There is a particular pleasure in fishing from the same dock you drink your coffee on. Lake Flower sits at the front door of Colden Lodge, and from there you are connected to Oseetah, Kiwassa, Lower and Middle Saranac and the Saranac River, a system of more than fifty miles of navigable water.
What is swimming out there
Lake Flower and Oseetah are shallow, weedy and full of structure, which makes them excellent northern pike and smallmouth bass water. Guests regularly pick up bass along the rocky drop-offs and pike out of the weed edges on a spinnerbait or a large soft plastic.
Move up the chain and the character changes. Lower and Middle Saranac hold smallmouth, northern pike and walleye, while Upper Saranac is the deep, cold one known for lake trout and landlocked salmon. Brook trout live in the smaller ponds and feeder streams for anglers who like to walk to their fishing.
Fishing straight from the property
The dock is a good spot at dawn and dusk. Work a topwater along the shoreline in summer evenings, or drop a jig into the deeper channel water and be patient.
There is a boat slip and a kayak at the property, so you can drift the near shoreline without ever loading a trailer. If you prefer a bigger boat, there are launches and marinas within a few minutes of the lodge and outfitters in the village who rent by the day.
Licences and rules
Anyone sixteen and older needs a New York State fishing licence. You can buy one online from the Department of Environmental Conservation or in person at sporting goods shops and town offices in the area, and it takes about five minutes.
Seasons, size limits and daily catch limits vary by species and by water body, and the DEC updates them, so read the current regulations for the Northern Zone before your first cast. Many local anglers here practise catch and release for the bigger fish.
Winter on the ice
When the lakes lock up, the village heads out with augers, tip-ups and shanties. Ice fishing on Lake Flower and Oseetah is a social sport here, and pike and perch are the usual targets.
Never trust ice you have not checked, and ask locally about current conditions before you walk out. Then come back to a crackling fire pit and the kind of hunger only a cold day produces.
Good to know
- Best light is the first two hours after sunrise and the last two before dark.
- Bring polarised glasses; the weed edges on Lake Flower and Oseetah are easy to read once glare is gone.
- Barbecue grill, fire pit and full kitchen are on site if you decide to keep a legal fish for dinner.
- Check current DEC regulations before you fish; they change season to season.
