Most anglers jig dots and other small ice lures baited with mousies, mealworms or goldenrod grubs, although some will use small minnows under tiny bobbers.

Expect plenty of company on the ice, especially on weekends -- often you'll be able to skim the overnight ice off someone else's holes without have to drill new ones.

Lake of the Isles is reached from I-81. Cross the Thousand Islands Bridge to Wellesley, and then take Exit 52 and Island Road to De Wolf Point State Park.

Setting tip-ups baited with shiners for pike along the weedlines in bays is still a midwinter tradition throughout the Thousand Islands region, although catches have diminished in recent years. Clayton is considered the center of pike fishing these days, but off routes 12E and 12, there are a number of other opportunities including Burnam Point, Cedar Point, Grass Point and Keewaydin state parks.

LAKE ONTARIO
The many bays and backwaters, some of them inland lakes, along Lake Ontario's shore offer a world of ice-fishing opportunities.

These are some of the more productive hotspots:

The Golden Triangle is a local name sometimes given to a complex of bays at the mouth of the Black River including Chaumont Bay, Guffin Bay and Henderson Bay.

With relatively shallow water surrounded by peninsulas and points and many islands and shoals, the ice-fishing targets here are pike, perch and panfish. Jigging is the most popular technique, although tip-ups are frequently utilized for pike.

This region lies west of Watertown, with routes 3 and 12 leading to the shoreline. Westcott Beach State Park provides access to Henderson Bay, and Chaumont and Guffin bays are reached from Long Point State Park on Point Peninsula. Take North Shore Road from Route 12E across the isthmus to State Park Road.

Sandy Pond, also called North Pond, is a large, shallow bay at the east end of Lake Ontario in Oswego County. Ice-fishermen usually target pike and perch here, although good populations of bluegills and sunfish and crappies are also present.

Sandy Pond lies north of Pulaski. Take I-81, Exit 36, to Route 13 and proceed westerly through the village to Route 3. Then turn north for about five miles to the intersection of county Route 15. Turn west to reach a small commercial center where most anglers begin fishing.

There are no public access sites here, although marinas that are closed for the season, restaurants and the like usually allow parking.

Sodus Bay is the center of ice-fishing activity on the south shore of Lake Ontario, a favorite destination for Rochester-area fishermen. Conditions here are varied, from plenty of weed-filled shallows leading to deeper water with gentle dropoffs and structure along the west side of Eagle and Newark islands.

Fishing off points extending out from shore is recommended for pike, perch and panfish.