North and South Sandy Pond are located four miles west of the town of Sandy Creek in Oswego County. North Sandy Pond is basically a large bay off from Lake Ontario. The ponds are separated from Lake Ontario by the Sandy Pond Beach Natural Area, a unique barrier beach system consisting of a sand beach, dunes and wetlands.
Physical Features:
North Pond
Elevation: 574 feet
Area: 2,400 acres
Length: 3.6 miles
Shoreline Length: 14.9 miles
Maximum Width: 2.1 miles
Maximum Depth: 13 feet
County and Town: Oswego County, Town of Sandy Creek
South Pond
Elevation: 574 feet
Area: 295 acres
Length: 1 mile (South)
Shoreline Length: 4.3 miles
Maximum Width: 0.5 miles (South)
Maximum Depth: 25 feet (South)
County and Town: Oswego County, Town of Sandy Creek
Aquatic Plant Life:
North Sandy Pond, with its shallow average depth has very good weed growth throughout the pond. South Sandy Pond has good weed growth along its shore line and in the backset areas.
Access:
From State Route 3, take Stanley Drive to Doreen Drive. Hard surface ramp.
North and South Sandy Pond can also be accessed through private boat launches and marinas found around the ponds. Lake Ontario can also be accessed through a channel in North Sandy Pond.
For more information on these launches including Google Maps driving directions, visit the Boat Launch Sites for Oswego County page.
Accessible Features
From the Doreen Drive Parking Area, wheelchair accessible features include the:
- Trailered boat launch with dock
Visit the DEC Accessible Recreation Destinations web page for additional accessible recreation opportunities.
Fish Species:
Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, pumpkinseed sunfish, bluegill, black crappie, white perch, yellow perch, common carp, bowfin, longnose gar, round goby, and brown bullhead. Chinook salmon and steelhead can also be found in the pond seasonally.
Fishing:
Little Sandy Creek flows into North Sandy Pond and receives a fall run of Chinook salmon and a spring run of steelhead. These fish must pass through the pond to get to the stream, so they can be caught in the pond on occasion. Main forage fish for the ponds are young of the year yellow perch, golden shiner and round goby.
North Sandy Pond is a very popular bass fishing location with many local bass fishing tournaments held there each season, as largemouth bass are abundant and grow large in the ponds. Ice fishing for northern pike and yellow perch is very popular on the ponds with northern pike up to fifteen pounds being caught each year; pike can also be caught throughout the open water season. Walleye fishing is usually best in the spring before the aquatic vegetation gets too dense.
For current fishing information visit the weekly Central New York Fishing Hotline or by calling 607-753-1551.
Regulations:
Lake Ontario and Tributaries Regulations Apply.
Special Regulations
Fisheries Management:
The Ponds are not stocked.
