ST. LAWRENCE RIVER
Fishing for northern pike in the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence isn’t as good today as it was 10 or 15 years ago. But it’s still one of the better spots in the state, and perhaps the entire Northeast, to catch a limit of the water tigers. And though the river isn’t known for monster pike, individual fish measuring between 30 and 36 inches are reasonably common.

Just keep in mind that many of the better spots for catching northerns are on the Canadian side of the river, where you’ll need a Province of Ontario fishing license.

As on many other pike waters, anglers enjoy easy fishing in the St. Lawrence in May, just after the season opens. By July, however, the bigger fish are usually scattered 20 to 40 feet down, and you’ll have to hunt for them. Clayton guide Bauer, at (315) 686-2122, generally gives each spot he visits five or 10 minutes to produce. If there’s nothing doing in that amount of time, he moves on in search of active, feeding fish. He speeds up his search by focusing on mid-river shoals and island points and ledges that slope quickly toward deep-water weeds.

Bauer and other river guides have their secret spots, of course. But places that have earned a widespread reputation for summer pike include Button Bay, on the south side of Wolfe Island and due north of Cape Vincent; the trench off Eel Bay, on the west side of Wellesley Island; and the dropoff just east of Cedar Island in Chippewa Bay.

Between the public marinas, state parks and fee-launch ramps, visitors to the Thousand Islands have literally dozens of places to put their boats in the water. Among them -- from west to east -- are the municipal ramp in Cape Vincent, off Route 12E; Cedar Point State Park, midway between the Cape and Clayton on Route 12E; Grass Point State Park, east of Fishers Landing via Route 12; and Kring Point State Park, off Route 12 east of Alexandria Bay.

Stop at the 1000 Islands Bait store in Alexandria Bay and ask for a good map or two of the upper river. Or order one in advance of your trip from Fishing Hot Spots, at 1-800-338-5957.

The Hot Spots maps -- the series breaks the upper St. Lawrence into three sections -- show all boat launches on the American side and also pinpoints many of the more productive pike-fishing locations in the river.

For advice on lodging and other amenities, contact the Clayton area Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-252-9806; or the 1000 Islands International Council, which is listed above.

UPPER CHATEAUGAY LAKE
If you’d like to try your hand in an out-of-the-way lake that doesn’t get much attention from summer tourists, Upper Chateaugay Lake might be just the place.

To find the lake, follow U.S. Route 11 across the northern part of the state to the village of Malone in Franklin County. From there, continue east through the village of Chateaugay, and then turn right onto Route 374. A state boat launch will be about 12 miles ahead on the right.

Rich Preall racks up plenty of pike by fan-casting with buzzbaits in white or chartreuse, cranking the noisy lures over and just under the surface at a moderate speed.

Upper Chateaugay Lake is one of two large back-ups on the Chateaugay River -- Lower Chateaugay Lake being the other -- that offer some surprisingly good summer fishing. Spanning 2,594 surface acres, the upper lake is about five times the size of the lower lake, and also has a more diversified and exciting sport fishery.