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Saranac Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Saranac chain near Saranac Lake village: Upper Saranac, stocked with lake trout every year, and the shallower Middle and Lower lakes joined by a lock.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~55 F est.
Air / High
52 / 53 F
Wind
NE 5 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Tap a marker for today's tip
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Saranac Lake is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 5 mph, rising pressure near 1029 hPa and a high of 53. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:30 AM-11:30 AM and 9:60 PM-11:60 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66Β°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Lake troutGood

Spring and fall bring lakers into 10 to 30 feet of water (Michigan DNR), within reach of casters and shallow trollers; fall is also spawning time over rocky shoals.

Smallmouth bassGood

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Northern pikeGood

The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Yellow perchGood

Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

Largemouth bassGood

In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Tomorrow: Similar at 54 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

New York requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $25.00 for residents. What a New York licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing lake trout here? Check the size and bag limits with DEC before you keep anything. The season dates for New York, read off the agency, are on the New York seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp52 F
High / Low53 / 26 F
WindNE 5-7 mph
Pressure1028.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:22 / 17:59
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Which day to fish Saranac Lake this week

The best day on Saranac Lake this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Tough

Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Solunar majors
9:30 AM-11:30 AM and 9:60 PM-11:60 PM
Minor period
3:52 AM-4:52 AM
Sun
07:22 to 17:59
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 6 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Saranac Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Lake trout illustration

Lake trout

Spring and fall in shallow water, deep in summer, and through the ice in winter

Lake trout are slow-growing chars of large, deep, cold lakes, native from Alaska and northern Canada to New England and the Great Lakes, and introduced in many western lakes. Spring and fall bring lakers into 10 to 30 feet of water (Michigan DNR), within reach of casters and shallow trollers; fall is also spawning time over rocky shoals.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: cool water, from ice-out through spring, in fall and under the ice

A long, duck-billed predator of weedy lakes, slow rivers and backwaters that ambushes fish from vegetation. Wisconsin DNR points out that, unlike most of the state's common game fish, pike do their best feeding in cool water. The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Caught all year, including under the ice through winter

Yellow perch are schooling panfish of the Great Lakes and northern lakes, and Michigan DNR calls them the game fish most often caught in that state. Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66Β°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

When to come: the Saranac Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Lake trout
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
Largemouth bass
Rainbow trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Saranac Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 58 F, wind to 8 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 60 F, wind to 4 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 58 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

Before you go

License

New York requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

New York fishing license. DEC Region 5 special regulations: Upper Saranac Lake, ice fishing permitted with up to 3 lines; lake trout April 1 to October 15, 23-inch minimum, 3 a day. All Franklin County waters: black bass June 15 to November 30, 12-inch minimum, 5 a day, and no fishing for black bass, even catch-and-release, outside that season. Franklin County trout waters not listed by DEC are closed to ice fishing.

Access

DEC launches at Second Pond and Ampersand Bay (Lower Saranac), on Middle Saranac and two on Upper Saranac (Santa Clara and Harrietstown).

About this water

A chain of Adirondack lakes in Franklin County, New York: Upper Saranac (4,773 acres), Middle Saranac (1,393 acres) and Lower Saranac, connected by a lock (DEC).

Fishing Saranac Lake: the full guide

Upper, Middle and Lower

The Saranac Lakes are a chain in Franklin County in the Adirondacks. DEC's lake maps give Upper Saranac Lake 4,773 acres with a mean depth of 33 feet, and Middle Saranac Lake 1,393 acres with a mean depth of 9 feet; DEC's Middle Saranac map marks the lock that leads to Lower Saranac Lake. The point on this page lies on Lower Saranac Lake, for which I could not open a DEC lake map.

Fish by lake

DEC lists smallmouth and largemouth bass, northern pike, brown bullhead, brown and rainbow trout, yellow perch, rainbow smelt and lake trout in Upper Saranac, and smallmouth and largemouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, brown bullhead and pumpkinseed in Middle Saranac. DEC's stocking records show lake trout planted in Upper Saranac every year from 2020 to 2025 except 2023 (10,890 fish of about 6 inches in 2025). No stocking of Middle or Lower Saranac appears in those records, and landlocked salmon stocked in the Saranac drainage go into the Saranac River at Plattsburgh, not into these lakes.

Launches

DEC lists five launches on the chain: a hard-surface launch with parking for 75 cars and trailers at Second Pond on Lower Saranac (the Saranac Lake Islands Campground and Day Use Area), a hand launch at Ampersand Bay on Lower Saranac, a hand launch for Middle Saranac, and on Upper Saranac a hard-surface launch with 26 trailer spaces in Santa Clara and a hand launch in Harrietstown.

Common questions

Is there salmon in the Saranac Lakes?

DEC lists no landlocked salmon in Upper or Middle Saranac, and its stocking records show salmon going into the Saranac River at Plattsburgh, not the lakes. Upper Saranac is stocked with lake trout.

What are the lake trout rules on Upper Saranac?

DEC allows lake trout from April 1 to October 15, 23 inches minimum and 3 a day; ice fishing is permitted with no more than 3 lines.

When is bass season?

In Franklin County, June 15 to November 30, with a 12-inch minimum and 5 a day. DEC prohibits fishing for black bass outside that season, including catch-and-release.

Is fishing good at Saranac Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Ausable River27 miLake Champlain48 miWinooski River54 miOtter Creek56 miLake George59 miMissisquoi River67 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 44.3300, -74.2000 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 6, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 6, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.