Porkbarrel Pond Fishing in Franklin County, New York

• Overview

  The Franklin County end of New York holds Porkbarrel Pond. The water sits 1,703 feet up. About 3 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Most waters listed here for Franklin County are larger. The closest town, Saranac Lake, is 17 miles away. The nearest city of size is Ville-Marie, 69 miles away. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Porkbarrel Pond

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Open biodiversity records for Franklin County list brook trout, white sucker and brown trout. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. On Porkbarrel Pond that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 64°F on average, January about 13°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near late November in autumn. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Porkbarrel Pond fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Fishhole Pond at 0.7 miles is the sensible second choice. For Porkbarrel Pond, the notice at the access point is the final word.