The Thousand Islands

 

first Saturday in May

The seasons for the four fish species officially begin each year on the first Saturday in May. The state-wide fishing regulations for each species follow, but keep in mind there are differences on certain waterways:

*Walleye – The state-wide regulation notes the daily catch limit is five fish, each with a minimum size per fish of 15 inches. However, on Lake Champlain and the Finger Lakes (with the exception of Honeoeye Lake), for example, rules call for a maximum daily take of three fish with a minimum length of 18 inches each. On Oneida Lake, it’s three fish, 15 inches. Check the DEC fishing guide before getting out to make sure you are aware of the rules on the waterway you plan to fish.

*Northern pike: The state-wide regulation notes the daily catch limit is five fish, each with a minimum size per fish of 18 inches. However, on Lake Champlain the daily catch limit is five but the minimum size is 20 inches, and it’s 22 inches on Lakes Erie and Ontario and their tributaries, along with on the Finger Lakes, the Seneca River and Cross Lake in Cayuga County. On the St. Lawrence River and tributaries downstream of Tibbetts Point), though, it’s only three fish with a 22-inch size limit. Once again, check the DEC fishing guide before heading out.

*Pickerel: The state-wide regulation notes the daily catch limit is five fish, each with a minimum size per fish of 15 inches.

*Tiger muskie: The state-wide regulation notes the daily catch limit is one fish, with a minimum size of 30 inches. The minimum size is 36 inches on Otisco Lake (the eastern-most Finger Lake); 54 inches on Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River and all their tributaries -- and 40 inches on the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers. It can’t be stressed enough. Check the DEC fishing guide before heading out.

bass-holding structure

The winding St. Lawrence River leads to the massive expanses of Lake Ontario, but on the way, it literally passes the “Thousand Islands,” an endless smorgasbord of bass-holding structure made better by the river’s heavy currents. There are backwater largemouths, too, but they play a secondary role to the bronzebacks that can be caught from dirt-shallow down into the depths.

The St. Lawrence River

“The excellent largemouth bass fishing on this picturesque body of water is often over-looked due to the trophy smallmouth that abound here,” the magazine said.The St. Lawrence River (Thousand Islands) is listed as the nation’s top bass fishing spot in the country by Bassmaster Magazine in its July/August issue.
And one other Upstate New York waterway – Lake Erie (the New York side) -- was listed as the 10th best. The rankings were part of the magazine’s annual, “What Are the Best Lakes in the Nation?” article.
The excellent smallmouth bass fishing on the St. Lawrence earned it the number one spot, the magazine said. The same reason was given for Lake Erie making the Top 10 list.

Northern pike

Consider that you can catch muskellunge, northern pike, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, catfish, and panfish. Northern pike remain one of the prize sport fish. Changing conditions on the river usually mean that the pike are in deeper water and more widely scattered than in past years, but when you hook one you will agree that they are worth the effort.
Smallmouth bass are always one of the most exciting fish to catch. The myriad granite structures and river currents provide great habitat. Current cold water conditions mean that bass probably will not have spawned by the season opener. However, there should be a lot to look forward to in the weeks ahead. Clearer water means that you will probably use deep water tactics like jigging or live bait for much of the summer, but smallmouth are great sport no matter what technique you use.

18-pound, 2-ounce walleye caught this month on the St. Lawrence River

The walleye are also structure-oriented. In lakes like Saratoga, fish the edges of contour or channel breaks and weed line edges. Also try to find underground humps and rocky rip-rap, and when found, mark them. Those that I talked to said usually during the summer it is good to “run and gun.”
As for bait, they proffered 4-inch minnows, but the majority of walleye anglers are using June Bug spinners with night crawlers. Now there are equally as many that like to use a lead-headed jig with a plastic grub. I suggest you try them both.
Good luck when you catch the big one let me know, especially if you beat the current NYS Freshwater 18-pound, 2-ounce walleye caught this month on the St. Lawrence River.