oneida lake ice fishing
While we are lucky in Central New York to have year round catch and release opportunities for trout with a fly rod, I enjoy jigging perch and walleye through the ice on Oneida Lake in the winter months as well. As safe ice allows, Oneida Lake is a great fishery that provides excellent numbers of perch and walleye, both of which are outstanding table fare.
All ages and angling experiences are welcome. A heated shanty, with hot coffee or hot chocolate, and trying to catch dinner is an excellent way to get outdoors in the winter and is great family fun.
trip details
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All gear is provided. Licenses are not provided, but are required for everyone ages 16 and up. Please purchase and have a print out, or a download, of your license readily available prior to the trip.
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Please dress appropriately. Warm winter clothes, waterproof boots, hats, gloves, and sunglasses are all highly recommended. Ice grippers for your boots are excellent to have.
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All trips are on foot. I do not utilize machines to get onto the ice. It is typically a half mile to a one mile walk out to fishing locations.
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half day trips - $350
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trips are 4 hours and for 1 - 3 people
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light snacks, coffee or hot chocolate, and water are included
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all gear is provided
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full day trips - $500
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trips are 7-8 hours and for 1 - 3 people
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coffee or hot chocolate, snacks, and water are included
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all gear is provided
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Groups of greater than 3 anglers are no problem. If your party has more than 3, please contact me for pricing.
Oneida Lake Ice Fishing Report and Update - Tuesday, February 16th, 2021
With cold temperatures over the weekend, the slush on the ice stiffened up, for the most part. There were still some rough areas of slush along the south shore. While we were spared from a huge amount of snow last night, I anticipate at little bit more slush in areas out there today as temperatures are a little above freezing. Ice thickness is anywhere from 7" - 13" of solid black ice with varying amounts of white and snow on top of it.
As for the fishing, it has been hot and cold at times with some finicky fish, as Oneida always is. Changing colors and changing sizes is important. Each school of fish we've found and each area we've fished has been a little different. If you're marking fish, but can't get them to commit, make a change. Keep rotating through until you find what they eat. Keep working different depths off the bottom and keep changing jigging motions and tactics until you find what that school wants. Be persistent and don't give up on a fish on the screen either. We played the cat and mouse game with the same fish 5 or 6 times this weekend before it finally took the bait. We marked fish pretty consistently, but needed to be on the move frequently to find active fish. Both perch and walleye (some nice keeper sized fish and a lot of shorts) made their way topside this weekend. We lost a couple solid fish as well.
As always, please be safe venturing onto the ice. Be safe and stay warm this week if you're heading out.
