February 25th, 2020

As I write this lake report it's about 50 degrees, and now that its available in cans I am enjoying a GSL Juice on the top of scout island. 

Up until Monday we have actually had quite a few cold days in the last two week with some mornings way below zero. Believe it or not because of this we have about three more inches of ice on the sacandaga then two weeks ago, and there is hardly any slush. 

I found anywhere from 12 to 14" of ice in all the spots I checked. 

The only bad spot I found is on the Mayfield side of scout island where the point of Griffis rd. Comes out. This open spot usually shows up this time of year as the water goes down. Just stay more towards scout island when heading from Wally's to Lakeside, and you will be fine. The good news, if you do fall in there it's only 4-6 ft. Deep but it will still ruin your day. Everything else seemed good heading up to Ponderosa Pines or placid pines. 

I didn't take the trail off Turner rd. But that spot usually gets bad too as the water goes down. All good to old trail and Nauti's, just those 3 splits that I talked about in the last report. They are froze good but a few chunks sticking up here and there. All good around Sinclair point. Just favor the fish house side a little. Good up to sport island, Vic's and back to Lanzi's. 

The only real changes to be aware of since my last report is the water is down significantly, and still going down fast. So a lot has changed through stump alley, the traps,  by the campgrounds, and everywhere else that land starts popping up. Like around the front of sand island. What I mean by this is there is a lot more GOTCHAS sticking up everywhere that weren't there two weeks ago. Even though there is more ice. Three things that will get you on this lake. Speed, Alcohol, and Darkness, you can get away with any one of them but don't mix them.

FISHING 

Walleyes have been biting decent with a few nice ones being caught. 

Perch have started to come on strong, the big football ones too. 

Northerns  are biting steady with the average being in the 30" range. And for this lake the trout have been biting good, both rainbows and browns. Nowhere near as many as the lakes up north but they have been catching them

 Also the Fuel-N-food 3day fishing contest is definitely on, it's going to be perfect conditions

Tip of the week: download the "Send it" app. And use it.

February 12th, 2020

This is going to be a very contradictory lake report. That is because we have anything from 5” of ice up to 10” of ice. with an average of 8” in most areas.

The lake is probably the best this past weekend for snowmobiles that i have seen it in a long time. Yet the Walleye challenge is canceled because there is not an average of 12” of ice and no real cold weather this week to change that.  Also because it is sketchy for wheeler’s and side x sides (which most ice fishermen use)

Because of some big fractures in the ice.  Snowmobiles can easily cross these, but you can lose a 4 wheeler in them, if you don’t cross in the right spot.

These are not a problem during the day because you can see them, but you better no where you are at night. On the Plus side, it is flat and fast with no slush or big heaves.

February 2020This may change Thursday with snow and rain heading in and with the continuing fast dropping of the water. One of these cracks in the ice run from Vandenburg point towards Sand island, and ends at Deer island. There are three more of these cracks above Sinclair pt. which are usually never there, if you are heading up to Ponderosa Pines and Placid Pines.

One is just before Captain Nautis, one is just passed the bridge, and the other is just passed the trail to Old Trail Inn. They are no big deal, but do make it
a little Rough, so keep that in mind when you Crack the throttle past Sinclair Pt. Especially since we are all used to this section being smooth.

On the other side of the lake Stump alley is smooth heading up to Sport Island Pub and Vic’s. The only Big bump being the sandbar that comes out from the campground. Slow down that can sneak up on you.

On your way back towards Lanzi’s its smooth all the way down the shoreline
to Wallys. From Wally’s if your on your way to Lakeside for a GSL Juice, which is one of my favorite local beers, Its smooth riding.

Overall the ice has a little more snow cover on it, but not much else has hanged in three weeks since my last report except the cracks in the ice.

February 2020So if you have a choice: take a sled. If you don’t have a choice: use your head and you should be good on a wheeler or side X side.

Finally I would like to reiterate because of the mild winter and high water which HRBRRD is releasing as fast as possible the lake is changing all the time.

Fishing:

the Walleye’s are finally biting decent, the Northern’s have slowed down and are running much smaller, not many reports on perch? which is strange, and some rainbows have been biting especially up by the Town of Day Launch.

 Tip of the week:

Don’t Ride to the Dam

January 24th, 2020

So here it is everyone, The first lake report of the new year!

There is 6” of ice in front of Captian Nauti’s, this was the measurement about 100 yards out from her launch ramp. The ice stayed the same thickness all the way up to Ponderosa pines/ Placid pines. I did not go further then Ponderosa Pines so not sure about north of there.

The ice has about 4-6” of snow on it, and the Trail to Old Trail Inn had a good  mount of snow on it too. Heading back there is 7” of ice from Captian Nauti’s  to Sinclair point.

I talked to some ice fishermen at Sinclair point and measured 7” thick in their holes. just avoid the ice at the tip of the point, it has only been froze there a week, and will probably not have much ice there all season because of the water they are releasing from the lake. Stay a little towards the fishhouse side and you will be fine.

From there to Lanzi’s there is 8” of ice. With 9” in front of Sport Island Pub, and 7 1/2” in the middle near sand island.  I would avoid going to much farther north of sport island because the river flow had opened the ice up last week under the northville bridge.

In front of Wally’s and Lakeside there is 8” of ice, with 7 1/2” by scout island. All the ice is solid black ice, which is the strongest, and about an average 5” of snow on it.

So perfect for wheelers and snowmobiles, NO CARS OR TRUCKS YET! The water has gone down from its high last week about a foot and a half, so the shoreline is good again. This also pulled the heaves out of the ice, we didn’t find any yesterday. Just cracks, some were slushy and some were refroze over, both were easy to cross with no problems. D.E.C. marked the docks that are froze in off shore with orange tape.

You can see it very easily during the day, it’s a little tougher at night. Some have reflectors on them so you can see them at night but not sure if they all do. So slow down at night.

Fishing:

Northerns are still biting good but they are running a little smaller than they were, walleyes are biting hit and miss, perch have been slow, and so have the trout.

Tip of the week:

move your shanty at least once a week until the ice gets thicker

December 23rd, 2019

Photo by Larry Vrooman

Hello everyone, the Sacandaga is froze over completely, as of Monday
morning the 23rd.

The bays have been frozen over for more then a week.

Murray bay in Broadalbin has 7″ of ice, in front of sport island pub has over 6” of ice, and the bay in Mayfield between Gordon’s marina and Wally’s beach has 5”.

I rode my sled across the bay to Wally’s yesterday, it is all solid clear black ice.

The furthest out report was by scout island by an ice fishermen was 3 1/2 ”. I would not recommend going out on the main part of the lake for another week or so, stick to the bays. There is plenty of water in all of them since the lake is just about full, it is at  June levels, so there is plenty of water to fish
everywhere.

There is one ice ridge forming in front of Lanzi’s about in the spot were it usually is.

Also because of the high water, when you do start riding be on the lookout for docks that floated away and froze in the ice away from shore. There is one out from 526 south shore rd. in Edinburgh that I know about, but i am sure there are more. Remember this when you decide to crack that throttle for the first time this season.

As far as fishing:

Northern’s are biting good as reported by John Reale, the walleyes are biting good too. Fishing is usually good on early ice, so I am sure the next couple weeks should be pretty good, even for the amateurs.

Tip of the week:

Make sure the roof of your shanty doesn’t leak.

Lake Report July 3. 2019

Hello everyone, here is your fourth of July lake report.

Since my last report the lake went up about one and a half feet, and then has been dropping steadily since last week. its been losing about 2 inches a day.

What all this means is that the lake level is almost where it was on my last lake report, actually about 8 inches lower but not enough for any major changes and nothing new to report. Most marinas and bars stillhave extension docks out and there is 10-12 feet of water through stump alley.

No problems there this weekend or probably the rest of July. the only problem still is not much beach or islands to go to. Northampton picnic area is still underwater and so is most of sand island, hey but at least its getting flushed.

The good side you can boat anywhere, so if your new to the lake now is the time to explore. one new addition is Placid Pines, which is across the rd. from Ponderosa pines in the town of Day now has a dock.  It is easy to dock to and marked with their name. They serve food also besides drinks, its nice to have another spot on the lake especially north of Batchlorville bridge.

Water Temperature:

is 75 degrees at the surface and 58 degrees at 30 feet.

Fishing:

bass are biting great,
walleyes are getting a little harder to find, but the real fishermen aren’t
having a problem.
northern’s are still biting but mostly small ones,
not to many perch either.
2 reports of rainbows being caught around the rock shoal to the northeast of sand island.

Tip of the Week:

make sure your mooring line is out of the way before you back up.

p.s. there is an s.p.c. chicken b.b.q. fundraiser at Wally’s Driftwood Park on Sunday July 14Th from 1-4…without the s.p.c.(Sacandaga Protection Committee)  we would not be able to use the lake the way we do so if you love the lake show your support!

Lake Report - June 18th - 2019

Hello everyone sorry for the long delay in lake reports.

Lake Level:

Water, water, water. As everyone knows its been raining since April.

Between that and all the snow melt, the lake was at record levels in mid-April, going over the top of the spillway a couple of feet. They let it down the best they could by the beginning of May but with the continued rain, the level found itself back to spillway elevation. So basically what that means is you’re going to find the water 3 feet higher than you’re used this time of year.

On a good note this makes it very good for boating. You can go just about anywhere on the lake and not have to pay much attention to the danger boueys.

All the marinas and restaurants have finally put their docks in. The i-go-inn got the rest of their docks in last week. Be aware at some of these places, like Lakeside, i-go-inn and Wallys, you may have some temporary extension docks or ramps to get you to shore because of high water. These temporary docks can be tricky to walk on so be careful. (But they’re a great test of sobriety.)

Unfortunately there’s not much island at Sand Island, the Trap Islands are under water except for a bit of brush, and the picnic area and some camp sites at North Hampton are under water. You can obviously make it through Stump Alley and Mosquito Bay with no problem with any size boat because there’s 9 feet of water. The other positive is you can go way up the bay beyond Lakeside, and also way up the Sacandaga river where it widens almost to the bride that crosses on Route 30. These are great spots to do a tie-up. Since there’s not many land spots so floatilla’s will be popular for the next few weeks.

Don’t forget band in the bay on June 29th at Driftwood, that will be a big floatilla! If it stops raining the lake should go down two feet by 4th of July.

Fishing:

Fishing Bass has been biting good. The season just opened Saturday so you can keep them now.
Northern Pike have been biting moderate, with some reports of 40-inch plus fish being caught. (I had one in the store at 45-inches.)

Walleyes and Perch have been kinda slow, and there have been no reports of Trout.

Water Temperature:

Water temperature Surface temperate is 64 degrees and 58 degrees at 20 feet.

Tip of the Week:

Make sure your bilge pump works.

Lake Report as of Friday March 1st, 2019

CONDITIONS

This lake report is a lot different. Why???
Because I did the whole thing in my pickup truck yesterday afternoon. I accessed the lake from Driftwood Park (aka Wally’s) on the marina side and then drove to the shanty near Scout Island and measured the ice there.

There’s 23” of solid, good ice. I measured the ice in one of Beaver Ross’ old fishing holes. (Judging by the quarter of ice I had to chip away, I missed him by about an hour.)

From there I went to Sport Island Pub and all the way back to Lakeside. Conditions are great for a pickup truck, and even better for snowmobiles and ATV’s.

I did not cross the heave at Sand Island or got to Captain Nauti’s or Ponderosa Pines. But going by reports and my knowledge, of the last two weeks on the lake, it is just as good on that side as it is on this side.

There are no new heaves to report. The lake is down about 6’ from its January high, so any variations in the ice that I found are caused by ice settling onto the land and island poking out.

There’s a perfect amount of snow for snowmobiles, but not enough to restrict any other form of transportation including vehicles. In my opinion, these are the best conditions we’ve had in 10 years!

FISHING

Northern’s are coming on strong, we may see another record breaker in Fuel-N-Food’s Weekend Long Contest. Walleye and Perch have been steady throughout the season. Walleye’s haven’t been huge but the Perch I’ve seen have been monsters. Finally, a few trout have been caught, with the majority being browns.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Download and use the SEND IT – HDR III app on your phone this weekend. You can download it on Android here and on your iPhone here.

Lake Report as of Friday February 15th, 2019, 3PM

Photo by Wendy Rue

The conditions on the Lake are absolutely perfect as of 3 PM today! There is about 4" of fresh snow on the lake. This means you can use a snowmobile AND there is not enough to stop a side x side or a 4 x4.

There is 18" - 21" of ice and NO SLUSH!
The only hazard at the moment is an ice ridge that runs from the Broadalbin Boat Club past Deer island to Sin Clair Point. It is about 5' in height in most areas. A few spots to get around it are to head towards Scout Island or a few spots in the  middle between Lanzi's and Sand Island. Other than that the Lake is flat and the shorelines are great.

***NOTE: Conditions change daily this time of year ALWAYS USE CAUTION

The water is up about 12' higher than normal for this time of year so you can fish pretty much anywhere!

Fishing Report:

Big Northerns are biting this week
Walleye are plentiful, but small
Perch are not hitting to well
just a couple of trout

Tip of the week.

Look out for shanties - they are everywhere this weekend!!!

Friday February 8th, 2019

Lake Report as of Friday February 8th, 2019

Photo by Larry Vrooman

I was out yesterday, there is 16 to 20 inches of ice so the ice is good but there is about 2 inches of water on top.

When it freezes today and tonight, it’s going to be glare ice, no lubrication for sleds if it doesn’t snow a little.

Also the water went up a little so it leveled out some of the ice heaves, but they will be back. They are still letting water out so once it starts dropping the heaves will be back.

In my opinion it’s going to be a good weekend for ice fishing, side×sides and 4-wheelers. Not so much for sleds unless we get an inch of snow or more for lube and cooling.

Stay away from any inlets or creeks and you will be fine.

Fishing has been slow with just barely legal walleye’s biting best. Still a few monster perch being caught, and the northerns have mostly been under 30 inches.

Tip of the week: Jack up your shanty.

January 26th, 2019

Lake Report as of Friday January 25th, 2019

As mentioned last week, the Lake Conditions are Changing by the Day, the weather has been wild and they are still letting water out at the rate of 2 inches per day. This report is as of Friday Night, January 25th.

PLEASE USE CAUTION AND BE AWARE NEW RIDGES ARE FORMING OUT THERE DAILY.

Photo by Larry Vrooman

The Lake has changed dramatically since the last report. We have gone from flat and smooth conditions to a lot of snow that you can ride on.
There is 12" - 16" of ice out there.
On Top of that is about 8" of slush and water.
On top of that is about an inch of ice as it begins to re-freeze.
So, Amazingly it is pretty good riding out there.

That being said, there are a lot of pressure ridges.

As of Friday Night:

• 3 Ridges between Lanzi's on the Lake and Wally's.
• 1 Ridge Going from Beacon Island toward Scout Island, it goes almost all the way to Broadalbin.
• 1 Ridge forming at the top of SinClair Point going towards Fishouse.

Please Beware that these are not the only ridges out there and new ridges are forming daily.

IT IS SAFER TO GO SLOW.
The Ice is Good, and you need to keep your wits about you to avoid pressure ridges.

Fishing:

Walleye are hitting good still
Northerns are coming in at about 30"
Perch are quite large
There is no report on Trout at this time

Tip of the Week:

Jack up your shanty!

January 13th, 2019

Lake Report as of Sunday 1-13-19 8:00 p.m.

Sorry for the long delay in lake reports but up until now the lake has been unpredictable.

The Sacandaga froze early this year (right around Thanksgiving) and it looked like it was going to be a blockbuster winter. Then the rain came and the lake went up 5 feet since it froze and 10 feet up since my lake report on labor day, crazy year.

This caused 6 inches of good ice in the middle but open water or very thin ice  around the edges.
Basically there was ice but you couldn't get to it. Which as you can imagine
caused a lot damage to docks.

Now that the cold weather is back that has all changed. The edges are froze with 7" of ice and there is 10" where it was already froze in all the spots where i checked.

By Sport Island Pub there is 12" and there was a pickup truck on the ice by Northampton campground. Its good clear black ice with just a little frozen snow on top.

There are 3 caution spots i found, one is from the point of Griffis road heading towards Scout Island back toward Lasky's marine. This is nothing new its thin or open there every year.
The second is close to Sinclair point on the northeast side its froze but thin, again nothing new same every year.


The third spot is new though. There is a spot on the northeast side of Beacon island aka: (Yacht Island) running towards Sand Island and Broadalbin that is open and it's the size of a couple football fields. This is in the area of the trap islands and, I believe, it's due to the high water. Luckily not much of the main traffic ever heads that way.

This morning though ice fisherman told me it finally froze last night.Use caution under the Batherleville bridge but ice is good all the way to Ponderosa pines. I never went further then there.

Captain Nautis is good, Sport Island, Wally's, Lakeside, and Lanzi's all good. In fact there isn't even a ridge yet in front of Lanzi's or any where else for that matter.

They are dropping the water now though 2" a day so conditions are going to change fast.

The water has only froze this high one other time in 1995 that i can remember so it's going to feel like a whole different lake to most people.

You can fish in bays and back waters that are usually dirt, and there are no rocks or islands sticking up where they normally are for snowmobiling. It's also perfect for getting your shanty out before it snows.  Its flat ice with just enough snow for lube but not enough to slow you down.

If you want to see how fast your sled is now is the time, just use your head and check a mile or two ahead, then turn around and open it up....if that doesn't get you all wound up......SELL YOUR SLED.

Fishing has been good.

Walleyes been biting best at first light and again between 4-5:30 in the afternoon, The big pike have slowed down, perch have been a few here and there, and no reports of trout.

Tip of the week:

bring a spare belt

August 30th, 2018

Water Temperature:

77 Degrees

Lake Level:

Still Plenty of Water – If You know what you are doing!

Lakeside: stay to Port side of the Bay
Griffis Road side at Scout Island: follow the channel buoys – look for the lit buoys.
Wally’s: stay to the left, then come into the dock, Leaving towards Scout island is the deeper way. Watch out for the rock pile.

Lanzi’s, Ponderosa Pines, Sport Island Pub – all other marinas have plenty of water.

Plenty of Beach!!!

Enjoy the Ring of Fire on Sunday!

Getting in and Out of the launches will be the issue

August 10th, 2018

Photo by Martin Dybas

Lake Level

It's been three weeks since my last lake report. The good news is the  rainy week at the end of July helped keep the lake from going down as  much as it would have. The rain saved us losing another foot of depth  that week.

It's been a hot dry summer and most people don't remember the  lake this low for this time of year, but don't worry there is still plenty of water.

With that being said, the lake is exactly 1.5 feet lower than it was 3 weeks ago in my last lake report. I would suggest no boats go all the way through stump alley, there is less than 2 feet of water, although I know a few "brave" pontoon captains who have.

At this water level most of the "gotchas" around the lake are above water and visible, the few that aren't just pay attention to your danger buoys and you will be fine.
On the other side of the coin we have plenty of beach places to escape to and enjoy. Another one of my favorite spots when the water is this level is the sandbar that comes out from Northampton
campground.

There is still 8 feet at the shallowest point going into Lakeside's docks in muscles harbor. Follow the small channel markers and stay to the left of the channel coming in to the bay approaching from the lake and you will have lots of water.

Wally's still has 4-5 foot at the shallowest point, and a little more than that at the end of their  courtesy dock. When approaching here you want to stay toward the center of the bay until you get passed the first set of docks then make your right turn to go towards the courtesy dock, and you will have plenty of water. As for Lanzi's and Sport Island Pub there is plenty of water.

Also I Go Inn and Captain Nauti's have plenty of water, and lets not forget Ponderosa Pines who does have a courtesy dock, Its a smaller one but it works fine. This end of the lake always has the most amount of water so if your nervous about the lake explore this end.

Past Batchellerville bridge there is still approximately 12 miles of lake until you get to the dam. It is more mountainous,and less populated then the southern end, and very scenic.

Don't forget there is the "Dam Tie up" this Saturday August 11Th at the Conklingville dam so its the perfect time to check it out.

Water Temperature

was down to 77 after the rain but has gone back up and hovering between 81 and 82 degrees. Its still
76 degrees at 25 feet down.

Fishing

They have been pulling out some big northern pike, in the shallows around the weed beds. Also bass have been
hitting like crazy, and the walleyes have been steady. Yellow Perch seem to be a little slow, who knows what happened to the white perch, and trout have been hitting average for this lake which isn't saying much.

Tip of the week:

If your going to go out in a small jon boat on a busy, rough weekend.....don't run out of gas.
This Weeks Photos are Great Entries in The Visit Sacandaga 2019 Calendar Photo Contest from Joanne Passero and Todd VIncent! Get Your entry in by AUgust 15th for your chance to win a calendar!

July 20th, 2018

Photo Credit Todd Vincent

Mid-Summer Lake Report

Sorry for the big gap in lake reports. I hadn’t been out in the boat enough until July to give you an accurate lake report.

TEMPERATURE

Water temperature is 81 degrees right now. On July 8th was the warmest reading I’d seen in quite a few years at 86 degrees. The cool nights recently have cooled the water to 81 degrees, which is still beautiful. Even at 20 feet deep, the water is still at 77 degrees.

NAVIGATION

In my opinion, the water is a perfect balance of beach and navigable waters. What I mean by this is there’s still plenty of water to get to Lakeside Tavern, Wally’s and Pirate’s Cove. Sport Island, I-Go Inn, Captain Naughties, Lanzi’s and Ponderosa Pines always have plenty of water throughout the season.

But you do have to start paying attention to your danger buoys. They are there for a reason.

The last couple of years with the high water you didn’t have to pay attention as much. But this year, with the water levels we’ve lost a couple of feet of depth since 4th of July weekend, you have to start paying attention.

Remember, we are about 5 feet lower than we were about this time last year.

As for Mosquito Bay (aka Stump Alley) I would suggest Pontoon boats from this point forward only go all the way through because there’s only 3-4 feet of water in the shallowest spots. V-bottom boats can still easily come from the Northampton side to pick out their favorite beaches.

Because of the water level, there’s plenty of great beaches now and places to stop. One that’s come up nicely is the sandbar from Northampton camp ground that runs south for a couple hundred yards.

Farther south by Scout Island the Trap Islands are out of the water and a couple of them are nice to pull up on but make sure you approach from the Broadalbin side. It will be like having your own private desert island.

And of course Sand Island has plenty of room because the island is much bigger due to the low water.

With so many other spots to go, there shouldn’t be as much pressure on Sand Island because there’s so many great spots to beach for the day.

The south side of Scout Island has very nice sandy beaches. (Just remember you need a permit to visit the island.)

Photo Credit Joanne Passero

FISHING

Fishing was great in late June. It tapered off a bit during the heat wave but this past week has been pretty steady. Walleye’s and Perch are biting the best. Small Mouth Bass have also been biting good since the beginning of summer. Trout seem to be hitting the best they have all season.

Growing up here, living through the years of no water by August, we’re doing pretty good for as hot and dry as the summer’s been.

Tip of the Week

Summer is short, so get out and enjoy!

This Weeks Photos are Great Entries in The Visit Sacandaga 2019 Calendar Photo Contest from Joanne Passero and Todd VIncent! Get Your entry in by AUgust 15th for your chance to win a calendar!

February 27th, 2018

Here is a mid-week lake report.

This one is going to be a little different, mostly pictures, so everybody can see for themselves how good the lake is. I have to admit, this is the second best I’ve seen the lake all season.

The only bad spot I’ve seen is off the point of Griffis Road to the Sandbar off of Scout Island.

If you’re taking a wheeled vehicle from Wally’s to Lakeside make sure to go over the Sandbar on the Scout Island side - do not stay on the ice between the Sandbar and Griffis Road. Snowmobiles will have to stay on the ice because it’s bare dirt and rocks over the Sandbar, but they can skip over the open water no problem.

The way to avoid any of this is stay to the Broadalbin side of Scout Island (aka the main channel) and you won’t have to worry whether you’re on a snowmobile or wheeled vehicle, you’ll be fine.

We’ve got 20”-23” of ice and we haven’t lost the shoreline.

They’re releasing the water out of the lake starting today, so the water will not rise anymore, which is perfect. It’s going to be a great weekend on the lake. And it’s going to be a full moon. Fishing: Mostly bass today.

Tip of the Week:

Watch out for tip-ups this weekend.

February 23rd, 2018

(Here’s the all important after the thaw lake report..)

Ice Report

The lake is actually in better shape than it was last week.
With the snow yesterday it's a little slushy but not bad at all.
The warm weather this week has melted the hard snow and flattened out the ruts.
There’s still 2’ of ice and the shorelines are fine.

As of 3pm on Friday the shore lines are fine, easy still driving on and off with wheeled vehicles pulling shanty’s. But there’s about 3” of snow so you can ride snowmobiles no problem, it’s just a little slushy.

There’s no new heaves, only the same ones we’ve had that run by Deer Island back to Lanzi’s and along the shore from Lanzi’s to Sunset Bay.

The water level is up about 1.5” but it will take another 2.5” to reck the ice on the shore, and this should not happen due to the cooler weather and the fact that they will be releasing more water starting tomorrow.

Fishing

has been above average, with 113 Walleye turned in last weekend (lot of them averaging between 19-21”.)
The Perch and Northern have been biting good and the Trout are coming on strong and have really picked up in size.
You can still access all your favorite bars and restaurants with no problem. The riding should be excellent tomorrow!

Tip of the Week:

If you’re out in a snowstorm at night, bring a compass.

February 15th, 2018

(This is Lou’s Lake Report as of Thursday afternoon.)

Ice Report:

The ice is good.
The shoreline is good.
The snow has settled down a lot. This means that there’s plenty of snow for snowmobiles, but 4-wheelers and side x sides can still make it around out there.

There is still 21”-24” of ice and most of the heaves have settled down except for those that run from Hudson River to Sunset Bay. But this is a large one, so you can see it really good and it mainly runs along the shoreline.

THE SNOW CONDITIONS:

With the warmer temperatures tonight, the snow conditions will change a little, but it’s supposed to cool down to noon Friday and get into the single digits friday night which should stiffen the snow up perfectly for all transportation types. The only downside will be it will be a very rough ride.

Photo by Paul Brady‎
via Great Sacandaga Lake Friends 

Fishing

Has slowed down considerably in the last few weeks, right now were in a mid-February lul, but the walleyes have been biting better for this time of year although their sizes are a bit on the small side.

However, we will a definitely know after Saturday.

The bigger Northerns have seemed to stop biting a bit, but the Perch are still running huge and abundant.

Tip of the Week

This week there’s two.

1.  If you’re debating on bringing your 4-wheeler or snowmobile to the Walleye Challenge, you can make it on either but a snowmobile will definitely get you to weigh stations easier and faster.
2.  You do not need a fishing license this weekend, whether you’re from out of state or in state. It’s NY State free fishing weekend!