Modern Housekeeping Cottages, that will Accommodate 6 People Furnished with Dishes, Pots/Pans, Cooking and Eating Utensils. Refrigerator/Freezer, Range, Microwave, Electric Coffee Maker, Hot and Cold Water, Electric Heat, Bath with Showers. Blankets and Pillows are Furnished. Bring your own Linens and Towels.

Black Lake Has Some Fantastic Duck Hunting and The State Wildlife Management maintains thousands of acres within an hours drive of Black Lake For Those Deer and Turkey Hunters.

Black Lake Has Some Terrific Ice fishing, Snowmobiling and Cross Country Skiing.

• Cable Color TV
• Boat Dockage
• Boat and Motor Rentals
• Pontoon Boats with 70HP Outboards
• Fish Cleaning Facility
• with Electric & Running Water

Besides Fishing, Boating, Waterskiing, or just Plain Relaxing, make Butter Nut Cove your hub for many other area activities and attractions;

• The Adirondack Mountains
• Alexandria Bay
• 1000 Islands
• St. Lawrence River
• River Boat Tours
• Antique Boat Museum
• Bella-Brooke Winery
• Ottawa, Ontario

all within in a two hour drive or less!

• Montreal, Quebec
• Remington Art Museum
• White Face Mountain
• Lake Placid
• 2 Casinos
• Hunting Preserves
• Sporting Clays

2538-A County Route 6
Hammond, New York 13646
315-778-4022

For Additional Information or Reservations fill out the form below.

For your convenience, Butter Nut Cove is open year round. Call or email ahead for Reservations, so we can make your stay with us as pleasant as possible

Check-In   2:00 PM
Check-Out   10:00 AM
Sorry, NO Pets

There is an ample supply of first rate facilities on Black Lake catering to the anglers every need. Excellent family run motels, campgrounds and cabin/cottage complexes, with all the modern conveniences, are located along the lake shore. You will find them to be very reasonably priced and many of them are listed on the accommodations page of this site.

Most of them offer boat and/or motor rentals. They are equipped with fish cleaning facilities and offer freezer space for the preservation of your cleaned catch. A free state maintained boat launching site and several public and private launches provide access for the fisherman or woman.

There are a number of public areas available for fishing from the shore.

Go Fishing, Of Course. Or visit one of our neighborhood markets for those little things you forgot. Ned’s General Store in Hammond has a deli, pizza, wings, subs, hand-dipped ice cream, sundaes and more.

Echos On The Lake located in the Village of Edwardsville, at the intersection of Black Lake Road and NY State Route 58, selling gasoline, beer, subs, pizza, also a propane exchange station.

Chapman’s Sport Shop, the Black Lake Mini-Golf & Ice Cream Stand, the Log Cabin bait/tackle, souvenir and gift shop and Lakeside Treasures and Marina are all located along Black Lake Road.

Black Lake, often referred to as “Nature’s Fish Hatchery”, is the largest and most diverse of the many Indian River lakes. Over 60 miles of shoreline combined with numerous islands, offers the angler all kinds of ideal fish habitats from rocky points and shoals, to sandbars, weed beds, shallows, and deep water up to 40 feet. Ever changing winds thoroughly mix the water to provide highly dissolved oxygen content which support all of the lakes life forms at peak levels. When coupled with an abundant food supply and the fact that Black Lake is relatively shallow and warm, conditions are right for an almost super-normal development of warm water game and panfish. Large bays, which support dense weed growths, provide subsequent shelter for the annual hatch of growing fish fry. Black Lake is completely void of industry. This explains the unpolluted water that provides the angler with an incredible fishery that the lake is and will continue to be. Black Lake has NO fish consumption advisories as found in so many other waterways.

The lakes most dominant game fish are the smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, crappie, and once again walleye.

Previous to 1960 Black Lake was noted as one of the country’s premier walleye lakes. The 60’s and 70’s saw a significant decline in the walleye population and in some opinions near extinction. Through the restocking and spawning ground rehabilitation efforts of the Black Lake Association, the Black Lake Fish and Game Club and the New York DEC the walleye situation has been reversed. Walleye in the 6-pound range are once again common and a few in the 9 pound range have also been caught. Late April the walleye stage spawning runs up both the Indian River and Fish Creek.

The black crappie, a non-native fish, was introduced to Black Lake in the 50’s. Their population has expanded and has made Black Lake one of the most popular crappie fisheries in the United States. After ice out in the early spring crappie can be found in shallow waters thru the entire lake as well as the lake tributaries.

Largemouth and smallmouth bass are especially abundant. In June 1998, Fish & Game Finder Magazine said “In June Black Lake brings about the best darned bassin’ any where in the Northeastern United States.” In the New York Fishing and Hunting News May 18th – June 1, 2000 issue Black Lake was rated #1 of the 10 best bass lakes in New York state. In the July, 2000 issue of New York Game and Fish Black Lake was rated as one of the top 5 best July bass lakes in New York state. In February, 2002 issue of New York Game and Fish Black Lake was rated as the best July largemouth bass lake in New York state. Black Lake was rated in the top 20 “Best Of The Best” of the nations “Bassin’s Great Lakes” in the February, 2002 issue of Sports Afield magazine. The average largemouth is 2 plus pounds and the average smallmouth is in the pound and a half range. Lunker bass in the 4 and 5 pound range are fairly common with 6 and 7 pound hawgs caught annually.

Northern pike have benefited the most by the introduction of the crappie. Northern of up to 10 to 15 pounds are quite common and 15-pound pike are caught regularly, especially thru the ice. N.Y. Sportsman April 2001 issue reported that Black Lake is a great all-round fishery, but it’s best feature is it’s year-round pike angling.

There are muskie in the lake but not in significant enough numbers for anglers to target them. Every year you will hear of a big one being caught.

Channel catfish can reach 25 pounds although most average in the 5 to 8 pound range. Bullhead are very common and it is not unusual to catch them in the 1 1/2 to 2 pound range. Immediately after ice out, the bullhead angler can be found at night or early morning along the shallow shorelines or in his boat in the shallow coves and bays.

Bluegill are also very common in the shallow waters of the entire lake. 8 or 9 inch, 3/4 to 1 pound gills are not uncommon.

Yellow perch are without a doubt the most abundant fish in the lake. They tend to run small, up to 7 or 8 inches. But 13 and 14 inch perch have been caught quite regularly. BLACK LAKE is quite literally a virtual Fish Factory.

HUNTING is another reason to travel to Black Lake. The Northern St. Lawrence County area of Upstate New York has some of the finest hunting that can be found in the entire United States.

Spring gobblers in May. Small Game, Turkey and Duck in September and early October. Big Game Archery season in September/October with Muzzleloader in October followed by Regular rifle. Thousands of acres of Wildlife Management Areas and State Forest lands are available just a short drive from Black Lake.

Fishing and Hunting License Fees

For additional information visit the NY DEC’s
Hunting License Information Page
OR
Complete Information can be found in the
New York State “Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide”
as published by the Department of Enviromental Conservation.
This guide is available wherever you purchase your NY Hunting License or by contacting the
Department of Enviromental Conservation
Region 6 Headquarters
317 Washington St., Watertown, NY 13601
315-785-2262

BLACK LAKE RATED IN TOP 5

Black Lake rated as one of the top 5 best July bass lakes in New York state. “These five top-rated bass waters provide consistent action for largemouth and smallmouth all summer.”

Black Lake was rated as the best July largemouth bass lake in New York state.

February 2002 Issue

Black Lake is a great all-round fishery, but it’s best feature is it’s year-round pike angling.

April 2001 Issue

Black Lake has been rated #1 of the 10 best bass lakes in New York state.

June 1998

BLACK LAKE RATED # 1

Black Lake has been rated #1 of the 10 best bass lakes in New York state.

May 18 – June 1, 2000 Issue

Contributing to the quality ice angling here are high populations of gamefish and panfish as well as a variety of prime fish-holding habitats.

January, 2002

Selective Harvest is harvesting only the fish you intend to use for food and releasing the rest of your catch unharmed. It implies that you understand your role in the environment as both a conservator and predator. Selective harvest means that you minimize the waste of fish whenever possible.

Selective harvest depends upon using catch and release techniques to land your fish. Using C&R techniques assures you that the fish will be in the best possible physical condition when you make the decision to harvest it for food or to release it.

Fish Are Good Food!

You can improve the taste and freshness of your catch by following a few simple steps:

• Quickly land and kill those fish you will keep. Extended fighting adversely affects the flavor of the meat. The longer a fish is played, the more lactic acid builds up in the muscle tissue. This adversely affects the ability of the fish to survive if it is released, or its taste and quality if frozen or preserved.
• Don’t let your catch flop about on rocks or in the bottom of your boat. Place your catch in a livewell or stun your catch with a sharp blow to the back of the head. Physical damage can occur to the muscle tissue while landing your catch. Fish have weaker connective tissue than other animals. Never handle a fish by the tail. Don’t drop or toss your fish. Use a landing net whenever possible.
• Bleed your catch immediately. Bleeding your catch protects the flavor and increases storage life. Bleeding eliminates waste products, removes oxygen that leads to spoilage, and decreases the number of bacteria in the flesh. Breaking or cutting a gill arch (the heart continues to pump after you have stunned the fish) will remove much of the blood from the flesh.
• Remove the gills and all blood and viscera from the body cavity. The internal organs contain millions of bacteria and numerous enzymes. Cleaning should be done immediately after killing and bleeding. Use a spoon or the back of your thumb to remove the kidney from along the spine. Use your thumb to gently push blood from between the ribs toward the spine.
• Ice your catch. Icing preserves the quality of the meat by delaying deterioration. Pack ice inside the body cavity to lower the core temperature quickly. Pack your catch in ice until you can get it into long-term storage. Freezing inhibits the growth of bacteria. By glazing your fish with ice and using vacuum packing when freezing, your catch can still be very palatable after several months in the freezer.
• KEEP ONLY WHAT YOU WILL USE. Selective harvest means that you keep what you will use and release the remainder of your catch unharmed. If a fish that is legal is bleeding from the gills or showing signs of undue stress, kill it and keep it as part of your bag limit. Because of size or bag limits, you may not be able to keep some fish that you think may die. Use tackle and lures that minimize the chance of injury to fish if you intend to release your catch. Avoid using bait if you are catching too many fish. Fish usually take bait more deeply than lures or flies. As you near the number of fish you can use and you want to keep fishing, switch to less effective tackle.

The restocking was done by the NYDEC and the Black Lake Fish & Game Association with the assistance of the Black Lake Association and numerous concerned individuals.

The following list reflects fish distribution for January 1 – December 31, 2002.

The following list reflects Black Lake fish stocking for January 1 – December 31, 2000.

The following list reflects Black Lake fish stocking for January 1 – December 31, 1999. The restocking was done by the NYDEC and the Black Lake Fish & Game Association with the assistance of the Black Lake Association and numerous concerned individuals.

The above information was taken from the NYDEC web page “Fish Stocking in New York”.

By DAVE SHEA, Sports Writer
As Published in the Ogdensburg Advance News, Sunday, August 26, 2006

EDWARDSVILLE – Bryce Rushbrook of Smithburg, MD. will long remember his first trip to Black Lake to enjoy the lake’s famed bass fishery.

While staying with his father, brother and uncle at the Black Lake Marine Cottages, Rushbrook caught his share of bass and experienced an angling thrill which might come only once in a lifetime. On July 28, while casting for bass, Rushbrook’s spinner bait was slammed by the largest predator in northeast waters, a trophy-sized muskellunge.

In the frenzied fight that followed, Rushbrook managed to land the 43-pound, 56-inch muskie on 12-pound line without a leader. The fishing party did not have a net large enough to accommodate the muskie’s size and strength but his uncle, Seth Narehood, managed to pull the fish, which approached 5 feet in length, into the boat.

The massive marauder is being mounted by Larry’s Taxidermy of Ogdensburg.

Dave Roll, who has managed Black Lake Marine’s for 12 years, encourages all anglers fishing on Black Lake to be equipped for the likelihood of encountering a muskie.

“In the 12 years we have been here I’ll bet there have been 35 or so people who have hooked onto muskies.” said Roll.

“The muskie is a very elusive fish so a lot of them have gotten away. But Bryce was pretty blessed to land his fish.”

And so was Ron Merinsky of Mahonoy City, Penn. who caught a 43 inch muskie while fishing off the dock at the Black Lake Marine’s basin Merinsky managed to land the fish after it broke his net.

The trophy tiger was also mounted by Larry Vielhauer and is now displayed at the Black lake Marine Tackle, Bait Shop.

“There is a channel in the lake out from our dock and the muskies seem to go there when it gets hot.” said Roll.

“And the seem to feed in the heat more than the northern pike do.”

Black Lake Beauty – Bryce Rushbrook of Smithburg, Md. (right), with the help of his uncle, Seth Narehood, hoists a 56 inch, 43-pound muskie which he caught in lack Lake on July 28. The huge fish was caught on 12-pound test line with no leader after hitting a spinner bait (Photo Provided Black Lake Marine). Click on photo for larger view