ST. LAWRENCE RIVER VALLEY - OGDENSBURG - MASSENA

St. Lawrence is the largest County in the state, area wise, and has all the fish and game to offer that any one could ever want. When I think of St.  Lawrence County, I tend to divide it into different categories or zones. If I want to do some bass, pike, walleye, or musky angling, I drift toward the eastern section of the county to such places as The St. Lawrence River itself, or to some of the smaller waters in this area, such as the many inland lakes. Indian River Lakes are a sure bet, with Black Lake the only of these to harbor musky.  Or the many rivers that essentially feed the St. Lawrence River. Of these, my choices would be The Oswegatchie, St. Regis, and Grass River’s; again, more in the eastern portion of the county where all of the above listed game fish can be found. This section is basically the St. Lawrence River Valley. A hot tip?

As of late May they are still pounding the walleye from boat and shore in The Oswegatchie River at and upstream from the rivers’ end where it flows into The St. Lawrence River. Rapalas and minnows are the ticket here. Shhh... In this area, visit Hank Bouchard of St. Lawrence Sports on Ford St. in Ogdensburg. He can and will outfit all your angling and hunting needs and he has a lifetime knowledge of the entire county to help steer the visitor in the right direction.

The western and northern section of the county is the North-Western Adirondack mountains in NY State and I tend to think of trout fishing in this area.  There are many lakes, ponds, rivers and streams alike to fish here for brookies, rainbows, browns and even landlocked salmon. Cranberry Lake and surrounding waters are prevalent with these trout, but not the salmon. The lake itself is currently being stocked heavily with trout, but is also a great place to catch trophy smallmouth bass and pike For these and the landlocked salmon, try further north and east into Hamilton, Herkimer, and Franklin Counties where such renowned places as The Fulton Chain Lakes, The Ausable River, and Long and Tupper Lake are the hot spots. Most of these waters harbor bass, walleye, and pike in addition to the trout and salmon with the exception of The Ausable which is famed primarily for it’s trout angling. This year The Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce is pushing for a B.A.S.S. tournament and the NY Fish & Game Monthly is currently working on becoming a sponsor for the event. Keep your eyes open for this one.  In the Cranberry Lake area, the sure bet for outfitting is The Emporium on Cranberry’s NYS Rt. 3 where Bill LaFrance has tackle, bait, gear, rentals, and even boat taxis to take you anywhere you want to be on the lake. Located in the same building is a local guide that can produce what the angler is searching for. This is one of my favorite areas and it is the heart of the adirondacks. 

CJ