Photo by Ron Sinfelt

By J. Michael Kelly

Depending on the attitude of spouse and kids, a dedicated angler might be delighted or full of dread at the prospect of an upcoming vacation. Let's face it, the family tags along on most summer getaways, and if Dad hopes to squeeze a few hours of fishing into the itinerary, he'd better make sure that Mom and the kids get their rightful share of quality time, too.

In some states, finding a productive lake or stream near swimming beaches, amusement parks and other diversions for non-fishing relatives is a daunting challenge. Here in New York, however, fishing hotspots and popular tourist attractions often are within walking distance of each other. Any Empire State angler with an ounce of organizational skills should be able to draft a travel game plan that satisfies the entire family.

To get Game & Fish readers started, here's a roundup of some our state's best family fishing destinations:

You'll feel like kicking off your shoes, Huck Finn-style, if you fish from shore near Lock 9 at Rotterdam, as many local anglers do. Alternately, you could float a boat at one of the nine public launches in Montgomery and Schenectady counties.

The location of these launches, and how to negotiate the canal locks in between, can be gleaned from the Lower Mohawk River Fishing Guide, a free pamphlet available from the Department of Environmental Conservation's Region 4 fisheries office, (607) 652-7366.

The Mohawk also flows through history, and one should not leave the valley without sampling its heritage. One of the more compelling museums in the area is at the National Shrine of North American Martyrs in Auriesville. Of course, save time for a side trip to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, about an hour's drive from St. Johnsville.

Arrowhead Marina and RV Park at (518) 382-8966, east of Amsterdam, is a good place to stay on the river. For a brochure listing other lodging possibilities, call the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce at (518) 842-8200.

In order to connect with such fish, a summer visitor must negotiate a couple of hurdles. First, there's a modest fee (depending on boat size, but generally under $25) for a launching permit. The money, payable at local marinas, goes into a fund that the Lake George Park Commission uses for its environmental programs.

More of an annoyance, perhaps, is the heavy boat traffic on the lake during the summer vacation period. Take heart in the fact that Lake George covers more than 28,000 surface acres. You can find a quiet cove if you look hard enough.

Nor is there any shortage of things for non-fishing family members to do in the region. Vacationers headquartered in or near Lake George Village can hike, swim, shoot a round of golf or go horseback riding at a local dude ranch. Those who simply wish to relax might plop down in a folding chair at the DEC's Rogers Rock campsite at the north end of the lake.

Area accommodations and activities are spelled out in brochures published by the Warren County Tourism office at (518) 761-6366. When you call, be sure to ask for a copy of the Grand Slam Fishing booklet.

A family that pitches a tent at the DEC's Saranac Lake Islands campsite will be in the heart of the action. The campground is off Route 3 about three miles southwest of the village.

When the fish aren't biting, you might go hiking, play a round of golf, or take the little ones to visit Santa Claus at the North Pole in nearby Wilmington.

The Franklin County Tourism office, at (518) 483-6788, can help you find non-camping accommodations.

The fishing in the Old Forge area is amazingly diverse, for the village is perched at the western end of the Fulton Chain of Lakes. Each of those bodies of water, which are consecutively named First Lake, Second Lake, Third Lake and so on, holds a healthy mix of game fish and panfish species. The most productive fishing holes in the chain are Fourth Lake and Seventh Lake. Fourth Lake boasts of five different salmonids - landlocked salmon, brook, brown, lake and rainbow trout - and also offers vacationers the prospect of excellent largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing. Seventh Lake also holds plenty of bass, along with rainbows, lakers, landlocks and splake (brookie-laker hybrids).

State boat launches along Route 28 make Fourth and Seventh Lake a breeze to access, and the Old Forge KOA campground, at (315) 369-6011, is a perfect place to park a trailer.

The 16 of the 18 lakes that are open to the public have thriving populations of game fish, but tend to be overlooked by vacationers because of their proximity to the better-known upper St. Lawrence River and eastern Lake Ontario. The only one that sustains heavy fishing pressure is Black Lake, which, at 10,000 acres, is big enough to take it.

The rest of the lakes in the chain vary from 115 to 1,050 acres. All of these fishing holes are within a few minutes' drive of Interstate 81.

Lake of the Woods, Sixberry and Millsite lakes are deep enough to sustain some big lake trout. Butterfield, Crystal, Red, Clear, Grass and Pleasant lakes all have smallmouths in good numbers, plus some jumbo yellow perch; while Black, Mud, Muskellunge, Yellow, Hyde, Moon and Payne lakes feature fishing for largemouths and northern pike.

A DEC Region 6 booklet, Guide to Fishing Indian River Lakes, features contour maps for the entire chain, along with a rather sketchy map of access sites. Call the agency's Watertown office at (315) 785-2261 to obtain a copy.

Family activities in the vicinity include a trip to Watertown's Thompson Park Zoo, a St. Lawrence boat cruise and pie- and quilt-buying expeditions to local Amish farms.

Several state campgrounds are scattered along Route 12 between Clayton and Morristown. For a list of accommodations closer to the Indian Lakes system, contact the 1000 Islands-Clayton Area Chamber of Commerce at (800) 252-9806.

Oneida's growing reputation as a bass factory was enhanced in early October during a storm-abbreviated two-day tournament on the lake. The winning catch consisted of 10 smallmouths with a combined weight of 32 pounds, 9 ounces.

Vacationers can easily get in on the action because Oneida Lake is one of the most accessible bodies of water in the state. It is about 15 miles north of Syracuse via Interstate 81 and has three state boat launches and more than two dozen fee marinas around its 54.7 miles of shoreline.

Camping is available at the Ta-Ga-Soke campgrounds, at (800) 831-1744, which is about 2 1/2 miles from the lakeshore village of Sylvan Beach.

Family members who tire of fishing Oneida can take side trips to the Boxing Hall of Fame in nearby Canastota, the Burnet Park Zoo in Syracuse, and the Fort Stanwix living-history museum in Rome.

Either the Oswego County Tourism office at (315) 349-8322 or the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce at (315) 470-1800 can point readers to other area attractions.