Coming to NY for the 1st Time Middle of July, Where Should I Fish?

[jnaumuk]

A friend and I are coming to NY mid July on a fishing trip, we’ve both never been fishing in NY. Where should we go and where should we stay? Not necessarily looking for giants but really good fishing. I would prefer ramps that are close to good fishing grounds, I’d rather trailer than boat ride if I’m just fun fishing. Thanks in advance.

[WVTundra]

I’m not from NY, but we take trip to New York every July and we always just go to st Lawrence river. It’s pretty amazing. Plenty of good ramps close to great fishing. But like i said I’m not from NY, I just fish there 2 weeks a year…

[mflora98ss]

Oneida, Champlain, St. Lawrence, Cayuga, Erie, and Chautauqua are solid choices that time of year.

We have so many amazing bass fisheries in New York that it’s hard to choose one. I would probably lean towards one of the lakes that are more known for brown ones instead of green ones like St. Lawrence or Erie just because they are so much fun to fish for.

[ECobb91]

I’d say it depends on what you value most.

Option 1: Saranac Chain of Lakes
-If you want good fishing, but maybe not the biggest fish, and a great atmosphere, you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere that comes close to the Adirondack lakes. Specifically, the Saranac lake area. Lots of fishing opportunities where you can put the trolling motor down at the ramp and immediately catch fish. It’s the best scenery in the state imo and the fishing is fantastic. You can put in at upper Saranac lake in the town of Saranac Inn, then the next day give lower Saranac a try. Hop over to hopper lake and fish the rice fields.. outside of fishing, theres Lots to do around the area with Lake Placid close by especially if you’re into the Olympics or hiking. Great food choices in Saranac and lake placid.

option 2: Fair Haven/Little Sodus Bay.
-My parents had a seasonal place there from 2004-2010. Fantastic little town, true small town Americana feel to it especially in July. Fishing is amazing. If the wind blows, you can stay in the bay and fish for largemouth, panfish, pike, etc. if the lake is calm you can fish the main lake for smallmouth. Gives you the best of both worlds.. It’s small enough you can cover the entire bag

Champlain is another great option. Never fished it myself even though I live 2.5hrs away. But it’s known as the best lake in the state. Close to the ADKs so you still have that atmosphere too.

Oneida has great fishing, not the prettiest lake but a good area. I live 45min from there and my parents had a camp on the north shore from 2010-2016, right around when the gobies took off and the fishing slowed down. Since then, the bass fishing has really improved and Oneida has turned into a mini Lake Ontario for smallmouth.

1000 islands is a fantastic fishery, but the pros make it much easier than it looks. For a “typical” day of fishing, take a look at BFL results for middle of the pack. 15lbs a day is typical; single day club events with practice or FFS That’s not to discourage you, because that can happen anywhere, but more so to set expectations. The river is very busy that time of year. Big enough to spread out but you’d still need to drive around to find the fish too.

Then there’s the “Fish Tour de New York”… start in Ticonderoga for a day and then to Plattsburgh for Champlain, then over to Saranac chain of lakes (the Saranac lakes mentioned above), then over to Clayton for the 1000 islands, down to Henderson for Lake Ontario round 2, down to Oneida lake, then head east to Cayuga, and follow it south to head back home to 81 in PA.

whatever you do, if you decide to fish in the central/eastern part of the state, take the longer route to bypass Baltimore, Philly, NJ, and NYC traffic. Take 95 through VA, then take 270 (VA/MD), to 76 (Pa), to 81 (PA) to 88 (NY) then to 87 (NY). It’s says it’s 1.5hrs more, but you’ll make up that time by avoiding gridlock heavy traffic of those super metro areas.

[jnaumuk]

Wow, thank you for your time, much appreciated.

[DROUTLAW]

Black Lake!!

[jerzia]

Black Lake!!

Black is my favorite by far for many reasons, but not a great numbers lake. BUT it’s location is really good to fish the St Lawrence as well. Ogdensburg is at the North end, though not accessible by water. Chippawa Bay is 10 minutes away, Clayton and Cape Vincent, Lake Ontario, 30-40 minutes, Oneida, 2 hrs. https://blacklakeny.com/ Something else you might consider is doing a day or two with a guide. Bill is the real deal! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BE...ibextid=wwXIfr