Not every fishing trip starts off with a 2-hour drive. But when the weather calls for blue bird skies and 20-degree weather, you make the drive to a lake you have never fished before.
It’s always intimidating fishing on a lake you don’t know because, well, you don’t know it. We had done some research on Schroon Lake and we knew where we wanted to ice fish on the lake and we also knew that it was going to be deeper than most lakes we were used to.
After setting up base camp we started drilling holes and setting up the tip-ups. After the first hole we realized that our tip-ups were not set up to fish in water that was 150 feet deep.
So we found some spots closer to shore where it was shallower and set up in water where we knew we had a better chance to catch fish. Once we were all set up, we sat back and enjoyed the view and waited for a flag. The view was absolutely breathtaking.
Lunch time on the ice is an experience in its own. For us, we usually bring dehydrated camping meals because they’re easy to cook and filling. We also enjoy bringing out stews and soups and lots of coffee. A compact camping stove is our go-to for boiling water and warming up our meals. It’s always so nice eating a hot meal on a cold day on the lake. On windy days we will eat in the shanty for a break from the wind but if it’s a day like today we’re outside almost the whole time.
If you don't pack your own lunch, check out all of the delicious dining options in the area - depending where you set up, you can walk to many of them!
“FLAG UP” and we both took off running.
There is no way to explain this feeling and it never gets old. The first move is to check the line to make sure that it is moving, then it’s go time. You start by feeding the line to the fish through your hands. The trick is to be very careful so the fish isn’t spooked. You then set the hook and start pulling the line in. Most of the time, you have to try to tire the fish out which ends up feeling like a game of tug of war. Then you pull the fish up through the hole.
We didn’t have as many flags as we would have liked, but that’s how it always goes. We couldn’t call it a bust with the weather and the view we were offered. The Schroon Lake community was beyond friendly and the people that we had spoken to at the boat launch gave us some helpful “first timers” advise before we went out.
Overall it was a great day fishing and we will definitely be returning with the hopes of catching a lake trout through the ice. You should book a room plan your own ice fishing getaway and see if you can too!
If you're up for a challenge, there's still time register for the upcoming 26th annual Schroon Lake Ice Fishing Derby!
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