Lake George and Walleye

[J-Lopez]

I have been wondering why Lake George doesn't hold walleye. It seems to me lt would be a great place for them.  I know DEC stocks them in other lakes, why not Lake George? 

[IceNeck9292]

Never gave that a thought.. now im interested as well.. i wonder if it has to do with the trout if there beds mingle or somthing ...

[combsey]

I think big red or JJ might have an opinion on this

[SSmokinn SS]

Champlain obviously holds walleye, but the La-chute river with the waterfall in ticonderoga cause a natural barrier that NO fish can get through, so this keeps the walleye from getting into lake george during the spawn.

I have heard about walleye being in lake george, but small numbers. Just like Muskies in there. Also small numbers.

[Pickeralpicker91]

Champlain obviously holds walleye, but the La-chute river with the waterfall in ticonderoga cause a natural barrier that NO fish can get through, so this keeps the walleye from getting into lake george during the spawn.

I have heard about walleye being in lake george, but small numbers. Just like Muskies in there. Also small numbers.

I've also heard of there being gar in lake George as well.  A lake that size, I'd bet there are all kinds of things in it.

[just_a_beer_man]

Including Sasquatch

[SSmokinn SS]

I've also heard of there being gar in lake George as well.  A lake that size, I'd bet there are all kinds of things in it.

Gar is another very common fish everywhere in champlain. I have seen them in huge numbers actually swimming in the lachute river....but that waterfall stops them from getting into lake george.

[Hunter44]

Where are the small amount of walleye located northern or south?

[SSmokinn SS]

Where are the small amount of walleye located northern or south?

who knows. There isn't anyone on this forum that will have that answer.

If you are asking to target them on the king, you are doing nothing but wasting time.

[combsey]

Yeah targeting walleye on lake George would be a waste.    But after seeing the albino laker nothing surprises me anymore

[Pickeralpicker91]

Has anyone else managed to find any crappie in lake george? I've never bothered targeting them but i've heard of some big ones coming out in the past.

don't want any spots, just curious if anyone gets any on a regular basis.

[mnt fisher]

I get em once in awhile jiggin perch, Never more than one or two. With i new the secret to getting them.

[prchslyr]

Has anyone else managed to find any crappie in lake george? I've never bothered targeting them but i've heard of some big ones coming out in the past.

don't want any spots, just curious if anyone gets any on a regular basis.

I've never gotten into them on Lake George, but I know some of the old timers smash them in the spring at certain bays.
At least, that's what I think they're doing. I should follow suit one of these years.

[combsey]

I've gotten into them in the spring but never in the winter.   I came across a couple older guys a few years back that had a good amount in there sled but couldn't find where they were fishing.   

[Barebow]

I caught a few last winter, they were all about 14 inches and fat, could not find them the next day to target them but have caught many on a fly rod in certain spots  during the spawn...using black or dark green leech imitations.  Barebow..
 

[Chase88]

There are beautiful crappies in Lake George  All blacks,,, I have never caught a white and they are very big.... they run early in the spring up in the marshes. In the winter they mostly suspend in the deeper bays like Dunham.   They will be a lot higher than the perch usually.

[Hunter44]

I am up there in June is that to late for crappies?

[JJ]

Here's what I know.

Walleye: My understanding is they won't stock them because they compete with the smallmouth and don't want to hurt that fishery, this came from a biologist several years ago. The state has had a program in place where they have been stocking waters suitable for walleyes; these lakes are much smaller than LG. They stock for 5 years hoping they can get a self-sustaining population going.

An old timer did tell me they use to be in there, back in the 50s or 60s maybe; he said they used to run up the creeks in Warner and Dunham's Bays. I have never heard confirmation of this. I haven't heard a report of them being caught; they are prolific spawners, there would have to be more than just a couple if there were any in there, and we would hear about them being caught.

Crappies: Definitely some big blacks in there, but tough to target; heard they like the milfoil beds in winter. I've seen only one caught while bass fishing in 16 years of guiding. My neighbor used to catch them regularly during the summer, back in the 1970s, he called them strawberry bass. I remember him having a giant stump that they seemed to like for structure marked with a small buoy so he could find it. The water was clearer then and on a calm day you could see the stump down 25 feet.

I think the numbers are down in recent years. Guys used to catch them in decent numbers during the spawn, the last several years I hear they get mostly bass, and I don't see people targeting them much.

Gar: The only gar I've heard of was one that someone got a nice picture a few years ago. The biologist and many others figured it was caught in Champlain and released in LG, makes sense because they could easily survive the trip.

Musky: Never heard of one being caught in 46 years of living here.

Other trout: Looks like there are still some wild rainbows spawning from when they were stocked many years ago. Caught a couple small ones from a pretty small stream a few years back that definitely isn't stocked. Also saw some small ones that looked like parr in that stream this past Spring.

Saw a real nice male brown that was caught off West Brook several years ago after a big rain in February, thought for sure it was going to be a salmon till I saw it. A few years ago I heard all the brookies stocked in West headed right for the lake, never heard of anyone catching any of them, probably fed the pike and pickerel down there.  A guy I know did catch a 16 brookie several years ago in the lake.

[J-Lopez]

Captjj some good info, I assumed it had to do with competition. I would think the lake could handle it just because of its size.  I personally would rather have eyes then smallmouths.

[reddog11]

If DEC stocks walleye into the King, the lakers will eat 85% of them. Just like the salmon the stock in there. Laker bait. LOL!

[SSmokinn SS]

Captjj some good info, I assumed it had to do with competition. I would think the lake could handle it just because of its size.  I personally would rather have eyes then smallmouths.

Lake george is a Phenomenal smallie lake. Bass guys come from 1000+ miles away to fish that lake for smallies. You might rather have walleyes then smallies in there, but 95% of other fisherman say otherwise.

Lake george is one of the only lake's around that you can go out any time of year and catch smallies from 60-100ft deep, almost anywhere you go on the lake. Wherever the Smelt are, thats where the smallies are. You can go out there and catch 200 smallies from 70ft of water.

[Pickeralpicker91]

Lake george is a Phenomenal smallie lake. Bass guys come from 1000+ miles away to fish that lake for smallies. You might rather have walleyes then smallies in there, but 95% of other fisherman say otherwise.

Lake george is one of the only lake's around that you can go out any time of year and catch smallies from 60-100ft deep, almost anywhere you go on the lake. Wherever the Smelt are, thats where the smallies are. You can go out there and catch 200 smallies from 70ft of water.

I'm pretty new to the area but i never knew smallies were so popular in lake george because i neve saw any caught through the ice.  Do they not bite  very well in the winter?  Obviously not targeting them but just curious.

[carcaju]

yes god knows if the walleye where there the other fish would disapear like in champlain ,oneida and tupper  they live with trout , bass and pike in these lakes 

[combsey]

Don't know if it 95% but I do know that a lot of people target the smallies on lake George       Not a lot of talk about smallies in the winter since they are out of season but I have got into schools of them jigging lakers.   

[DrGreene]

I got into some good crappies about mid June on a steep drop off  while bass fishing  they were hitting minnows in 25 fow near bl on the lake side of the islands

[DrGreene]

I would suggest Saratoga for walleye and crappie though

[pikeman3033]

I fish lake george all summer for smallies. I won't go much shallower than 30' and I usually do extremely well. Lake george is a phenomenal small mouth fishery. I have caught them as deep as 90' down.

[SSmokinn SS]

I have only caught a few crappie near Dunhams, during spring softwater. I have found LG can be tough for smallies, and then it can be unbelievably good. I haven't tried down real deep. I usually go in my bud's boat. I keep suggesting hitting the deeper water for the smallies, and drop shotting in deep water, but he always sticks to the humps in 10-30 FOW. He's the captain so I don't give him any grief. But the deeper water is the way to go?

if your not fishing between 60-100ft of water, you are missing out on a great day.

[Barebow]

When I was a kid, a flyfisher working the south end of the beach caught a rather large fish that later was identified as a Salmo-brown cross, Jimmy Elsworth had a paper tracing and a photo of it near the door of the old shop.  I caught a 25 inch rainbow from the mouth of west brook during a spring rain, it's  belly was ripped from the back down to the belly and it looked like it was starving.  Biologist took it, and said he thought it might have been caught upriver in a muskrat trap and pulled itself free...Weird anyhow...Barebow

[DrGreene]

45  to 60 fow catching bass rain sunny windy calm never had bad luck at lake g