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.