SARATOGA LAKE BS THREAD

[icecicle eddie]

checked saratoga today no ice north end  south end locked up thin ice   fish creek locked up from state launch to down stream won't be long

[TheWasp74]

Thanks for the info! Yeah the long range forecast is looking good. Hopefully we don’t get pummeled with snow Friday.

[buz23]

Three brave souls out today, one in Fish Creek, one off Fitch, and one between Brown's and Snake Hill.  There's lots of open water still.

[TheWasp74]

There was a lot of open water last Friday, like 90% of the lake. While yes it has gotten cold but hasn't been long enough. I get it that people are itching to get out myself included. No fish is worth a dip or even worse. Be careful out there fellas!

[fishinjohn]

Shes gotta be getting close now fellas

[Not Clyde Frog]

Saw a couple of guys out in front of waterfront park yesterday with a shanty. Any idea on how much ice is out there right now?

[bwlin13]

Went around lake yesterday a few guys off Fitch and state lunch southern side of lake looked rough lots of open water and lots of pockets of open water walked off browns and had 2 in 30 yards out in 4 ft of water and did not go any further think another solid week for off browns

[hardwaterhonkey]

Passed the lake Sunday the 9th maybe most of the lake was wind blown and open econ officer told me he seen one guy out in the morning n he was waiting around for a call to save him, haven’t had eyes on the lake in a few days cold week but he safe this weekend if fishing

[BlackWoodsman]

any update on Saratoga lake?

[huntdeertk]

drove by 1/2 doz people out at browns, few up on fish creek, looked like some in mannings cove, there is a saratoga/round lake post on conditions page with more info  https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=13732.30 if that helps

[ActiveTrapChecker]

Saratoga is fishable. Few dozen people out yesterday before the storm. Only 5 groups were brave enough to Cora’s the huge pressure crack about 500 yards out or so.

Fishing was slow on tip ups and jigginfg

[jflood]

Any ice thickness reports from this past weekend? Thanks

[ActiveTrapChecker]

5-6” off Browns yesterday. Pressure cracks everywhere.

[iceangler442]

My friends went out on Saturday had 5-6 inches walked out to the left it started to get sketchy with spotty ice 2 inches in some spots. Becareful! Do not trust ice reports 100 percent. Always spud!

[BlackWoodsman]

Went out on the lake tonight and the wind was horrible! I bought a brand new Outsunny popup, and that thing blew all over the place. It’s on the cheap side, so I should’ve known it would just fold and blow over  . I saw other people fishing just fine. You think it’s my cheap pop up? Or is there something else I’m missing?

[hardwaterhonkey]

Went out on the lake tonight and the wind was horrible! I bought a brand new Outsunny popup, and that thing blew all over the place. It’s on the cheap side, so I should’ve known it would just fold and blow over  . I saw other people fishing just fine. You think it’s my cheap pop up? Or is there something else I’m missing?

outsunny? never heard of this brand is it meant for ice? does it have anchors?

[ActiveTrapChecker]

outsunny? never heard of this brand is it meant for ice? does it have anchors?

Anchors are a must regardless of the make and model of your pop up in high winds. I actually bought more anchors so that I can anchor all four corners on the bottom and each side outside in high winds. Last thing you need is the shanty to blow over a heater

[BlackWoodsman]

yes, it has anchors and it is meant for the ice. I don’t think I anchored them down all the way, so some air was able to get underneath and lift that thing. Fortunately, I “saw it coming”, and the pulled the heater out RIGHT  before things got real. Scary experience on a new lake for me. I’ll be back in the daylight next time haha

[ActiveTrapChecker]

If you fished off Browns beach there was a higher pressure crack Saturday 400-500 yards out (didn’t measure). Snow probably has it covered. Only a handful of guys decided to cross it Saturday.

Which is why it’s important to spud even when the lake is snow covered. Can’t see pressure cracks

[WICTNY1712]

Anyone have any idea why navionics is so bad for Saratoga Lake?

Every time I go out and try to find a spot that looks interesting it seems totally off.

I don’t mind putting the time in it just gets a little frustrating after a while.

[Bassmaster16]

Anyone have any idea why navionics is so bad for Saratoga Lake?

Every time I go out and try to find a spot that looks interesting it seems totally off.

I don’t mind putting the time in it just gets a little frustrating after a while.

I use I-boating for toga. Decent map for free app.

[Hugh-Boone]

Anyone have any idea why navionics is so bad for Saratoga Lake?

Every time I go out and try to find a spot that looks interesting it seems totally off.

I don’t mind putting the time in it just gets a little frustrating after a while.

Much of Navionics is taken from early 1900's lake surveys, if the waterway was not used in the past few decades for commercial purposes they seemingly have not redone any bathymetric mapping so you get terrible data. Like the shoal in the Schroon lake lower basin that is 1/2 mile off, the sand bar near the narrows that cuts out into the lake that's not on the map, the island on Eagle that doesn't exist. The list goes on for many NY waters. Unless there is enough demand (Lake George, Champlain, Hudson River south of Albany or a more commercial purpose. You can see that Navionics is using the NYS maps that DEC has posted. I do not know about C-Maps or Lakemaster I haven't seen them to know if they are any better. I would pay for maps if they existed, like the how "Lake of the Woods" in Minnesota you can buy a card with accurate 1' contours. Guess there is not that much interest in NY.     

[Hugh-Boone]

For the pressure crack about 300 yards from the southern point of Snake Hill it's crossable on the Eastern side of the lake, the middle is like a 1-3' tall ice fence (didn't check the west side) If you follow the snowmachine/4wheeler tracks they will take you to places you can easily pass through, ice had to be over 6" I gave it a good go with a spud in a few places didn't punch through so it was good enough for me. 

[Rineuve]

Evening guys,

I was fishing on Fish Creek this afternoon and my spud bar must have fallen off my sled while towing it. I was straight out from Lee’s Trailer Park. I’m hoping one of the guys that was also out there today saw it and grabbed it off the ice and is also a member of this forum. It’s a red Eskimo spud bar with a green paracord wrist loop (the wrist loop is handmade so it’s pretty easy for me to identify).

Thanks for any help and stay safe!!

[xxxbeer247]

Drove by Fitch after work today and saw a truck out and another parked on the shoreline. Guess there is plenty of ice there to get on. Helps with the parking situation on Fitch rd

[Dboisclair95]

Dose any one know the ice condition browns beach and snake hill area?

[bwlin13]

Dose any one know the ice condition browns beach and snake hill area?

7 to 8 on safe side couple of ridges out to left of browns

[NHhunter]

 To the ice fisherman talking about his Navinonics. This does not affect your Naviononics but the lake depth is lowered by 3' to 4' every fall as they Assoc removes the "splash boards" from the dam near Grangerville to help with flooding.

[Sammon]

Totally disagree

Some areas are close but others are very dofferent.  It has to to do with the low amount of data points for the Saratoga map navitronics used along with the software that extrapulate those data points.  Lake Champlain sucks too

[freedomandfishin]

Anyone been pulling many perch out of toga this past week?