Arctic Lake is a 60 acre recreation reservoir located in Oquaga Creek State Park in the Town of Sanford, Broome County. It is relatively steep sided with cobble and gravel along most of the shoreline. Oquaga Creek and another small tributary enter the reservoir at the north end.
Physical Features:
Elevation: 1,500 feet
Area: 60 acres
Shoreline Length: 1.4 miles
Length: 0.49 miles
Maximum Depth: 32 feet
Town: Sanford
Aquatic Plant Life:
Significant rooted aquatic vegetation in the northern section of the lake.
Access:
Oquaga Creek State Park. Shore access and hand launch. Boat rental.
Fish Species:
Rainbow trout, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed sunfish, yellow perch, brown bullhead, white sucker, golden shiner and alewife.
Fishing:
The rainbow trout fishery is a "put-and-take" fishery with little summer holdover. Most anglers target them in early spring shortly after they are stocked. During the summer months, anglers would likely catch largemouth bass and pumpkinseed sunfish.
Regulations:
Statewide Fishing Regulations Apply.
Fisheries Management:
Arctic Lake is stocked annually with approximately 2,500 year-old rainbow trout.
Fisheries Survey:
A nighttime electrofishing survey was conducted on Arctic Lake in May of 2012. This small two-story lake is home to a population of state-stocked rainbow trout, as well as numerous largemouth bass and pumpkinseed. Yellow perch, alewife, white sucker, brown bullhead and golden shiners round out the prey base and fishery opportunities. About 20 years ago the yellow perch population was considered stunted, and walleye were introduced as an additional predator. Walleye were last surveyed in 1996, and the largemouth bass population has increased substantially in the intervening years. In about 1.5 hours of nighttime electrofishing, we caught 273 largemouth bass, ranging from 3 in to 20 in. The bass were in good condition and had an average length of about 11 in. Walleye were not caught in our survey, although there are occasional reports from anglers. No management changes are proposed as a result of this survey.
