The Great Sacandaga Native Fish Cookbook

Walleye

Great Sacandaga Lake has some fantastic Walleye fishing, whether looking for dinner, a trophy, or maybe even a full stringer of Walleye. Walleye are noted for being good to eat, and at times hard to locate. That’s why a guide is often needed to be successful when pursuing them, especially on the GSL.

Walleye filet is considered by gourmets to be among the best table fare.
More Info/Photos from Walleye wizard Guide Service

• Baked Walleye Fillets
• Camp-Style Walleye
• Grilled Walleye with Horseradish Sauce
• Walleye with Parmesan-Peppercorn Crust Fish Recipe
• Walleye Cakes

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The Great Sacandaga Lake has a good number of smallies, it has excellent bass structure throughout its length, producing some real nice fish. May, June, early July and then Fall produce the most action. However they can be caught all summer long on deep drops offs using jigs or drop-shot methods. Smallies are relatively easy to catch when shallow and their tackle busting ability is great for all ages. I would recommend a June or July trip for kids, the die-hard's can come anytime, and the real big ones are normally caught in fall.

Great Sacandaga is not noted for having allot of Large Mouth Bass, but they are there.
More Info/Photos from Walleye wizard Guide Service

• Smallmouth Bass with Garlic Butter, Chives and Mushrooms
• Baked Bass
• Bass With Avocado Sauce
• Bass 'N' Beer
• Bass Hash
• Cajun Fried Bass
• Fish Neapolitan
• Grilled Bass with Mango-Basil Relish
• Mexican Bass with Red Salsa and Olives
• Sesame-Seed Bass Fillets
• Stuffed Bass
• Grilled Smallmouth Bass Wrapped in Cornhusks

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Pike

Great Sacandaga Lake once produced the world record pike, 46pounds: it’s now the North American Record; However, it still produces some really big pike. While some over 20 pounds are caught each year it’s not a lake that produces pike in good numbers

May is a good time to find those monster pike, anchor in the right spot with a very large (8- 18”) sucker and wait for a cruising pike to take the bait. Casting the shoreline has its moments, and so does trolling large stick baits.
More Info/Photos from Walleye wizard Guide Service

• Baked Northern Pike
• Stuffed Pike in a Fresh Corn Cake Batter
• Steamed Pike with Dried Tomatoes, Pine Seeds, and Olive Oil
• Grilled Pike with Sauce
• Beer Batter, Pan-Fried Pike
• Baked Stuffed Pike

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Crappie

The GSL also holds some nice crappie (calico bass) if you can locate them. We manage to get a few in the spring, and then they disappear! Sunfish are spotty: some areas of the lake hold good numbers while others you never see one. Rock Bass can be a nuisance at times especially if you are using live bait and hoping for walleye.
More Info/Photos from Walleye wizard Guide Service

• Baked Crappie Recipe
• Fried Crappie Casserole Recipe
• Lemon Pepper Crappie Recipe
• Simple Oven-Crispy Crappies
• Stir-fry Crappie Recipe
• Blackened Crappie Fillet

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Perch

Great Sacandaga Lake has plenty of perch, and rock bass! Nice size perch are found throughout the lake, and the rock bass can be a problem at times, but always fun for the kids! You do not have to be a kid to enjoy catching and eating perch! Sometimes they’re harder to locate than walleye, but run a real nice size. I find May and then September/October the best time of the year to catch good numbers of perch.
More Info/Photos from Walleye wizard Guide Service

• Sauteed Lake Perch Recipe
• Pepper-Crusted Lake Perch in Red Wine Sauce
• French Style Roasted Perch With Fennel, Tomatoes and Wine Recipe
• Perch Fillet With Tomatoes and Onion

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Trout

The Rainbow population is excellent, thanks in part to the Great Sacandaga Lake Fisheries Federation, who annually stock the lake with good numbers of Rainbow. The rainbows start hitting in late May, peak in July, and another peak in the Fall. The most productive method is trolling with spoons, lures, and rigs with night crawlers. Drifting with live bait works, and so does anchoring at night. Early season they are shallow, by July rainbows seek out the colder water area near the thermo cline, and occasionally coming up shallower to feed. Rainbows aren’t hard to catch if you have the right equipment; such as down riggers, planer boards, dipseys, jet drivers, snap weights, or lead core line. Early in the season they are pretty much scattered all over the lake, but summer hot weather forces them to run deeper, and seek the deep holes. Each year in August some of the rainbows make a run up area creeks for oxygen, possibly feeding on bait fish and then in September they return to the Main GSL and excellent fishing can occur.
More Info/Photos from Walleye wizard Guide Service

• Lake Trout in Chablis Cream
• Sourdough-stuffed Trout
• Drunken Trout Recipe
• Pepper Trout with Honey Butter
• Simple Grilled Trout Recipe
• Racine Barbecued Lake Trout
• Trout Almondine Recipe
• Poached Brown Trout Recipe
• Trout & Mushrooms in Cream
• Lake Trout Marsala
• Steelhead with Wild Rice and Mushroom Sauce Recipe

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Carp

Carp you say? Yes carp, commonly called “ the poor man’s salmon”. They are very abundant in the GSL, seen around the docks all season long. Believe it or not some people find them quite sporting on light tackle or fly rod. Every now and then I do get requests to fish for them. Kids love to carp fish also, providing a good opportunity for kids to learn to properly fight a fish on rod and reel.

More Info/Photos from Walleye wizard Guide Service

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• Baked Carp
• Buttermilk Fried Carp Fillets
• Carp Cakes
• Carp Casserole
• Carp Chowder
• Carp with Endives, Cilantro, and Butter
• Carp in Beer
• Carp Roasted with Onion
• Carp Sausage

  Carp Stew
• Carp with Red Sauce

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Sauces

• Orange Sauce
• Lingonberry Sauce
• Red Raspberry Vinegar Sauce
• Shark Anchovy Butter Sauce
• Ponchatrain Crab/Shellfish Sauce
• Tarragon
• Orange Butter Sauce
• Mustard-Dill Sauce
• Seasoned Ginger-Lime Butter
• Seasoned Shallot Butter Sauce

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