Decent Short Hike, Ice Fishing Location

[Bagadeez04]

Hi everyone. I've done some winter camping/backpacking in my day, but have never incorporated ice fishing.

I'd like to try this out, by pulling a small sled to a camp site /lean to about 5 miles or less with a couple of friends. This would be in early February. I'm not familiar with good ice fishing locations, and ice thickness of various lakes and ponds.


Could anyone help me out with some decent locations for such an excursion? Something that isn't too crowded preferably, but would fit this description.

[Buckladd]

I doubt you'll convince anyone to give away backcountry fishing spots. Many trout waters are also closed during ice fishing season. That said, here are some links that will help you do some research and find a pond that has the species you want to fish for and the type of hike you seek to get there.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7749.html
http://www.eregulations.com/newyork/fishing/

[Ryan Ball]

I think the biggest thing you have to keep an eye on is if they have trout, most backwoods ponds do and are off limits to ice fishing. There are ponds near by those that have bass and pike but i know for instance the st regis canoe area no minnows allowed. Will have to do your research on the species present and if bait is allowed or not.

[ADKpikebuster]

I always thought it would be fun to stay on deadcreek flow on cranberry and fish stay in the Janacks landing leanto, that’s about a 3 mile hike, that’s all that comes to my mind though

[EagleCrag]

I would think Indian Lake would be another possible destination. You could leave the boat launch on the southern end of the lake and hike to one of the campsites on the Eastern shore. I've never done that, but there are others on the forum who have. Perhaps they will chime in.

[Banoe]

Originally Posted by ADKpikebuster

I always thought it would be fun to stay on deadcreek flow on cranberry and fish stay in the Janacks landing leanto, that’s about a 3 mile hike, that’s all that comes to my mind though

I saw two guys camping and fishing there two years ago don't know if they caught any fish but it looked like they were having a good time.

I went to Middle Saranack and tent camped on one of the sites a few years ago in early March caught a couple of pike and perch.

[Buckladd]

I'm not sure if you can legally camp on the Lake George islands or not, but there are some spots along the shore, and there is some good fishing too; especially if you have the gear for lake trout. It looks like "The King" will freeze this year!

[ADKpikebuster]

Originally Posted by Banoe

I saw two guys camping and fishing there two years ago don't know if they caught any fish but it looked like they were having a good time.

I went to Middle Saranack and tent camped on one of the sites a few years ago in early March caught a couple of pike and perch.

I’ve fished dead creek a few times on the ice and have had decent luck with pike I’ve caught 30 inch and bigger all of the times I’ve gone , the hardest part is keeping those fish out of the stumps and debris, the flow is really shallow, also its a pain to get out there unless you have a sled even then I’ve seen that lake in the most miserable slush conditions, that’s why I think I’ve a guy wanted to hike the trail to the bay before janacks landing and hit the ice there he could do alright, then again it sounds like a lot of exercise

[Bagadeez04]

Originally Posted by Buckladd

I doubt you'll convince anyone to give away backcountry fishing spots. Many trout waters are also closed during ice fishing season. That said, here are some links that will help you do some research and find a pond that has the species you want to fish for and the type of hike you seek to get there.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7749.html
http://www.eregulations.com/newyork/fishing/

Not looking for any super secret backcountry fishing spots. Just a little advice for a beginner. Ill check out these links thanks Buckladd!

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[Bagadeez04]

Originally Posted by Banoe

I saw two guys camping and fishing there two years ago don't know if they caught any fish but it looked like they were having a good time.

I went to Middle Saranack and tent camped on one of the sites a few years ago in early March caught a couple of pike and perch.

Ill check these out on maps. I've wanted to do some of the cranberry trails but haven't been out there yet. Maybe this is the opportunity to do that. Thanks

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[Bagadeez04]

Originally Posted by ADKpikebuster

I’ve fished dead creek a few times on the ice and have had decent luck with pike I’ve caught 30 inch and bigger all of the times I’ve gone , the hardest part is keeping those fish out of the stumps and debris, the flow is really shallow, also its a pain to get out there unless you have a sled even then I’ve seen that lake in the most miserable slush conditions, that’s why I think I’ve a guy wanted to hike the trail to the bay before janacks landing and hit the ice there he could do alright, then again it sounds like a lot of exercise

Is the trail in from Wanakena suitable to pull a sled? Would think one could cut across the water to lean- to once make it to that point?

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[MoodyBlues]

check out Goodluck Lake near Arietta. several campsites, all less than a mile in, lots of fish.

[Banoe]

The trail in from Wanakena to Janacks is pretty flat. The guys I saw were pulling two jet sleds one with fire wood in it. Snow was kind of low that day so I don't think it was that hard to do. There are some camp sites further down Dead Creek Flow that might be better for camping/fishing as they would be closer to the water of course you would need a tent for that.

[Bagadeez04]

Is there a good amount of snowmobile traffic on Cranberry Lake?