Hot Spots Claton, Alex Bay, and surrounding area?

[chandalen]

New boater to the area, was wondering if anyone knew of swim spots, boat gathering spots etc.

'Lake of the Isles' looks like it would be ideal, but wondering about depth to enter it?

American or Canadian side does not matter, but ideally 20 mile range from Alex Bay.

Thanks!

 

[joe and ali]

Hi, let me help you...
First off, it does matter whether you choose to hang-out/anchor on Canadian waters... if you do, which is beautiful, you must call into the Canadian border control to let them know you are anchoring out- otherwise, you may get a visit and a ticket!! Cruising is fine, but IF you stop to fish or anchor, you must let them know.
You might have to go to go Rockport (the closest point to Alex bay) to check in. Call 1-888-226-7277 - Canadian Immigration number for more info. Then you must check back in at Alex Bay... a pain, but nice parks and can be worth it. There are 24 Canadian Parks that encompass whole islands that are great to stay at, you can dock, moor or anchor- if you spend the night you have to pay. The day rate is cheap. They come around and collect/and they also have an honor system/box for you to pay. But you must check in over phone.

2nd- Lake of the Isles is very buggy for anchoring out over-night!!! You can get back there in your boat, but for sleeping at night, it is grassy and gets very buggy.

3rd- The best places we like to swim and/or anchor out are: Waterton State park, on the north side of Wellsley Island has 2 nice docks that are very popular- so go early in the morning or try weekdays; Potters Beach on the north side of Grindstone Island has a nice sand beach! Great swimming and kayaking here. Picton Island is a great spot, the bay is protected from the west wind. And we also like Canoe point and Picnic Point east side of Grindstone Island (refer to your charts for all these spots). some of the state parks you can also pitch a tent if you want.

Hope that helps you. If you have any more questions, we'll help.

 

[chandalen]

Thank you very much for the infomation! We did discover Picton Island, kinda by accident. Looked at the charts and scouted some likely spots. Managed to find some angry home owners who ran a cable line under the water, and were mad boats anchors were pulling it up. Im not an expert but I was pretty sure you just cant lay line yourself underwater... I'll search or post for that answer!

My wife and I both have passports, and our Marina manager warned us about the anchoring / fishing in Canadian waters. Said it was a 'border war' between the US and Canada, along the lines of each Country will remove the requirement to report in for fishing / anchoring (only) if the other Country does it first.

re: lake of the isles 'buggy' I am assuming you mean lots of flying / biting bugs?

Thanks for your assistance!!

 

[Toecutter]

I believe that border war has been at least smoothed over, if not ended. I read last summer that the American who got the outrageous fine, had been reimbursed by the CND Govt.
Here's a link to an article with some background.
http://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/...e-st-lawrence-fishing-and-tourism-112027.aspx

As a Canadian boating in these waters, i dont like seeing heavy-handed action like this (wouldn't we all prefer warnings first?), because there certainly can be cases of mistaking your position on the water. Plus the reality is, that almost all of us are not going boating for nefarious reasons in foriegn territory. That being said, I do understand why the rules exist, and gladly play by them. The ability to cross the border is too precious a privilege to abuse, and for the few minutes it takes to either call in or visit a reporting station, it's not that much of a bother.

Did you find yourself some nice places to visit last summer? The Lake of the Isles is a great spot to enjoy some 'quieter' water when the channels are busy, and it warms up a lot quicker than the river, enabling early season swimming. There should be plenty of water at the entrance near Rockport for pretty much anyone. I used to have a 95 25' Sundancer, and could take it through the International Rift at the entrance between Wellesley and Hill islands, passing under the border station.
If you get your self checked in to the Canadian side, the park islands are a great place to visit for a day or night. Rockport has at least one restaurant on the water, and Caiger's Resort is just east of there.....great food, and good entertainment in the evenings on the weekends.
Heading west, Ivy Lea has Smuggler's which has good food, but don't be in a hurry.
A little further upriver is The Ivy, an upscale restaurant on the water. Docks are awesome here, lots of them, and lots of water. Atmosphere is a little on the stuffy side though....look around to see if Mr. and Mrs. Howell are there.
Head west another half a mile and you will see the Glenhouse Resort/ Restaurant tucked away in a shallow cove. Shouldnbe enough water most times of the year, just have someone keep watch over the bow on the way in. Good food here, and if you want to bring the clubs, you can play a round. There are rooms here to rent if you need to get off the boat for a night.
The next town upriver is Gananoque. There is a big municipal marina here where you can dock up for free for a fee hours and walk around town, get an ice cream cone, or visit one of the many restaurants offered.
Across the water from Gan is the Canuck version of
Potter's Beach, a beautiful sandy anchorage on the west side of Leek/Thartway Island. Great place to spend the day, swim, people/boat watch...like Pottr's, a very popular spot. If you stay overnight, be prepared to possibly wake up to a windy, wavy morning.
All around this area are some scenic channels in and around the islands....this is the heart of the 1000 Islands. It's always fun just to go for a cruise and enjoy the beauty.

Anyways, hope this helps!