More Rollins Pond Pictures

Here are a few more pictures from our camping trip. The weather turned rainy and cold, but it was still enjoyable. One of the best parts of the last couple days was taking a long Kayak trip and running into two river otters that played next to the kayaks for a while.

Floodwood Mountain and Exploring

Today we took a ride to climb a mountain we have not climbed before. We hiked Floodwood Mountain which is the mountain we could see from our campsite. The hike was about two miles each way and was surprisingly steep for the last half mile. At the summit we were rewarded with great views of Saranac Lake and the High Peaks region. Having lunch on the top of a mountain with great views and nobody else around for miles is an amazing experience. On the way back from the hike we came across a buck that was feeding on the side of the trail. We watched the deer for a while and then went on our way.

After the hike we took a drive to the fish hatchery where they raise the atlantic salmon for release aound New York State. The hatchery was nice and feeding the salmon was very cool.

On the way back to the campground we stopped along the road and were rewarded with great views of distant mountains and a loon swimming near shore.

After dinner we fished again but were more focused on the wildlife and the scenery. We witnessed a beaver cutting down trees and saw some more loons.

Day of Kayaking and Fishing 7/16

Today we slept in and then had great breakfast of bacon and eggs cooked over the fire.

We then loaded the kayaks and took off down the channels to the remote ponds in the area. We fished along the way and caught tons of small panfish and a few bass. The scenery was beautiful as there were very few other people and the shorelines were undeveloped. We took a break from kayaking and ate lunch on a small island. While eating lunch, a couple of loons appeared close to our picnic area, so we jumped into the kayaks and tried to get closer for a picture.

On our trip we ended up in the middle of nowhere and found a small beach and a trail that led to a canoe outfitter called St. Regis Outfitters that runs backcountry canoe trips deep in to the St. Regis Ponds Area.

We returned to camp and rested for a while before heading back out on the kayaks to do some more fishing. As were fishing, the eagle flew over for a return visit. Next, we came across a small doe that was eating plants along the shore. We took the kayaks quietly closer and were amazed that we could get within 15 feet of the deer without it getting scared and running off.

Arriving at Rollins Pond 7/15

On Sunday we arrived at Rollins Pond Campground in the Adirondack State Park. Our site for the week was number 253, which was at the end of the campground and was very quiet. The site was large and had a great view of the sunset and Floodwood Mountain. After setting up our home for the week, we took a four mile hike on a trail near our site. The trail ended at a mountain stream that contained small brown trout. Back at the site we fished for a while and caught panfish and some small largemouth bass. While fishing, the highlight of the day was seeing a bald eagle fly low over our heads (unfortunately we could not get the camera in time). My mom and Mike arrived at around 8:00 and we helped them get settled in. The day ended with a nice dinner cooked over the fire and playing cards.

Fishing with Kelley and Shannon

On Tuesday night, we took Kelley and Shannon out on the lake for an evening of fishing. While Kelley had done this many times as a child, this was Shannon's first attempt at salmon fishing. While it was over 90 degrees and humid at home, it was absolutely beautiful on the water. We talked, relaxed, enjoyed the surroundings, but mostly really hoped that Shannon would hook into a big king. We got our wish... after a while the rod went off and line was screaming from it. Scott handed the rod to Shannon and the fight was on. We weren't sure who was going to win for a while, but Shannon landed what he called the biggest fish he had ever seen in his whole life. It was about a 15 pound king with a large lamprey attached to its side. Scott unhooked the fish and removed the lamprey with pliers. After a few pictures, it was time to dispose of the lamprey. It wiggled free of the pliers and started flopping around on the floor of the boat. Before we knew it, Shannon was perched up on the side of the boat while Kelley and I laughed hysterically. It was a lot of fun, and Shannon can't wait to get back out.

This morning was another beautiful morning on Lake Ontario. We got a little bit of a late start and launched around 6:00. The lake was beautiful and we had it to ourselves most of the morning. We started fishing in 80 feet of water and worked our way out to 140. The temperature was down deeper than recently and our fish came at about 65 to 70 feet of water.

The fishing on the lake out of Sandy Creek continues to be very good. We got out this morning for a couple of hours and did real well. The Salmon seem to be in 80- 110 feet of water anywhere from 45-60 feet down. We have been catching browns, steelhead, and kings. The highlight of today was fighting two large kings in three foot waves with boats everywhere and no one to drive the boat. We managed to control the boat and the fish and landed both beautiful fish.

Update

It has been a long time since I updated the blog so I will try to include some of what we have been doing recently. The fishing has been fairly good and is getting better. For about a week we were catching some real nice browns and a few steelhead, but we could not find the salmon. The highlight of that time was a 14 pound brown that was short and looked like it swallowed a beach ball (still waiting on the picture from Rick).

We took a day and went down to Sullivan's cabin. Sully had a blast in the ponds chasing anything she could find including the bobbers we were trying to fish with. We later went to the Conservation Club (without Sully) and caught hundreds of bluegill and a few nice bass. Carolynne won the prize for the most fish as well as the biggest fish with a largemouth that weighed close to three pounds.

When we returned from the cabin, we spent time at Hamlin Beach campground and took Mike out for an evening trip. In three hours, Mike landed 4 steelhead and 2 kings. The biggest king was as we were trolling back in and was about 2o pounds.