The Best Ice Fishing Lakes In New York

By Author: Keith Raven
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As the weather gets warmer it is questionable if you can find good ice fishing locations. So come this winter, if you are a die-hard ice fishing fanatic you need to head to New York.

Here you will find some of the best lakes for the ice fishing season. New York offers you an ice fishing experience you won't soon forget and gives you opportunities you won't get at any other lakes in the United States. Next time you head to New York for some winter fishing is sure to consider the following top lakes.

First on the list is Lake Champlain which offers you the unique chance to fish for both cold water and warm water species. The most common fish caught in this lake during the winter include walleyes, smelts, perch, pike, landlocked salmon and lake trout. Although people have been known to also catch rainbow and brown trout, pickerel, muskellunge, crappies and other panfish.

Next is Saratoga Lake which offers a mixed bag of fish. You will find plenty to weedy shallows that give you the chance to get pike, bluegill and crap. Then you will find intermediate depths that give you the chance to ...
... get a walleye or perch.

Third on the list is Fourth Lake which is one of the lakes in the Fulton Chain located in Herkimer County. This lake gives you a lot of chances to get midwinter trout and landlocked salmon along with the occasional yellow perch. There are sandbars about ten to fifteen feet that are popular with trout and salmon. The best area is the east tip of Alger Island. Always remember that at this lake if you start catching perch then a salmon or trout is far away.

Then there is Lake Ontario which has many bays and backwaters to give you any number of ice water fishing opportunities. There are some spots on this lake that are more productive than others. At the mouth of the Black River there are several bays which are very popular including Chaumont Bay, Guffin Bay and Henderson Bay. This lake is most known for pike, perch and panfish due to the shallow water that is surrounded by peninsulas and points with several islands and shoals.

Fifth is Oneida Lake which offers you a year round sport fishery. The prime target in these waters is the walleyes, found around shoals, bars and drop-offs. The most noted location is the Shackleton Shoals located in the middle of the lake. If you want to catch a walleye in the winter in New York then this is the lake to go to.

Lastly there is Cayuga Lake which is the largest of the Finger Lakes. This lake is over four hundred feet deep and never completely freezes over. Only about four miles on the north end will freeze up during the winter and this is because the water here is less than fifteen feet deep. In this area you will find plenty of perch and panfish due to the weeds and construction debris.