Fishing Will be More Difficult on One Saratoga County Lake

If you want to take out a kayak or go fishing in Saratoga County, be aware that one popular pier and launch site is closed this summer.

The Town of Ballston was forced to close down the public walkway and fishing pier suffered severe damage over the winter, deeming the structure unsafe. The Town posted a statement on their official website:

The Building Inspector has closed the fishing pier due to winter ice damage and decay of the structure.

The dock, located on the north end of the lake, has been a popular spot for fishers and boaters to launch canoes, rowboats and kayaks for a day on the lake. But with the structure shut down, it's not possible.

The Town's Deputy Supervisor Joseph Whalen told the Daily Gazette:

The walkway at the very end to where you go onto the fishing pier is dangerous and has structural issues, so we closed it. It’s unfortunate that it can’t be used.

Currently a plywood board sits at the entrance to the pier, blocking off the rest of the dock.

Recently the boarded up dock was hit by vandals. Town Supervisor Eric Connolly told News 10:

A few weeks ago we had some vandals disconnect the fishing platform by pulling out the ramp connector pins. They also dumped the ramp into the lake. We recovered the ramp and had the dock company come by to secure the platform in a more permanent fashion.

After the vandalism, the town intends to speed up plans to get the dock replaced. The cost is around $250,000, but red tape and supply chain issues could cause further delay.

In the meantime, the town says anyone wishing to use the lake can use the launch across from Finnigan's Restaurant on the lake's east side, but there are fees to launch there.

The town says it's not likely for the pier to be replaced in 2022, but they are hopeful that it will be ready for Spring 2023.