Ice Fishing near the Cabins

Ice fishing near the cabins starts about 17 road miles away on the Deer River Flow, with Meacham Lake four miles farther along NY 30, and safe ice usually holds from mid-to-late December into March. The Chateaugay Lakes, Lake Colby and the Saranac lakes are within about an hour, and the sheltered bays of Lake Champlain are about 62 road miles east. Franklin County keeps its own rule for trout water, so this guide goes water by water: what is open, what you can keep in winter, the bait rules, and where to pick up minnows on the way.

Where ice fishing is allowed

In most of New York you may fish through the ice on any water unless a special regulation closes it. Nine counties in and around the Adirondacks are handled differently, and Franklin County, home to the cabins, is one of them. Clinton County, the next county east, is not.

In Franklin County, any water inhabited by trout is closed to ice fishing unless the county's special regulations open it by name. The waters opened that way include Meacham Lake, Lake Clear, Lake Colby, Kiwassa Lake, Lake Kushaqua, Rollins Pond, Little Wolf Pond, Tupper Lake, Upper Saranac Lake and the St. Regis Falls Impoundment. Waters without trout stay open, and DEC's list of top ice-fishing waters in the county names more than 50 lakes and ponds, Lower Chateaugay Lake, the Deer River Flow, Lake Flower and all three Saranac lakes among them.

Clinton County starts from the other end: every water there is open to ice fishing except Cranberry Pond and Mud Pond in the Town of Black Brook. That takes in Upper Chateaugay Lake and Chazy Lake. Lake Champlain has border-water rules of its own, set out in its section below.

The three lakes nearest the cabins, Indian Lake, Mountain View Lake and Lake Titus, are not on DEC's list of top Franklin County ice-fishing waters; the lakes guide covers the trout-water question there. For any lake you are unsure about, call DEC's Region 5 fisheries office in Ray Brook at 518-897-1333. Ask the same office about winter access, since some DEC parking areas, roads and trails are not maintained in winter.

Ice fishing waters by distance

Road miles run from the cabins to the access point DEC lists for each water. The fish are the species DEC lists for each water, minus anything that is closed in winter.

Meacham Lake and the Deer River Flow

Meacham Lake, about 21 road miles south on NY 30 and about 35 minutes away, is the closest of the waters Franklin County's special rules open to ice fishing. Splake may be kept all winter in lakes and ponds: five a day, any size, with no more than two over 12 inches. Pike stay open until March 15. Bass work differently in Franklin County: the season closes November 30 and fishing for them, catch and release included, stays closed until June 15, so a bass that grabs a minnow goes straight back.

The state campground closes for the season in mid-October. DEC lists two ways onto the lake that stay open all year: the shallow hand launch inside the campground, where the day-use fee applies only in the camping season, and a free access at the outlet where NY 30 crosses it, with a small unpaved lot. Neither listing says the lots are plowed, so call Region 5 before you count on either one after a storm. The Meacham Lake guide has the lake's layout and its summer fishing.

The Deer River Flow, about 17 road miles from the cabins and four miles short of Meacham, is a pike and perch water with DEC access off NY 30 on Cold Brook Road. Where the Deer River enters and leaves the flow, water moves under the ice, and DEC rates clear ice over running water about 20 percent weaker than ice on still water. Test the ice as you go and keep well away from the inlet and the outlet.

The Chateaugay Lakes

The Chateaugay Lakes straddle the county line, and the two lakes follow different rules. Upper Chateaugay Lake is in the Town of Dannemora in Clinton County, where every water is open to ice fishing, and its lake trout stay open all year under a special rule, 21 inches and three a day. That makes it the nearest lake in this guide where you can keep a laker in midwinter. Landlocked salmon are open all year statewide at 15 inches and three a day, and rainbow trout in lakes may be kept all winter. The Chateaugay Lakes guide has the lake's species, the launch and the drive.

DEC's launch on NY 374 in the Narrows, about 34 road miles from the cabins, sits between the two lakes. The Narrows is the channel that carries water from the Upper lake to the Lower, so treat its ice as ice over moving water and walk out onto the open lake before you drill.

Lower Chateaugay Lake is on DEC's list of top Franklin County ice waters as a pike and perch lake, with access through state land off Lake Road.

St. Regis Falls, Lake Kushaqua and the Paul Smiths ponds

The St. Regis Falls Impoundment, about 31 road miles from the cabins in the Town of Waverly, is one of the waters the county's special rules open to ice fishing, and it carries a special walleye limit: 18 inches minimum and three a day, open until March 15. The DEC launch is on the southwest side, off South River Road.

Lake Kushaqua, about 40 road miles away near Onchiota, keeps its lake trout open all year at 21 inches and three a day. DEC's launch is off Buck Pond Campsite Road in the Debar Mountain Wild Forest. Buck Pond, beside the campground of the same name, is a smaller pike, perch and pumpkinseed water with launch parking inside the campground.

Around Paul Smiths, three ponds on DEC's list add black crappie to the pike and perch. Osgood Pond, about 34 road miles away, has a launch off NY 86 on White Pine Road. Jones Pond, also about 34, has a launch off Jones Pond Road in the Debar Mountain Wild Forest; it ices early and is known for plenty of small fish, which suits a first trip. Church Pond is on a conservation easement, with parking on Hoffman Road off NY 86.

Lake Colby, Lake Clear and the Saranac lakes

The Saranac Lake area, about 43 road miles south, has the widest choice of ice within an hour of the cabins, and live bait is sold in the village. The Saranac Lake and Paul Smiths guide covers the town itself.

Lake Colby, at the edge of the village with a DEC fishing access site off NY 86, is one of the trout waters the county opens by name, and its brown trout, rainbow trout and landlocked salmon may be kept through the winter under the statewide rules. Colby is among the first lakes in the area to freeze and holds its ice into March. It gets busy, so arrive early if you want your tip-ups in a particular spot.

Lake Clear, about 38 road miles away on NY 30, is the main headwater of the Saranac chain and another trout water the county opens by name, with parking at the Lake Clear beach area off NY 30. Any lake trout or brook trout you hook here goes back: both are closed in lakes from October 16 to March 31 under the statewide rules. Little Clear Pond, nearby, is closed to fishing of every kind, and Meadow Pond and St. Germain Pond near Lake Clear are no-bait waters.

Kiwassa Lake, in the Saranac Lakes Wild Forest about 47 road miles away, is open with the same special walleye rule as St. Regis Falls, 18 inches and three a day, and holds northern pike and yellow perch. Lake Flower, in the village, has a DEC launch off NY 86 and pike, perch and pumpkinseed. Oseetah Lake is a walk-in, with DEC's access on foot from the Adirondack Rail Trail parking off NY 86.

Lower Saranac Lake, the walleye lake of the three, is reached through the Lower Ampersand Bay launch off Edgewood Road, about 43 road miles from the cabins. Middle Saranac Lake has pike, perch and pumpkinseed, with access from NY 3 at the South Creek fishing access site. Upper Saranac Lake's state launch is at Saranac Inn off NY 30, also about 43 road miles away. Upper Saranac allows only three ice-fishing lines, and none of the three Saranac lakes is open for lake trout in winter.

One licensed Saranac Lake guide wants at least five or six inches of ice before he takes clients out, a step above the state's minimum for anglers on foot.

Lake Champlain bays

Lake Champlain is about 62 road miles east, an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half each way, and the trip is for big-lake fish: perch, pike, walleye, lake trout and landlocked salmon. The broad lake may or may not freeze over in a given winter, and even full cover can be thin in places. Ice anglers fish the bays and protected water. Wind is the hazard to watch: it can push the ice together into ridges that are dangerous to cross, or pull it apart and leave open water.

DEC lists these access points on the Clinton County shore:

• Rouses Point Boat Launch Site, 50 Montgomery Street, Rouses Point, about 62 road miles from the cabins.
• Deep Bay, from the King's Bay Wildlife Management Area lot on Point au Fer Road in Champlain, about 64.
• Point au Roche Boat Launch Site, 150 Camp Red Cloud Road, Plattsburgh, about 64.
• Cumberland Bay, from the Plattsburgh Boat Launch Site at 2 Dock Street, about 62.

Lake Champlain is a border water with its own table. Up to 15 ice-fishing lines are allowed from November 15 to April 30. Pike are open all year with a 20-inch minimum and five a day; walleye run to March 15 at 18 inches and three a day; lake trout are 15 inches and three a day, landlocked salmon 15 inches and two, and crappie 8 inches and 25. Perch and sunfish have no size or number limit, and sauger may not be kept at all.

A New York license covers the New York water and most of the Vermont side, except the Inland Sea with the Gut, Mallett's Bay, Missisquoi Bay and the rivers. It is not valid on the Quebec part of the lake. Farther south, shanty towns grow most winters off Port Henry and Westport, where many anglers fish for smelt and lake trout are a common catch. The Plattsburgh and Lake Champlain guide has the rest of the shore.

What you can keep in winter

These are the statewide seasons and limits in the 2026 regulations, in effect from April 1, 2026. A special rule for a water replaces them, and Lake Champlain has its own table above.

Lake trout may be kept in winter only where a special rule opens them all year: Lake Kushaqua, Rollins Pond and Tupper Lake in Franklin County and Upper Chateaugay Lake and Chazy Lake in Clinton County, each at 21 inches and three a day, plus Lake Champlain at 15 inches. Bass are closed through the ice in Franklin County. In Clinton County the statewide rule allows catch and release with artificial lures only from December 1 to June 14, so a bass on a minnow goes back there too.

A change is pending for late ice. In February 2026 DEC proposed closing walleye, northern pike, chain pickerel and tiger muskellunge on March 1 instead of March 15, and returning 33 waters with special walleye limits to the statewide 15 inches and five a day. Comments closed on April 13, 2026. In June DEC told its Conservation Fund Advisory Board that it was still weighing about 85 comments, and in October 2026 its rulemaking page still listed the change as proposed. Check the current rules before a trip in early March, and before you keep a walleye from Kiwassa Lake or the St. Regis Falls Impoundment.

Lines, tip-ups and shanties

New York counts every device you fish through the ice with as an ice-fishing line: tip-ups, tip-downs, hand lines and jigging rods alike. Each angler may run seven of them in any mix unless a special rule for the water says otherwise. Upper Saranac Lake allows three, and Lake Champlain allows up to 15 from November 15 to April 30.

A single line may carry no more than five baits or lures and 15 hook points in all, and you have to stay with your lines the whole time they are in the water. Between May 1 and November 14 only hand lines and rods may be used through the ice, so tip-ups become legal on November 15. A gaff, banned in freshwater fishing otherwise, is allowed when you are fishing through the ice.

Shanties left on the ice need the owner's name and address in three-inch letters and must be off every lake by March 15, before they can break through and become a hazard to boats. A pop-up shelter that you set up and take off the ice the same day does not count as a shanty, which keeps a weekend from the cabins simple.

The baitfish rules

The Adirondack bait rules protect the brook trout ponds. DEC closes nearly all of the region's brook trout ponds and small lakes to ice fishing and bans the use or possession of baitfish on them, to keep non-native fish from spreading.

Buying minnows

Buy certified bait, which has been tested free of specified fish diseases. The seller's receipt has to show the seller's name, the date, and the species and number sold, and you keep it as long as you have the bait. Certified bait may ride in the car to any water where bait is legal. Once the receipt is more than 10 days old the bait counts as uncertified, and uncertified bait may not travel by motor vehicle, so buy minnows for the trip and not for the season.

Catching your own

Licensed anglers may collect minnows, killifish, mudminnows, darters, sticklebacks, stonecats, smelt, alewives and suckers for their own hooks, and may not sell them. They may be used only in the water where you caught them and may not be moved by motor vehicle. A minnow trap may be up to 20 inches long with an opening no wider than an inch, and it has to carry your name and address.

Which species

Twenty species may be bought and used anywhere bait is legal, among them golden, emerald, common and spottail shiners, fathead and bluntnose minnows, white suckers, creek chubs, fallfish and several daces and madtoms. Rainbow smelt sold as bait are legal only on listed waters, Lake Champlain included. Carp, goldfish, lamprey larvae, round goby and European rudd may never be used as bait. Salted and other preserved minnows in a labeled commercial package can be used wherever bait is legal, with no receipt; minnows that are only frozen do not count as preserved.

Waters closed to bait near the cabins

• Town of Bellmont, where the cabins are: Drain Pond.
• Town of Malone: the Malone Village Ice Pond.
• Town of Duane, where Meacham Lake is: Buck, Clear, Debar, Skiff and Winnebago ponds. This Buck Pond is a different water from the one at the Onchiota campground, which is in the Town of Franklin and allows bait.
• Near Lake Clear: Meadow Pond and St. Germain Pond.
• Whole areas: the St. Regis Canoe Area, and the High Peaks Wilderness, where the Franklin County list exempts the Raquette and Saranac rivers.
• Clinton County: Cranberry Pond and Mud Pond in Black Brook, and Mud Pond in Dannemora.

Never dump leftover minnows or the water from the bait bucket into a lake or pond, since invasive species can ride along in bait water. The St. Regis Canoe Area guide covers that area's other rules.

Licenses and free fishing days

Anglers 16 and older need a New York fishing license, and the same license covers ice fishing. Prices, the seven-day option for a long weekend and the places in Malone that sell licenses are on the fishing trips page.

New York's winter free fishing days have fallen on the Saturday and Sunday of Presidents' Day weekend: February 17 and 18 in 2024, February 15 and 16 in 2025, and February 14 and 15 in 2026. No license is needed on those days, and every other rule still applies. The 2026 dates were announced in early February, so the 2027 winter weekend may be confirmed only days ahead.

Ice thickness and safety

DEC's figure for anglers on foot is at least four inches of solid, clear ice, double that for white ice, and more for machines; the fishing trips page has DEC's full thickness table. Thickness can swing from a foot to an inch or two within a few feet, so check it with a spud or an auger as you walk out.

Read the ice as well as measuring it. Strong ice is clear with a bluish tint. Milky, porous ice is weak, and slushy ice has about half the strength of clear ice. Snow on top insulates the ice and slows its growth, so snow-covered ice is likely thinner. A thaw followed by a hard freeze leaves weak, honeycombed ice, and large cracks and sagging spots are signs to turn around.

Wear two ice picks on a cord around your neck. If you go through, stay calm and keep your winter clothes on, since the air trapped in them keeps you warm and helps you float. Turn back toward the way you came, which is the ice most likely to hold. Dig the picks in, kick hard and slide forward onto the surface, then roll away from the hole instead of standing up, get to shore and call 911. Uncontrollable shivering or confusion afterward means hypothermia and a trip to the doctor.

To help someone else, throw a rope that floats from a safe distance. If a dog goes through, call 911 and do not go out after it. The emergency department nearest the cabins is at Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone, about 10.5 road miles away; the health and safety page has the details.

Derbies

Two annual derbies are within reach of the cabins. The 2027 dates below come from the Tupper Lake area events calendar, so confirm them with the clubs before you plan a weekend around one. We found no 2027 derby announced for the lakes nearer Malone as of October 2026.

Northern Challenge, Tupper Lake

The Tupper Lake Sportsmen's Club holds the Northern Challenge on Simon Pond, about 61 road miles from the cabins, on the first Saturday in February; the calendar lists Saturday, February 6, 2027. It is a catch-and-release northern pike contest that runs from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., with registration at the club, 116 Lake Simond Road, on the Friday and from 4 a.m. on the day. In 2026 the entry was $40, or $50 with the lunker pool, and the club advertised more than $35,000 in cash and prizes. The Wild Center guide covers Tupper Lake itself.

Colby Classic, Saranac Lake

The Saranac Lake Fish and Game Club ran its 42nd Colby Classic on March 7 and 8, 2026, on Lake Colby and the waters around it: trout, salmon and perch on Colby, and pike from the nearby lakes. It is held on the first weekend of March, and the calendar lists March 6 and 7, 2027. In 2026 anglers 15 and under entered free and everyone else paid $30, online or in person at Woods and Waters in Saranac Lake. Local businesses sponsor tagged fish that carry extra prize money.

Gear and tactics by species

The basic kit, an auger or spud, a skimmer, tip-ups and a short jigging rod, is on the fishing trips page along with pike and perch tactics. DEC's beginner guide matches the gear to the fish:

• Walleye hold near points, flats and shoals and bite best just before and after dark. Fish within a foot of the bottom with a jigging spoon tipped with a minnow, or a tip-up with a 3- to 4-inch minnow. In this guide DEC lists walleye for Lower Saranac Lake and Lake Champlain, and Kiwassa Lake and the St. Regis Falls Impoundment carry special walleye limits.
• Trout hold around points, drop-offs and humps, and in winter they can be anywhere from just under the ice to just off the bottom. Set tip-ups at several depths until one produces, and jig a spoon tipped with a minnow. Lake trout take the large jigging spoons.
• Crappie hold along weed edges or anywhere from a few feet under the ice to just off the bottom. Small minnows or small jigs tipped with spikes work, and the bite can be good after dark.
• Sunfish stay over or along weed beds in 15 feet of water or less; work small jigs tipped with spikes from a few feet under the ice to just off the bottom until you find them.

To set a tip-up at a chosen depth, clip a weight to the hook, let it down to the bottom, raise it the distance you want the bait to ride, and mark the line at the waterline with a small bobber or an old button threaded on beforehand. Take off the weight, bait up and lower the bait to the mark. When jigging, lift the bait a few inches a few times and then pause, since most fish hit during the pause. Fish the same structure you would in summer: weed lines, humps, depth changes and points. DEC publishes contour maps for lakes such as Chazy Lake.

Bait and tackle on the way

Saranac Lake has live bait for sale. In Malone, Runnings carries tackle and bait accessories; call ahead to ask whether it has minnows.

• Runnings, 230 West Main Street, Malone, about 10 road miles from the cabins, 518-795-9160. It carries fishing tackle, bait accessories, coolers, insulated jackets, waterproof boots and base layers, and it sells fishing licenses. Call for hours.
• Patriot Firearms, 5426 NY 374, Merrill, about 35 road miles away near the state launch on the Chateaugay Lakes, sells fishing licenses. Stop in and ask about bait before you head onto the lake.
• Blue Line Sports, 81 Main Street, Saranac Lake, about 43 road miles, 518-891-4680, stocks live bait with the rest of its fishing gear and sells licenses.
• Woods and Waters, 255 Broadway, Saranac Lake, 518-891-1110, sells licenses and took in-person sign-ups for the 2026 Colby Classic; call to ask what bait it has.

Saranac Lake guides who run ice trips supply live bait, usually at an extra cost; the fishing trips page lists one. For food and supplies in Malone, see the groceries page.

A day on the ice from the cabins

A first trip works best on the closest open water. Load the car the night before, leave at first light, and you are on the Deer River Flow or Meacham Lake in 30 to 35 minutes. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times, so set the tip-ups early, jig for perch through the middle of the day, and fish the last hour of light before you pack up.

January is the coldest month, with average highs around 23°F and lows near 4°F in Malone. Bring spare gloves and insulated pack boots with traction; leather hiking boots are a poor choice on the ice. Back at the cabins, every cabin has a washer and dryer for wet layers, a full kitchen for a perch fry and a private hot tub, and The Modern Pine and The Aviator each have a Jotul gas stove. Compare them on the cabin comparison page. The winter driving guide covers the roads home after dark, and the winter guide has the rest of the season.

Questions

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. Hours, fees and schedules change; confirm before you go.

1. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/ice-fishing
2. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/places-to-fish/adirondack-l
3. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/places-to-fish/adirondack-l
4. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/regulations/region-5-specia
5. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/regulations/general
6. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/regulations/statewide-seaso
7. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/regulations/baitfish
8. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/regulations/border-waters-s
9. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/places-to-fish/adirondack-l
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13. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/sites/default/files/upchatlkmap.pdf
14. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/places/meacham-lake
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18. governor.ny.gov governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-2024-free-fishing-days
19. tupperlake.com tupperlake.com/events/northern-challenge-ice-fishing-derby
20. tupperlake.com tupperlake.com/events/colby-classic-ice-fishing-derby
21. Saranac Lake tourism saranaclake.com/story/2020/ice-fishing-in-saranac-lake
22. Saranac Lake tourism saranaclake.com/story/2014/01/best-ice-fishing-holes
23. Saranac Lake tourism saranaclake.com/story/2018/02/top-5-tips-fishing-lake-colby
24. Saranac Lake tourism saranaclake.com/activities/shopping/sporting-goods
25. Saranac Lake tourism saranaclake.com/boating/saranac-inn-boat-launch
26. I LOVE NY iloveny.com/thebeat/post/governor-hochul-and-dec-announce-2026-free-fr
27. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2026-09/cfabmeetingminutesjune2026.pdf
28. Franklin County tourism (Always Franklin) alwaysfranklin.com/listing/runnings
29. Saranac Lake tourism saranaclake.com/story/2019/05/saranac-lake-fishing-step-step
30. decals.east.licensing.app decals.east.licensing.app/vendor_location_search