A reciprocal agreement with Vermont permits New York-licensed anglers to fish the main and south portions of the lake, except for the Inland Sea, Malletts Bay and Missisquoi Bay in Vermont. Ice-fishermen may use two hand lines and 15 tip-ups. There is no size or daily limit on smelts, perch and sunfish, except for Cumberland Bay, where the limit is 50 perch and 50 sunfish.

Additional special border water regulations are in effect, so check the rulebook before wetting a line.

Lake Champlain is easily accessible from Interstate Route 87 and other routes such as 9N and 22. From there, the ice may be reached from parks and marinas. Public boat launches with parking lots are at Willsboro Bay on county Route 27, three miles north of Willsboro; at Westport on Route 22 in the village of Westport; at Ticonderoga on Route 74 at the ferry; at Port Henry off Route 9N in the village of Port Henry; at Port Douglas on county Route 16, three miles southeast of Keesville; and at Crown Point on Bridge Road off Route 9N, nine miles north of the Hamlet of Crown Point.

SARATOGA LAKE
Ice-fishermen at Saratoga Lake can count on a mixed bag, with plenty of weedy shallows harboring pike, bluegills and crappies, with walleyes and perch usually hanging at intermediate depths or near the bottom.

Jigging brightly colored dots enhanced with mousies or mealworms along the weedlines at Mannings Cove and Browns Beach is the recommended tactic for icing panfish. Spoons and live shiners will entice pike and pickerel in these areas.

The lake lies south of Saratoga Springs, with Route 9P tracing the east and south shores, and with several local roads reaching the western shoreline. Best access for ice-fishermen is the boat launch at the north end where Route 9P crosses Fish Creek.

FOURTH LAKE
One of the Fulton chain of lakes in Herkimer County, Fourth Lake provides North Country anglers with an excellent opportunity for midwinter trout and landlocked salmon, along with a bonus of yellow perch.

Set up for trout and salmon over sandbars 10 to 15 feet deep with scattered weeds nearby, such as the area off the east tip of Alger Island.

Because landlocks and rainbow trout may cruise at any depth, and lake trout hang near the bottom where bars shelves off into deeper water, it's best to cover an extended area with tip-ups baited with live minnows --five are permitted -- while jigging lures through the ice.

It's always a good sign when you start catching perch. This means you can get ready for a trout or salmon!

Fourth Lake is north of Old Forge, with state Route 28 running along the northwestern shore. A public launch provides access in the village of Inlet, at the north end.

ST. LAWRENCE RIVER
Lake of the Isles on Wellesley Island is a large embayment of the St. Lawrence River. But in the minds of fishermen, it's a separate and special place, one of the most popular ice-fishing locales in the state. Shallow, weed-filled and with almost no current, the "lake" provides plenty of habitat for bluegills, sunfish and crappies.