Western Adirondack Region Report:

Late-Ice Means Hot Fishing
Finding the area's best action

By Mike Seymour

March offers some of the best ice fishing action of the winter months. For one thing, fish migrate to shallower water at this time of the year as they pick up their feeding pace prior to ice-out and spawning. Also, contributing to the quality of the experience are warmer temperatures and the opportunity to relish those last outings of the season.

Because species such as northern pike and yellow perch congregate and feed actively now, they are subject to over-fishing. This translates to a need for anglers to release large pike and walleyes so that they might successfully spawn.

Here’s a brief rundown on five waters that offer quality late-ice opportunities.

Lake Bonaparte

Located near Harrisville in Lewis County, Lake Bonaparte is a popular ice-fishing destination because of its drive-on access, a wide variety of available species, and plenty of room to fish. On this 1,280-acre lake, ice fishers can target northern pike, lake trout, brown trout, yellow perch, black crappies, and pumpkinseeds. Bonaparte sees an annual combined stocking of 4,000 or so brown and lake trout. Prime spots are islands, mainland points, mid-lake shoals, and the edges of bays, particularly sandy-bottomed ones.

Black Lake

Black Lake, covering nearly 11,000 acres and located in St. Lawrence County, is the largest of the Indian River lakes. Ice anglers pursue a variety of species here, and the most popular are northern pike, black crappies, yellow perch, bluegills, and walleyes. Fishing is good throughout the lake, but five areas that draw the highest concentrations of ice fishers are Mile Arm Bay, Rollway Bay, Conger Island, the state boat launch, and the flat off the Demot Road. Black Lake has limited public access, but a number of private businesses allow walk-on and drive-on access for ice anglers.

Butterfield Lake

Butterfield Lake, the second largest of the Indian River lakes, also offers first-rate winter action. Butterfield covers just over 1,000 acres and is located in the Village of Redwood, Jefferson County where a DEC launch provides public access. Shallow water in the upper half and deep water in the lower half characterize this lake. The shallow section draws the attention of pike anglers and panfishers while the deep portion between the boat launch and Green Island attracts walleye and perch anglers. Upper Big Island area is a favorite of local anglers.

Lake Eaton

Anglers at Lake Eaton in northeast Hamilton County have the opportunity to catch lake trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, and landlocked salmon. This 327-acre lake lies less than two miles from the village of Long Lake, and access is available from the Lake Eaton State Campground just off State Rte. 30. The lake’s nearly five miles of shoreline is a good place to look for rainbows. For browns, check out the tapering drop-offs in front of the beach area and around the islands. Prime lake trout locations include the steep breaks at the mouth of the outlet, the basin of the northwest bay, and the structure around points and islands.

Meacham Lake

Meacham Lake is a promising ice fishing destination in a scenic setting. In fact, this 1,203-acre lake is more popular during the winter than it is during the open-water seasons. Located off Route 30 between Saranac Lake and Malone in Franklin County, Meacham offers winter opportunities for northern pike, yellow perch, brown trout, landlocked salmon, and splake. Good bets for locating fish include the waters adjacent to any inlet or outlet and the drop-offs along the east and west shorelines. Pike and splake are the most-targeted species here.

A member of the New York State Outdoor Writers Association, the Great Lakes Outdoors Writers Association, and the Outdoor Writers Association of America, Mike Seymour operates a guide service on the St. Lawrence River and other waters in northern New York. he can be reached at fishmike@slic.com