Mary Island State Park,Alexandria Bay

Mary Island State Park St.Lawrence river
If you need to get away and camp then I would suggest Mary Island in upstate New York .I have camped there many times.
Mary Island State Park is located across from Alexandria Bay New York.You can only get to the camp sites by boat. The camp sites are primitive with no running water or electric.This makes it great to get back to nature.Mary Island is beautiful and secluded even though Alexandria bay is just a mile away across the St.Lawrence river,with plenty of stores and restaurants.
You need to take plenty of light weight camping gear a tent, a sleeping bag, a cooler with ice and dining utensils along with food and water to get you set up to camp.There are bathrooms but make sure to take along plenty of toilet paper.I like to set camp on the high point just off the docks on the north side of the island the sunsets are breathtaking.After you set up your tents make sure to keep all food in a chest or inside the tents.The squirrels just love to get into the food if your away.This happened to us on one occasion and the little critters ate all are food.

St. Lawrence Seaway

Lower-than-normal water levels in the Montreal area of the St. Lawrence Seaway are forcing oceangoing container ships to lighten their loads, exacerbating an already tight capacity situation, the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association said in a notice to members this wee
The low water levels, a result of a light winter snowfall and a dry spring in the Quebec region, prompted the U.S. and Canadian management agencies to lower the maximum draft for oceangoing ships on the waterway by 3 inches, to 26 feet, 3 inches, effective May 7.
Hapag-Lloyd notified the CIFFA this week that it was “revising its vessel capacities accordingly, and regrets that this may lead to some inconvenience” for customers. It said it was “investigating alternative routings.”

Thousand Islands Winery

The Thousand Islands Winery is located in the Heart of the Thousand Islands Region and is the most northern farm winery in New York State. The Thousand Islands Winery is located on a historic 28 acre farm. The farm was established in 1881 and the Winery began its operations in 2003. Come to the Winery to experience our world class wines and North Country hospitality. Free wine tastings and winery tours are offered every day year round.

The Thousand Islands region

The Thousand Islands region is a watery venue of rocky, forested islands straddling two nations and marking the beginning of the storied St. Lawrence River as it leaves Lake Ontario to flow hundreds of miles northeast into the Atlantic Ocean in eastern Quebec.
Some of the Thousand Islands – officially they number 1,864 – are mere rocks with a couple of trees, too small for habitation, though some hold a single cabin. Others are large enough for many cottages, and busy Wellesley Island contains a Victorian village, several state parks, a golf resort and hundreds of summer homes. The largest, Ontario's charming Wolfe Island, supports a year-round farming population of nearly 1,500.

St. Lawrence River Water levels

Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, according to a letter addressed Thursday to IJC's U.S. Section chairwoman, Irene B. Brooks.
"Currently, water levels at Ogdensburg and Alexandria Bay are more than 21 inches lower than previous years' levels. "There is a growing likelihood of fairly low water levels this summer, and these below-average levels are already negatively impacting local businesses."

Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York

Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York deserves its name. Each of the long, slender bodies of water forms a striking resemblance to the fingers of a hand. Depending upon who you ask, however, the story of how the lakes came into existence can be as varied as the lakes themselves.

The smallmouth fishing is good but under utilized throughout the Finger Lakes system. Catches can average better than two pounds per bass, which is good smallmouth fishing even in the most famous smallmouth fisheries around the country. Finger Lakes offering this action include Owasco, Seneca, Keuka, Canandaigua, Honeoye, Canadice, Hemlock and Conesus. Three others, Skaneatles, Cayuga and Otisco, are not open for bass fishing during the winter season.The eight Finger Lakes open for winter bass fishing (Owasco, Seneca, Keuka, Canandaigua, Honeoye, Canadice, Hemlock and Conesus) are located in upstate New York, just west of Route 81

Catfish blood bait

Catfishermen have long made or bought blood baits to tempt persnickety fish. Almost any mammal or bird blood will work, but most anglers use chicken or beef blood obtained from meat processing plants.
To make your own blood bait, pour half an inch of blood in a shallow pan, then refrigerate or pack in cracked ice until the blood coagulates. The thickened blood is then cut into chunks and stored in a suitable container. When needed, a piece is pinched off and threaded on a hook.
Blood attracts cats quickly over long distances. Blood also keeps indefinitely when frozen. Bait can be thawed and refrozen as needed. Blood bait's most serious drawback is poor "hook ability" it won't stay on a hook very well. Try wrapping the blood bait in a small square of nylon stocking, pull the four corners together, then thread the hook through the corners, leaving the point uncovered.

Sutton readily acknowledges that other baits are effective on channel catfish. "If you're catching catfish on a bait not discussed here, stick with it. But when other baits fail to produce, give fish, blood bait, nightcrawlers and catalpa worms a try."Catfishermen Click Here!

Northern pike Walleye Fishing St.Lawrence River

Spawning habitat for northern pike in the St.Lawrence river, primarily shallow wetlands, have been depleted because of changing water levels following the construction of various dams along the river.Northern Pike/Walleye
Northern pike fishing can be enjoyed almost year-round. In winter, ice fishermen take good catches from bays near Cape Vincent, Clayton, Wellesley Island, Alexandria Bay, Wheat house Bay (downstream from Ogdensburg) and Coles Creek using tip-ups with large minnows. During spring, shallow weedy bays and shoals are places where northern pike anglers do well. As a rule, bays that provided action for ice fishermen will do the same for open water anglers. In addition to those areas already mentioned, the Bays of Grindstone Island, Grasse Point, Goose Bay and off Oak Point are also good spots during spring and summer. Trolling or casting with live bait (especially minnows and shiners), large spoons and large plugs as well as jigging with black or yellow jigs will bring in good catches.


Zebra mussels have helped change the water quality of the river, resulting in clearer water, while removing vital nutrients, as well as the smaller organisms that fish consume.

Bass Attack

Bass Attack
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WELLESLEY ISLAND

Across the Thousand Islands bridge to Wellesley Island from Alexandria Bay, anglers will find a number of popular places for northern pike this month.
Eel Bay and Lake of the Isles are two public areas where anglers can go from the boat launch straight to decent fishing conditions. These waters are shallow with a sandy bottom and hold good quantities of perch and sunfish, which lure pike to the areas.
Eel Bay is off the bridge near the state boat launch. Lake of the Isles is near the Minna-Anthony Nature Center on the island.

Bill Dance's Complete Bass Fishing Course

Bill Dance's Complete Bass Fishing Course You'll learn Bill’s best Techniques that Have Earned him the national Bass Fishing Recognition he has had for Over 35 YEARS!"Complete Video bass fishing course from Bill Dance.There are lots fishing tips that are floating around with special emphasis on catching bass. One of the most important tips however (not only for bass fishing but for any other species) is that the fisherman has to be extremely familiar with the fish he/she wants to catch. If you are fishing for bass, you should know where they live, what they eat, where they like to frequent and why, how to locate them in the morning and at night, and the best way to attract them.Bill Dance Bass Fishing Course

Fishing for muskie in the St.Lawrence river off Clayton New York

Fishing for muskie in the St.Lawrence river off Clayton New York. There are public boat ramps to launce your boat. If you are not familiar with the area for musky fishing I would suggest you hire a experienced musky fishing guide. May 2 is the opening day for musky fishing but the best fishing is in the fall going into winter. It can be very cold on the St.Lawrence river fishing for musky so dress warm. More fishing for muskies include the down stream sides of any of the deep water shoals off the islands between Cape Vincent and Clayton.


I like to drift the deep water shoals of Clayton using a heavy fishing rig baitcasting tackle spooled with 30-pound test line or stronger and a wire leader,muskie can bite through regular fishing line. If you can find them at the local bait store a 6 to 10 inch sucker hook through the mouth is a great musky killer. I like to use a 1/2 ounce sinker placed about 3 feet above the hook to let the sucker swim around. Using a fish finder find the shoals that are next to deep water the muskies lay along the rock shoals and feed on bait fish like a sucker. Trolling a large sucker bait is also good for muskie anglers because you can cover more water and increase the chances of a strike from a muskie. Practice catch and release.

How to care for your fishing lures and baits

Fishing lures in general do not require much care when storing them in a home or shop or a good tackle box. The best way is to put them into cabinet drawers or individual boxes so that they can be found and stay dry. In humid climates or near the seashore it is important not to expose the metal parts to the air,otherwise, hooks will rust and other metals will corrode from the salt air.

You should keep fishing lures that have feathers or hair they should be kept in airtight containers so that moths and other insects or small animals will not get to them. This also applies to new fishing lures that haven't yet been used. Lures which have been used require proper care if you want to get the maximum use from them when you go fishing. Freshwater fishing lures will require less care and repair than saltwater lures.
In general, when examining any fishing lure you have made or bought it's a wise policy to repair it if you are the least bit doubtful about its condition for a good presentation to fish. Repairing usually means sandpapering the part of the lure body that is slightly chipped and touching up with a small brush, using enamels or lacquers.

You should replace the hooks with new ones if they are badly rusted. When doing this it is important to use the same size and weight as the old ones so that the action of the fishing lure is not changed in any way. If the damage is great and the lure cannot be repaired, throw it away after salvaging any usable parts.

Lake of the Isles St. Lawrence River

Lake of the Isles on the St. Lawrence River is one of the largest coastal bay inland water attached to the St. Lawrence River. This water is
very unique in the river area because of its limited connection to the St. Lawrence River, creating a unique sheltered and productive fishing area. This is a great area for boating and fishing.

First you need to travel to upstate New York to Alexandria bay. The lake of the Isles is a short boat trip across from Alex bay. You will find that
Lake of the Isles St. Lawrence River has outstanding bass fishing for locals and traveling bass fishinermen. You should fish the large beds of lily pads and weed banks. The area is out of the strong winds that blow up the waves and make it tough to fish for bass. Move along the shoreline areas there are many down trees and tree limbs, which creates great fishing for catching largemouth bass.

Singer Castle St.Lawrence river

We took a tour boat from Uncle Sam's Boat Tours, in Alexandria Bay New York.The tour boat ride lasted 2 1/2 hours on the St.Lawrence river and was a spectacular ride enjoying the views of the 1000 islands in the St.Lawrence river. We visited Singer Castle, previously known as Jorstadt Castle, on the St. Lawrence river in the Thousand Islands.Singer Castle on Dark Island, is located on the St. Lawrence Seaway


Singer castleWhen we pull up to the dock there is a gift shop and Singer Castle Guides forming groups for to take you around. You walk up a fairly steep incline to these gigantic medieval wooden doors passage ways and guest quarters. The great room has a large rock fireplace, grey rock and granite walls, with real suits of armor in the corners,mirrors place on the end walls make the room look twice its size.

Singer Castle 's has a huge medieval entrance with Knights of Armor in a great room with a granite and marble fireplace. A small and beautiful staircase leads up to the dining rooms and servant areas with large windows frames with breathtaking views of the St. Lawrence River .You can see the St.Lawrence Seaway and the grounds from these windows.