Rainbow Falls Reservoir in St. Lawrence County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Rainbow Falls Reservoir is listed under St. Lawrence County, New York. Salt water lies 34 miles off. Roughly 666 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. With 8.6 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. It is among the larger waters listed here for St. Lawrence County. 11 miles away sits Hannawa Falls, the nearest town. Then Potsdam, 15 miles, and Norwood, 20 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Rainbow Falls Reservoir

  Depth figures are not published for this one. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. St. Lawrence County records list rock bass, smallmouth bass and pumpkinseed among the fish reported. The county list is broader than any single water. The shape of Rainbow Falls Reservoir decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 66°F and January reads 13°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid April. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near early December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Expect Rainbow Falls Reservoir to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Round Pond is 1.1 miles off. Treat access at Rainbow Falls Reservoir as something to verify.