Provides Great Fishing

Opportunities for Waterheads

By Staff
Waterhead™ Watersports
October 31, 2011

The Saint Lawrence River, along with the Saint Lawrence Seaway connects the five Great Lakes of North America with the Atlantic Ocean.  This system allows deep-draft ocean vessels to travel miles inland from the ocean and is of vital economic as well as geographic importance.  The Saint Lawrence River is divided into three sections:  The Gulf of St. Lawrence leads from the Atlantic to Anticosti Island, the St. Lawrance estuary, extending from Anticosti Island to Quebec and the fresh water river, extending from Quebec to Lake Ontario.

There is a 226 foot drop in the river between Lake Ontario and Montreal.  The US and Canada worked on a massive project beginning in 1954 that was completed in 1959 to allow vessels to travel up the river and through the great Lakes.  The St. Lawrence Seaway allows ocean going vessels to travel up the river and through the Lakes to connect Duluth, Minnesota with the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a distance of 2340 miles, and ultimately with the Atlantic Ocean.

The Saint Lawrence river provides drainage for over 30,000 square miles in both the US and Canada.  It is the only natural outlet for the Great Lakes Basin and averages a width of two miles.  In some places, the river is over 200 feet depth.  The Saint Lawrence River is the largest river that flows from east-west in North America.  The first 114 miles of the river serves as the border between New York State in the US and Ontario in Canada.  While the river is used for a shipping channel, to produce electricity and many other recreational activities, many waterheads enjoy this waterway for one primary purpose, sport fishing.

The Saint Lawrence river provides diverse aquatic habitats and is thus home to a large variety of warm water fish and provides excellent adventures for the angler.  There are elusive musky and plentiful pan fish to be found in the river.  The Saint Lawrence River has opportunities to challenge the most skilled professional angler but can provide fun for the inexperienced fisher as well.  Fish common to the river include bullheads, yellow perch, walleye, northern pike, bass (both small mouth and large mouth) and various types of pan fish.  It is possible to fish this river without using a fully equipped yacht.  There are protected bays that are excellent for the small boat angler, but the docks and piers in the area allow shore anglers to fish without a boat at all.

The most popular area of the Saint Lawrence River is the Thousand Islands River.  It is located in the area from Tibbetts Point (near Cape Vincent) to Morristown.  Lake St. Lawrence was created when the seaway was constructed in 1959 and is the old river bed for the lower section of the river.  The Middle Corridor lies between these areas.  While each of the areas are unique, they all are highly productive for the waterhead angler.

The most common type of bass caught on the Saint Lawrence River is the smallmouth bass.  The islands, including Round, Carleton and Linda, points such as Grass, Chippewa and Bartlett, and bays including Chippewa and Goose as well as those of Wellesley and Grindstone Islands, below the power dam at Moses-Saunders and off the shoals.  Use jigs, small spinners and rubber worms for the late summer, but in the early season stick with live bait such as crayfish, minnows or worms. 

Largemouth bass are often caught along the edges of the shoals and in the shallow weedy bays.  The hotspot for largemouth bass on the Saint Lawrence River, however is Lake of the Isles, located on Wellesley Island.  Common baits include plugs, surface lures, spinnerbaits, rubber worms and live worms.

Waterheads and other anglers can enjoy northern pike fishing nearly all year long.  The winter makes a great time for ice fishing and good catches are often found in the bays near Wellesley Island, Clayton, Cape Vincent, Wheathouse Bay, Coles Creak and Alexandria bay.  Ice anglers use tip-ups along with large minnows.  During the spring, the northern pike are often caught in bays that are shallow and weedy as well as in the shoals.  In general those same bays that worked well for ice fishing will also do well after the melt.  During the spring and summer other good places to fish for northern pike include Grasse Point, Oak Point and Goose bay.  Anglers can try casting with live bait or trolling using large spoons or plugs as well as using yellow or black jigs for good catches.

Walleye fishing tends to be more localized than fishing for pike along the Saint Lawrence River.  In May, the hot spots tend to be where the major tributaries enter the river.  Try the mouth of the Grass or the Oswegatchie Rivers, below the power dams and off of points and shoals.  The most popular lures include worms on spinners and jigs.

Summer and early fall bring changes to walleye fishing.  The points and shoals during this time are limited in action, but the hot spots are below the power dam and near Carleton Island.  Switch to minnows or black jigs and a worm for best success.

There are numerous pan fish to be found all along the river and they should not be ignored.  They offer action for those fishing from the shore as well as from boats.  These fish can be caught year round and provide fun for all skills of anglers.  These easy to catch fish include bluegills, black crappies, rock bass and pumpkinseeds.  They are good tasting and can be caught using minnows, worms, small lures, spinners and jigs.

Bullhead fishing is most popular in the early spring.  Wait until the water starts to warm after ice-out.  The hot spots are the tributair creeks.  Baits that work well include leeches and nightcrawlers.  As the water warms, the bullhead will move more into the bays.

The late spring and early summer also provide a good time to fish for yellow perch.  Try minnows and worms while fishing off the docks in order to produce a good catch of perch.

For many waterheads, the challenge for the late summer and early fall is the muskellunge.  The musky is one of the most challenging of all warm water fish.  The New York State record Musky was caught in 1957.  This sixty-nine pound fifteen ounce fish was caught near Clayton and the record has stood for over 50 years.  The task is so specialized and demanding that it is often recommended that inexperienced anglers use a guide service.  If you prefer to try to catch this monster on your own, try the shoals between Cape Vincent and Ogdensburg.  Troll using plugs and large spoons.  Be ready for a good fight if you hook a musky.

As most anglers can testify, the success one has when fishing can vary from one day to the next.  Yesterday's hot spot might yield very little today.  While the areas mentioned in the proceeding paragraphs are good spots to start, they may not allow you to catch your limit.  In addition, fishing methods may need to be varied for success.  Try to move and change lures and bait.  Remember that as water temperatures change the depth of the fish also changes.  As a general rule, the fish will be deeper in the summer than in the cooler fall and spring. Often the local bait shops as well as other fishermen on the river can help visitors learn the best locations, lures and techniques that are working today.

The chemical contaminant level found in some fish caught in the Saint Lawrence River is higher than the limits the US FDA has established.  The effects of consuming these contaminants by humans is not certain and as a result, the New York State Department of Health advises that anglers limit their consumption of fish caught in the river.  The advisory is printed in the regulations guide the state issues with a fishing license.  Anglers are advised to read the statement and use it as a guide in planning consumption of fish.

When winter ices in the protected bays, they provide great spots for ice fishing.  Ice fishermen often take northern pike, yellow perch and various panfish.  Most of the bays seem to be productive with this type of fishing.  The tip-up and large minnow provides an effective combination for pike.  If you are fishing for yellow perch, jigging is the preferred method, using small minnows, small lures, grubs, perch eyes as well as using tip-ups.

The Saint Lawrence River offers many opportunities for fishing in all seasons of the year.  In addition, waterheads will find the river provides a great place for boating and many other water sports.  Regardless of the time of year when you are able to visit this river, you will once again be amazed by the natural beauty surrounding the river and the wildlife that calls it home.  A visit to the Saint Lawrence River provides the waterhead another chance to participate in his or her favorite activity, spending time in or on the water.

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