Fort Drum

I arrived on 1 June 2020 and drove through areas of civil unrest to reach Fort Drum and a 14 day quarantine. Fishing has kept me sane during this period of National Crisis.

The lake on post is Remington Lake. Its a catch and release lake with a large population of Large Mouth Bass. Also found in Remington Lake are Crappie and panfish.

Note that in New York, Bass Season begins on the 3d Saturday in June. Targeting Black Bass is a violation even if its for catch and release. Good thing troopers on Fort Drum have this resource to enjoy but you need a New York State fishing license. Out of state license is $50.00 a year. Active Duty Military get a major break on the price: https://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6097.html

Remington Lake has docks around the lake for easy shore fishing. The kayak launch may be the worst one I’ve used on an active Military base, but its worth the trouble.

A lot of smaller bass make up the population but there are some big ones.

Kayak fishing is the best way to get to the bigger fish. If you live on post, its an easy drive and they are always biting every evening.

Remington Lake has a very nice play ground and swimming area. The north shore has cabins for rent through MWR but I am told they are hard to get. Tent camping is also available on the south shore side.

Lakes in the Jefferson County and Lewis County have very healthy populations of Bass (Large and Small Mouth), Crappie, Northern Pike, Muskie. Most of these lakes have shore lines that are private property with cabins and summer homes. The bigger lakes have heavy speed boat traffic (Bonaparte Lake). Smaller lakes with less recreational traffic are excellent (Payne Lake & Red lake) Following post will detail each. The map below shoes the lakes with public launches.

A great resource for fishing in Jefferson or Lewis Counties is the NY DEC http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/51581.html