Originally constructed in the 1930s, Great Sacandaga Lake is New York’s largest man-made lake, with a surface area of nearly 25,000 acres. The reservoir was originally intended for flood control in the Hudson Valley, but has subsequently developed into a substantial recreational fishery. Great Sacandaga Lake is home to New York’s record northern pike: a 46-lb. behemoth that was once the world record and has been unsurpassed in the Empire State since it was hauled out in 1940.
Habitat
Great Sacandaga Lake’s immense size – its shoreline stretches for over 125 miles – allows it to support a diverse roster of game fish, including both warm- and cold-water species. Habitat in the lake includes islands, coves, shoals sloping points, steep rocky drop-offs and shallow weed beds. Much of the shoreline is undeveloped, but certain areas are built up with houses and cottages. Boat docks provide significant cover for fish in such areas, and it’s always worth your time to toss a tube or Senko under a dock.
Pike Fishing
Because it holds the record, Great Sacandaga Lake is often known as a pike lake, and the reservoir still supports a healthy pike population, including some real monsters. The best time to go after “northern,” as they are called by many local anglers, is early spring, when they move into shallow weedy coves and embayments to spawn. Pike have to be released until the season opens on the first Saturday in May. In summer, deep weed lines and drop-offs with a mix of rocks and weeds are good areas around which to target pike with spoons, crankbaits, jerkbaits and soft plastics.
Bass Fishing
According to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, bass fishing has improved on Great Sacandaga Lake in recent years. This is especially true of smallmouth bass, which thrive in the rockier parts of the reservoir. Soft plastics and live bait on drop-shot rigs account for many of the smallmouths pulled from Sacandaga, but jigs, tubes, Senkos and shaky worms can be dynamite as well. Largemouth bass are fairly common too; they just prefer different types of habitat. Look for largemouths in areas with lots of weeds, or around boat docks, sunken timber and other woody cover.
Trout Fishing
Great Sacandaga’s cold-water fish include brook, brown, rainbow and lake trout. The DEC stocks 12,000 rainbow trout in the deeper sections of the lake every year. Trout spend their summers in the deepest water in which oxygen is available, and most trout fishermen choose to troll at this time of the year. In springtime, often right after ice-out, trout move shallow, and can often be caught on spinners, spoons, small crankbaits, salted minnows and live worms. Fly fishermen often find success as well.
Access
Great Sacandaga Lake is very accessible, and the DEC operates four boat launches around the lake. The best access may be at Northampton Beach State Campground, which offers a paved boat ramp in addition to ample shore access for fishermen.