LAKE ERIE
For excellent perch fishing, with an occasional run of lunker walleyes, many Buffalo-area ice-fishermen head for Lake Erie at Sturgeon Point, where there is good public access.

While the fishing off Sturgeon Point can be productive, it is often two to three miles to the 50-foot depths of the "perch grounds," which means that a snowmobile or 4-wheeler is a necessity.

Perch schools often hold along the same ledges and dropoffs as in the spring and fall, according to local experts, who recommend fishing northwest of Sturgeon Point toward the Evans-Angola Bar.

Ice conditions can be treacherous due to Niagara River currents. The ever-present west wind often breaks and moves large chunks of ice. Caution is extremely important here.

Chautauqua Lake is a better choice if there are any doubts about ice conditions.

Sturgeon Point lies at the end of Sturgeon Point Road off Route 5.

More information is available on the New York Department of Environmental Conservation's Web site at www.dec.ny.gov.

Also try the DEC's regional offices in Stamford at (607) 652-7366, in Warrensburg at (518) 623-1200, in Watertown at (315) 785-2261, in Cortland at (607) 753-3095, in Avon at (585) 226-2466 and in Allegany at (716) 372-0645.