Photo by Pete Maina.

The waters of the St. Lawrence River are legendary when it comes to muskie fishing. The 112-mile river, separating New York and Canada, is often touted as the best trophy muskie fishery in New York -- and for good reason. Fifty-inch-plus fish surpassing 40 pounds are routinely taken from its waters every year, from the heart of the Thousand Islands in Clayton to the upper reaches of the river in Massena.

Just ask Jeff L. Gardner of Richfield Springs. While fishing the St. Lawrence for walleyes last June near Louisville, Gardner hooked into a massive 55-pound, 6-ounce muskie on 10-pound-test line. Close to two hours later, Gardner had it boated.

"It's the biggest fish I've ever caught. It really is a fish of a lifetime," said Gardner, who has fished the St. Lawrence for many years and caught other muskies, but none even close to the size of his latest monster.

For good reason, muskies are known as the "fish of 10,000 casts." They are tough to find, hard to hook and once on the line, they are fierce fighters.

Don Lucas of Massena, N.Y., is one of those who are driven to catch the elusive fish on his home water of the St. Lawrence. He's fished for them for over 40 years, and on one trip, he caught seven muskies in one day.

Lucas said that unless you have scouted the St. Lawrence and know the prime feeding areas, these large predators could be difficult to locate.

"It's such a big expanse of water. The muskie fishing is excellent if you know the areas."

To find muskies, he said to search for transitional structure on your depthfinder or look for schools of baitfish. "Fish where you have proximity to different depths and types of structure," he advised. "On a bright sunny day, muskies tend to go deeper, and then move into shallower water to feed."

An example of transitional structure is the sandbar located several hundred yards from where the Oswegatchie River meets the St. Lawrence in the city of Ogdensburg.

Anglers fish the depths along the sandbar for muskies that suspend there while feeding on baitfish. The fish have structure -- the sandbar -- to cling to, a deep dropoff to venture into and a large expanse of water in which to find prey.

That's why for some anglers, the only time to fish for muskies are the fall months. That's when they'll start to congregate in certain areas, mainly those that hold transitional cover and large schools of baitfish. With quantities of baitfish, you can bet that muskies will be nearby.

Steve Litwhiler, spokesman for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Region 6, said that the St. Lawrence is full of muskie prey: White and redhorse suckers up to 7 pounds provide the perfect diet for the big game fish.

St. Lawrence River muskies also feed on yellow perch and other panfish, bullheads, alewives and even smallmouth bass.

The entire river holds muskies, but some areas are better than others. Popular muskie-fishing spots include 40-Acre Shoal in Alexandria Bay, American Island in Morristown, the sandbar and the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge in Ogdensburg, the islands near Waddington and the water near the Robert Moses Power Dam in Massena.

Due to the St. Lawrence River's immense size, trolling a large minnow bait is popular among muskie anglers because it can cover more water and increase the chances of a hookup.

There are plenty of access points to fish this river. Public boat launches are at Clayton, Alexandria Bay, Hammond, Lisbon, Chippewa Bay, Morristown, Ogdensburg, Waddington, Coles Creek, Wilson Hill, and Massena.

TROLLING IS THE KEY
Due to the St. Lawrence's immense size, trolling a large minnow bait is popular among muskie anglers because it can cover more water and increase the chances of a hookup.

"Trolling is the most productive method because you can fish over different holding areas," said Lucas. "I seem to be more successful when I cover more water."

When he trolls, Lucas uses four muskie rigs -- one off each side of the boat, and two off the back. This setup allows him to put out as many lures as possible while keeping the number of foul-ups to a minimum.

Lucas likes to have at least two plugs go through what he calls "clean water" that is not affected by the prop wash of the boat, which could spook feeding muskies, especially in the clear water of the St. Lawrence River.