Head North for Ice Fishing Options: Part I
Big hold-over brown trout are always a possibility at Slyvan Lake in Dutchess County. Some might even top 10 pounds. Outdootom.com photo.
It’s hard to believe it was more than a decade ago when ice fishing seemed to really be catching on across Long Island. Fueled by a couple of cold winters, improved gear and ice-fishing technology including ice fishing tents, super-sensitive ice rods, horizontal jigging lures, and portable underwater fish viewing systems that could confirm fish were present before anglers even wet their lines, hard water fans were actually outnumbering pond hockey players on some local lakes.
Then climate change began to get the upper hand along our coast, resulting in generally warmer winters in recent years. For a while we could still see a couple weekends of solid surfaces but quality ice measuring four inches or greater has been scarce to non-existant for the past few years along the coast.
The solution to finding good ice to fish through these days isn’t any great mystery: you have to take a drive up north. While some serious ice anglers have been doing that for years already, most who take it seriously are heading far upstate with some taking days-long trips to the Adirondacks, Vermont or even Maine. If you have the time, go for it, of course, but for those with just enough wiggle room in their schedules to a day trip - or maybe an overnighter – a visit to New York’s Hudson Valley area can be the short term answer.
With temperatures several degrees less on the overnight highs than we generally see at home, the odds are considerably greater of finding fishable ice if you head to upstate to Putnahm, Dutchess, Ulster or Sullivan counties. Many of the lakes in this region are vast by comparison to Long Island, where most freshwaters are measured in double-digit acrage. Even more enticing, the speices list is more varied and, in many cases, the typical size of fish caught through the ice tends to be larger than here on Long Island.
Following is a brief look at some productive and easily accessible ice fishing choices within a four-hour drive of Throggs Neck Bridge. Thanks the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, specifically Ryan Coulter, a Fisheries Biologest for DEC Regioin 3, Southeastern NY, covering Dutchess, West Chester, Putnahm, Ulster, Sullivan, Rockland and Orange counties, who helped us complie this list and added his insights about each specific location, and Bill Fonda and Aphrodite Montalvo from the DEC Region One Office of Communication Services in Stony Brook.
Many of the New York City reservoirs sport big pickrel like this one caught on Muscoot Reservoir by Anatoly Kapitonov. Look for the picks on shallow flats or along weedbeds that are close to shore. Outdootom.com photo.
Note that while each of the selections that follow in this post and Part 2 offer terrific action on some level, you’ll still need to some homework to ensure success. For starters, know that even the lakes this far north rarely stay frozen throughout the winter – and in warmer years some may not freeze at all – so a phone call to a local tackle shop is always a good idea before heading upstate to ensure there is fishable ice, gather recent reports, tips and insights, and see if live bait or recommended lures are available. As a rule, notes Coulter, Sullivan County offers the most dependable ice.
You can also find a surprising amount of ice fishing information on the DEC’s ice fishing web page, including popular ice fishing locations across New York State plus details on NYS ice fishing regulations and, most importantly, ice fishing safety.
Checking out some topo maps to get a feel for the access, depth, shoreline configuration and possible hot spots is smart, too. Once you arrive on the scene, begin your prospecting in areas where you spot other anglers – allowing sufficient buffers so as not to crowd those who are already set up. This should at least put you in the ballpark for action as you start to learn the lake.
Safe ice usually forms on these waters in January, and it can push into March in a chilly year. Consider the following locations to be solid starting points in your quest for ice fishing fun. They are listed from south to north as the osprey flies. Enjoy.
White Pond. Map Courtesy of NYS DEC.
White Pond, Putnam County, NY (140 acres)
Access: NYS DEC White Pond Multiple Use Area, 332-372 White Pond Rd,
Stormville, NY 12582
- Local Contact: Candlewood Bait and Tackle, Danbury, CT
https://candlewoodbait.com/; 203-734-2221
This lake offers plenty in the way of ice-fishing targetrs including largemouths, big chain pickerel, yellow perch, black crappie, rock bass, brown bullheads and assorted sunfish. “It’s a solid panfish lake and also stocked with walleye for an additional treat,” says Coulter, adding that the DEC access is really nice so you’ll have not trouble getting on the water.
The walleye here are stocked by the local sportsmans federation. Note that the current walleye regulations on this lake allow for a minimum length of 18” and a daily limit of three from May 1 through March 15.
Sylvan Lake. Map courtesy of NYS DEC.
Sylvan Lake, Dutchess County (112 acres)
Access: Dutchess County Sportsman Federation car-top boat launch (County Rt 10), Beekman, NY 12533.
- Local Contact: Keepin It Reel Bait & Tackle, Poughkeepsie, NY;
https://www.hudsonvalleybaitandtackle.com/; 845-214-0021
Coulter notes this as an interesting two-story lake with bluegills, perch, crappie and some bass in the shallows, plus some very healthy brown trout in deeper water. “It’s a good idea to target both the trout and warm water species here with tip-up,”he states. “Fish a little deeper for the trout than you might for bass and panfish,” he advises.
Another bowl-shaped honey hole with a maximum depth of 140 feet in the middle and mean depth of 65 feet, you’ll find 10- to 20-foot depths a solid zone for trout with the warm water species holding along the distinct weed edge that encircles the lake. The DEC stocks 1,700 browns here each spring. Some hold-over, with an occasional bruiser eventually topping 10 pounds.
Note that this is an exceptionally clear lake, it’s a good ideat to add fluorocarbon leaders to both your tip-ups and jigging setups when fishing here.
- Bryce Poyer
