pond sits in St. Lawrence County, out in New York. The land about it is lake country bush. About 7 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. On size it sits at the modest end of our St. Lawrence County list. Canton sits 14 miles from here and is the nearest stop. After that come Hannawa Falls at 14 miles and Potsdam at 18 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Mud Pond

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for St. Lawrence County include rock bass, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch and white sucker. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. At Mud Pond light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 67°F, the coldest about 14°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near early December in autumn. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. That shapes the year on Mud Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Clear Lake is 2.3 miles distant. Where Mud Pond is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.