Fishing Slush Pond in Franklin County, New York

• Overview

  Franklin County in New York is where Slush Pond sits. The ground around here is rolling bush. It covers about 17 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Saranac Lake is the closest place, 13 miles off. The nearest city of size is Ville-Marie, 80 miles away. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Slush Pond

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Survey and observation records for Franklin County include brook trout, white sucker and brown trout. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Slush Pond that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 13°F in January and 65°F in July. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Slush Pond fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Failing this one, try Follensby Junior Pond, 1.6 miles away. Where Slush Pond is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.