Kevin J Legg

Krings access is blocked beyond the launch. Not many people fishing it but there are some fishing in Goose Bay. Perch, bluegills and crappies are at LOTI but are spotty. I'm getting about a quarter pail in a morning of fishing. I tried Chippewa on Monday and nothing but dinks but a friend got some there on Sat. This morning the bite was an early one for me fishing perch and crappie and slowed after 9:30.

I've caught them in Milsite. I used 4 lb mono with a couple small gold hooks and a smallish Sweedish pimple to get to the bottom. Put a spike on the hooks for bait and use a light tip jip pole to see bites. I was fishing deep around 60-70'. Since I know the lake I knew where deep spots were and drilled numerous holes until I hit fish. Once found I fished two jigpoles and had decent action (guess I caught about 30) I haven't try it there in a few years but you're sparking my interest in trying. A graph would make it easier to find them but I was fishing blind but I am pretty familiar qith the lake structure.

Sk8man, I guess if variety is the spice of life than mine is pretty spicy. I certainly do enjoy the area where I live abd have a great deal to be thankful for. I fished Chippewa Bay today and got nothing but dinks, Drove my wheeler all over looking for perch but couldn't find them. Kring's Point access is not good due to dredging at the ramp. Can't get out to the end as road is blocked. I guess you could get on with a wheeler or from Goose Bay. May try Loti again in the morning. Need to find a good perch bite.

Perch seem to be starting to move into the shallower water in prepartion for the spring spawn. Most traditional spots have been late this winter but with longer days and warmer weather things will only improve. I'm planning on checking out Kring's Point, Eel Bay,Chippewa Bay, and Chamount. I caught some at LOTI last week and a friend got some at Chippewa yesterday. I plan on hitting the ice a lot this week. With the thickness of the ice we should have a prolonged spring ice opprotunity as long as the thawing shoreline makes access possible. Be careful near ramps as they are often the first place to break up. I'm sure we will hear of a vehicle going through as the thickness of the ice may give people false confidence. It's always a good idea to check the ice as it can go in a hurry. I was catching them from my boat at this time a couple years ago!

Not much available for hotels this time of year but Watertown isn't really too far. I just called Chamount Hardware and they thought the ice was mostly clear with some drifting. They are a good source for bait and fishing information and are located right on the main drag of Chamount.

With the storm we're getting right now it will likely mess up the ice access for a while. That being said there's plenty of ice and I don't see it going away. I like putting a Castmaster or Swedish pimple on the bottom for weight and attraction and two hooks above it. Bait all three with fatheads and work it near the bottom. Keep moving around till you hit a hot hole and then drill a second hole and work two rods. Set rods on a pail or in holders and watch the tips for bites giving them a jig peridocally. When fish are there you can really hammer them using two rods each with 3 baits. When in the search mode give each hole about 15 minutes before moving as sometimes it takes a while for them to move in. Also look for groups of fisherman that may indicate a hot area but be considerate and don't crowd them. The bite should only get better as day length continues to increase. Perch bite is just getting started.

Just wondering if anyone targets bullhead through the ice. I was fishing crappies after dark with a lantern tonight and caught one and lost two at the hole. I've caught as many as 7 in an afternoon while fishing crappies with jigs tipped with spikes and it's not unusual to catch them this time of year. Thought I might try using tipups with worms, shrimp or several spikes some evening soon. They are great eating from the cold water.

I also heard Mud Bay was tough. 6' of slush below the ice has some pushing PVC pipe through the holes and skimming slush out just to be able to fish. I will likely hit Chamount Friday or Saturday. My wife is going to be away for a couple weeks so I will be spending a lot of time on the ice.

A couple weeks of walleye season left. I'd like to get out on either Ogdensburg, Mud Bay or Chamount before closing. Hard to believe we were fishing open water near Mud Bay right before closing a couple years back. I'm also looking forward to hitting the perch when they turn on. I like to freeze up a mess of them and let the hog walleyes go.

I made a run to Quinte when my buddy Landshark let me know the bite was on ( he caught 8 good fish Tuesday afternoon).. We fished last night and it was slow, a couple small fish. This morning I managed to catch 4 small 16" fish and one 24". I also lost a decent one at the hole and Grizz lost a good fish. Not what we were hoping for as season closes there on Sat. Grizz says the bite has been on and off all winter.

Lot's of NY State Parks and Canadian Provincial Parks are available and have dockage. Communities with dockage are Kingston. Gananoque, Rock Port, on Canadian side, Cape Vincent, Clayton, Alexandria Bay on US side. You can also visit Rock Island Light House near Fishers Landing which has opened fairly recently. Lots of paces to launch a boat in State Parks and villages as well as some marinas.

I agree with Nessmuk, Also, Singer Castle down river from Alex. Bay is worth seeing. A trip to the Lake of the Isles and through the International Rift is a nice area to explore. Also remember, you need to report in to Customs if you land or even anchor in Canadian waters (passport or enhanced ID required for all on board). Generally it's ok to cross the boarder via water, if simple sightseeing.

I have frequently fished Millsiite for lakers and have done fairly well long-lining j11 rebels/ rapalas or similar sticjkbait. I often catch them near the surface in 60-70 fow over no apparent structure. I believe the smelt move upward toward the evening and the lakers follow. I have experimented with side planners and down riggers but I have had my best results simply using long-lines. For some reason stickbaits have been much better for me than spoons. Over the years things have changed somewhat as smelt have taken over and cisco numbers seem to have decreased. Keep an eye out for surface activity and if you see a fish swirl, troll over toward it. I've also been fairly successful using jigging spoons in the depths latter in the year. I've caught lakers over 13 lbs., and a brown or LL about 7 lbs., and saw a rainbow caught about 7 lbs. taken. That said I haven't fished it in a few years as I've been running to Lake Ontario to fish spring browns, even though it's much farther than my 10 minute drive to Millsite. A good day on the big lake is 20+ browns where a good day on Millsite is 2-3 fish but it is a peaceful, quiet, small lake experience. Also, on the small lakes, I'm limited to using my Gheenoe with a 6 hp rather than my Lund which is much better equipped.