Rat Pond Fishing near Saranac Lake, New York

• Overview

  Within Franklin County, New York, you have Rat Pond. Beyond the shoreline you have pine and birch. Around 34 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. The edge runs 0.9 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. The nearest place of any size is Saranac Lake, 9.1 miles away. Further out sit Tupper Lake (12 miles) and Lake Placid (17 miles). No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Rat Pond

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Fish documented in Franklin County include brook trout, white sucker and brown trout. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Work Rat Pond in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 65°F and January at 13°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. From about late April to around early December, expect open water on the long-run figures. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Expect Rat Pond to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Boats go in at Saranac Inn Boat Launch, roughly half a mile from the water. There is a marina, Saranac Lake Boat Launch, half a mile away. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. For a change of water, Bone Pond is 0.6 miles distant. What applies at Rat Pond may have changed since it was mapped.