Lake Luzerne a Big Disappointment

[TheMadSkeptic]

Myself and some friends decided to try Lake Luzerne yesterday.  The ice, itself, was really solid (11+ inches) with some glaze ice. 

The action was pretty slow but that's not why I found Lake Luzerne to be a big disappointment.  Sometime around 11am, the locals decided to race 3-wheelers around the lake.  In doing so, they constantly cut through our tip-up field.  No tip-ups were run over but the amount of noise and activity almost certainly scared off whatever fish might have been interested in taking bait.  The clown show culminated around 4 or 4:30 when people decided to bring their cars on to the ice to do doughnuts and tear around.  One rusty pickup even lost control near the outlet and sideswiped a tree at what looked like something around 30 or 40mph!  After the truck limped itself off the ice (damage was done), most of the 3-wheelers and cars left as well -- probably because it was closing in on sundown and dinner time.

I won't be going back to Lake Luzerne.  The locals driving their 3-wheelers and cars don't respect people who are ice fishing and they absolutely are not safe.  If you have kids, stay away.  Based upon their behavior, the locals do not care about safety and putting a child in that kind of conditions is unacceptable.

[fishmonger]

Yeah- I won't be back either. You have to deal with a slow day of fishing-it happens. But, having to put up with jerks racing around and in-between your tip ups really sucks.

[ship of fools]

I'm not 100% convinced that noise like that turns the fish off ..... especially if that type of activity is common. I'm not talking about Luzerne itself ..... one of the places i fish has constant snowmobile activity.  It is about a mile long and not very wide and the sleds go up and down the lake all day .... some of them have been modified and really scream up and down the lake.

I've been there in the middle of all this mayhem and caught fish just as well as when the ice is quiet ......  if the noise is constant i think the fish may get used to it.. or just get hungry.

Just my observations 

[roundlakeNY]

I agree  when fishing on round lake I have had some of my best days fishing 100yards from the guys racing on the ice.   But they stay in one spot out there they don't race all around.  Well some do but for the most part they dont.   

[mcole34]

yea guess i wont be taking my kids there..was headin there sat, guess we'll head else where

[bigredonice]

plenty of other places with plenty of ice...

[ship of fools]

yea guess i wont be taking my kids there..was headin there sat, guess we'll head else where

I found the kids loved the entertainment 

[TheMadSkeptic]

I agree  when fishing on round lake I have had some of my best days fishing 100yards from the guys racing on the ice.   But they stay in one spot out there they don't race all around.  Well some do but for the most part they dont.   

On Round, they do stay in one area and I don't remember that ever seeming to have an impact on fishing but these people were tearing through our tip-ups.  As for the noise, I don't think the noise on top is what scares fish -- it's the sound of the wheels and all that running over the ice.  Like I said, nothing was run over but they still were tearing through full bore whah, whah whahh'ing their 2 cycles all the way.  One of the 3-wheelers flipped his ATV on the far side of the lake while trying to do wheelies.  Add to that the guy in the pickup crashing, and I don't think anyone can make the case that Lake Luzerne is safe.

About 5 or 10 minutes after all the yahoos left, the fish turned on so I think the noise was spooking them.

I spoke to one guy who was fishing on the opposite side of the lake from us and he told me the 3-wheelers were running around in circles around he and the people he was fishing with!  Hardly what I'd call good conditions.  We were set up close the island on the lake side.  Something makes me think that if we were anywhere else, they would have been doing doughnuts around us too.

[roundlakeNY]

Yeah that just plain rude.   I would have placed a quick call to dec.   Chances that those 3 wheelers are reg. and insured  slim to none.

[TheMadSkeptic]

Yeah that just plain rude.   I would have placed a quick call to dec.   Chances that those 3 wheelers are reg. and insured  slim to none.

We had the binoculars on them and, you're right, they weren't registered.  We were talking about calling the troopers but we never followed through with it -- probably should have.

[roundlakeNY]

chances that the guy in the truck had a 12 pack sitting next to him  100%   lol       Nothing wrong with having fun as long as you respect everyone else that is also trying to have fun.

[Skeeter23]

I've fished Lake Luzerne many times and I can certainly relate to the experience you had.

To me the only time to fish this lake is at first ice.......the trout seem to bite real well.

Plus the atv/vehicle activity is non existant.......until the ice becomes thicker.

Truthfully, I have not fished there in a few years and have no plans to do so in the future.

[scottvan10]

Fished it today caught 16" Bass 1 small pike 3 tiny perch. Did see atv and dirt bike racing around noon , plus 2 vehicles drove out. Might be done there myself due to slow action.

[reddog11]

I had a similar experience on Schroon lake a couple years ago. Drunk snowmobilers driving next to our tip-up`s all day. No flags all day. I won`t be going during a fishing derby up there again. Its a waste of time. Some people have no respect for ice fishermen. /b]

[Fontona19]

I was really expecting to hear about the guy up there with the jacked up volkswagen beetle. I have seen him mulitple times, and to be honest, that little car is kinda impressive.


I only fish there first ice when the trout are usually caught. There are alot better local lakes to fish. Luzerne is dead for me.

[SSmokinn SS]

coming from someone who is one of those guys racing on the ice in the lakes on my quad, and being a die hard fisherman, I can tell you that the surface activity from us quad riders actually get the fish moving. It pushes them around into different area's and it can actually make you have a better day of fishing with all the commotion, then if it was a dead silent day.

Now, on the other hand I have always been very respectful (because I know how it is on both ends) towards people ice fishing. Its just commen sense to stay away from them. That sounds ridiculous on lazurne.