Washbowl, New York: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  St. Lawrence County, New York, is where Washbowl sits. The surface lies 1,699 feet up. At 4 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Most waters listed here for St. Lawrence County are larger. Nearest town is Tupper Lake, 27 miles off. Kingston sits 77 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Washbowl

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Fish documented in St. Lawrence County include rock bass, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch and white sucker. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Washbowl responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 64°F for July and 13°F for January. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about early December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. It sets the rhythm of the year at Washbowl.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. 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 the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Big Shallow at 0.2 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat access at Washbowl as something to verify.