North Waters Offer Winter Trout Opportunities
By: Mike Seymour
State of New York
Published: February 22, 2010
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Ice anglers looking for a change from the traditional pike and panfish outings might want to try a trout-holding water before the winter season winds down. The same gear used for pike and panfish can easily be transformed into trout-catching rigs. Simply add a 6-foot leader of monofilament line to your tip-ups, and downsize your hooks to make the rigs ready for browns, rainbows, lakers, and landlocked salmon. Since winter-caught trout vary in size from 10-30 inches, anglers might want to beef up any ultra-light lines on panfish jigging rods.
Among the many north waters that offer winter opportunities for trout are Lake Colby in Franklin County, Lake of the Woods in Jefferson County, Lake Bonaparte in Lewis County, and Lake Ozonia in St. Lawrence County. Since special regulations are in effect for each of these waters, anglers should consult the special regulations section of the current Regulations Guide prior to fishing.
Lake Colby
Lake Colby is popular among ice anglers because of good access and an abundance of trout and salmon. Located just north of the village of Saranac Lake, this 30-acre water is accessible at the DEC boat launch off Rte. 86. Browns, rainbows, and landlocked salmon are stocked in Colby. Typically, annual stockings consist of nearly 3,000 browns; 3,400 yearling rainbows; and 15-50 brood stock salmon measuring 23 inches. In mid-winter, rainbow trout move constantly in search of food, but they show a preference for shallow water. Brown trout favor fairly deep water so sloping drop-offs are worth checking out. Landlocks can be found in a variety of water depths, but they often feed just under the ice so work your baits and jigs accordingly.
Lake of the Woods
This Indian River lake is best known for its big lake trout. The average angler-catch weighs 4-5 pounds, and 10-pounders fin the waters here. Lake of the Woods has an abundance of fresh-water shrimp that provide ample feed and account for the excellent growth rates of its trout. The bad news for anglers, though, is this plentiful food source makes it challenging to catch fish. Traditional wisdom calls for anglers to work their baits and jigs near the bottom in the vicinity of structural edges when pursuing lakers. On Lake of the Woods, however, anglers should also experiment with various depths because the lake trout here commonly feed on suspended shrimp. In addition to the traditional stocking of lake trout, the lake has also been stocked with landlocked salmon in past years. Covering 166 acres, Lake of the Woods is accessible via a DEC launch site. To reach the lake, take the Cottage Hill Road off State Rte. 37 just south of Redwood, and then turn on the Burns Road where a DEC sign identifies public access.
Lake Bonaparte
Named after Napoleon’s older brother who sought refuge there, Lake Bonaparte holds both brown and lake trout. Ice-caught browns in the 4- to 6-pound range are common, and fish weighing 10-15 pounds are a possibility. Bonaparte sees an annual stocking of nearly three thousand brown trout and approximately two thousand lake trout. The lake attracts ice anglers because of abundant trout numbers, solid ice conditions, drive-on access, and plenty of room to fish. Among the best spots on the 1,280-acre lake are island drop-offs, mainland points, mid-lake shoals, and the outer edges of bays, particularly sandy-bottomed ones. Look for lake trout near bottom, but set live minnows and work jigging spoons at various depths from the bottom when targeting browns. Located near Harrisville, anglers will find public access by taking the North Shore Road off State Route 3 or 812, and following it to the DEC boat launch at Hitchcock Bay.
Lake Ozonia
Lake Ozonia was first opened to ice anglers in 1997. This three-mile long lake is located on the Lake Ozoniza Road half way between Hopkinton and St. Regis Falls. Anglers access the ice via a DEC hand launch at the lake’s northwest corner. Annual stockings typically consist of rainbow trout and splake although 1,000 landlocked salmon were placed here in 2007. Over 2,800 rainbows were stocked in Lake Ozonia last spring while the lake saw a stocking of more than 4,200 rainbows in 2008. Nearly 3,000 splake were also stocked here in 2008. No matter which species an ice angler seeks, though, the best action occurs along contours especially those near points. A portable depth finder can facilitate the identification of fish-holding contours where anglers suspend live minnows on tip-ups or work small jigging spoons. Jigging is generally the more productive technique on Ozonia, a lake whose abundance of natural feed and high density of yellow perch make catching trout a challenge.
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