Third Lake Fishing in Essex County, New York

• Overview

  Out in Essex County, New York, sits Third Lake. The bank is 1,594 feet above sea level. It measures some 277 acres, and wind has room to build across it. Around 3.3 miles of bank, which is a long day on foot. On our Essex County list it sits near the top for size. Tupper Lake sits 26 miles from here and is the nearest stop. North Elba lies 29 miles off, Lake Placid another 31 miles. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Third Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. County-wide records name brown trout, brook trout, white sucker, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Read Third Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 64°F and January at 14°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The open-water window runs from around mid April to about early December in an average year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Anyone fishing Third Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Essex Chain Lakes Primitive Area runs up to the bank here, which usually means extra restrictions. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. For a change of water, Mud Pond is 0.4 miles distant. Check the current arrangement for Third Lake.