Upper Francis Pond in Nassau County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Upper Francis Pond is set in Nassau County, New York. It sits in farm and woodlot country. This is a pocket water of some 8 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our New York listings. Mill Neck lies 1.4 miles from the water. Locust Valley lies 1.7 miles off, Oyster Bay another 1.8 miles. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Upper Francis Pond

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Survey and observation records for Nassau County include common carp, pumpkinseed, largemouth bass and bluegill. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Fish Upper Francis Pond where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 30°F in January and 74°F in July. A lid forms in a hard winter only. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. The season on Upper Francis Pond rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Parking is close: a car park sits half a mile from the bank. Facilities include toilets around half a mile from here. Upper Francis Pond Preserve covers this ground, which means extra rules to check. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Lower Francis Pond sits 0.2 miles off and takes the overflow. The position on Upper Francis Pond is worth confirming on the day.