Do you want to know all about Payne Lake, located near Watertown, New York? In this post, find a complete guide with photos for using this lake.
You can find Payne Located parallel to Vroomans Creek Rd (County Rd 22) just west of Oxbow. It’s about a 35 minute drive from Watertown.
Payne Lake is a small lake of about 150 acres and almost three miles of shoreline. One side of the shore of the lake is primarily private property, but the lake does border a state forest on one side.
In the photograph below, you can see someone fishing from shore, with the cliffs on the state forest side in the background. The fall colors here are really quite beautiful!
Below, learn all of the things that you can do at this beautiful Jefferson County lake. Payne Lake is part of the Indian River Lakes, a system of 18 lakes in the region.
How deep is Payne Lake NY?
Payne Lake is a relatively shallow lake, which is important for boaters and anglers to know. The deepest part of the lake is going to be only about 15 feet deep, but most of the lake is a more shallow mean of 6.5 feet deep.
Can you swim in Payne Lake?
Payne Lake is not a good lake for swimming. It is relatively shallow, grassy, and just generally not a good swimming lake. The state does not recommend swimming as an activity for this lake, and there are no official permitted swimming areas.
Even so, you might occasionally see someone swimming here. It’s not advisable, also because most people fish (and lose lures and hooks!) at this lake, so there are very likely many hazards on the lake bottom.
Is there public access to Payne Lake?
Yes, there is public access to Payne Lake for boating and fishing located at the DEC hard surface boat launch . Some people also use this public lake access to navigate their small boat, such as a kayak or canoe, to Pulpit Rock State Forest, which is located directly across from the boat launch.
From the boat launch, you can launch your small craft and navigate the whole portion of the lake. The lake is not huge, but it can get choppy when the wind is high.
This is a nice, well-maintained boat launch surrounded by private land, so be sure to not trespass on the properties immediately adjacent to the boat launch. The private property is well-marked.
The image below is a photograph of the parking area at Payne Lake. There are two large gravel lots that can be accessed year round, as this spot is maintained by the state all year, even in the winter.
There are no official picnic spots or bathrooms at this boat launch. The only officially sanctioned activities at this boat launch are fishing and boating.
What kind of fish are in Payne Lake?
Payne Lake has a good variety of fish. According to New York State, you can find Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Tiger Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Perch, and maybe even Walleye in this lake.
We’ve fished there many times and have never actually caught Walleye there ourselves, but we have met people who have.
It’s a popular place to fish, especially in the summer. By the end of the summer, you will definitely get the feeling that the lake has been extensively fished.
We have caught bass, pumpkinseed, bluegill, yellow perch, pike, Tiger Muskellunged, and crappie at Payne Lake. Since there is a pretty good space for fishing from shore, this is a good place to take kids to fish for small fish.
Does Payne Lake freeze in the winter?
Yes, Payne Lake does go through a couple of months of being frozen during the winter. The lake is usually frozen by the end of January, but don’t take my word for it – be sure to use extreme caution and consult experts before accessing a frozen Payne Lake.
The image below was taken in March, and you can see that the surface of the lake is still pretty frozen. In fact, you can see tire tracks on the lake, which also has a bit of snow on it.
Payne Lake is a popular place for ice fishing in the deep of winter. New York State allows ice fishing on this lake, but as I mentioned above, be sure to do your research and follow safety recommendations before you try this for yourself.
How did Payne Lake get its name?
Payne Lake is named after a man named Rossell Payne, son of Benjamin and Patty (Dickerson) Payne. Rossell’s father was born in Rhode Island and his mother was from Herkimer County, New York.
Rossell’s name is sometimes spelled as Roseel. Exact spelling was less important back in those days!
After 1850, Payne built a sawmill to process logs on the shores of Payne Lake. In the 1870 US Federal Non-Population Census, his mill was listed as having $3500 capital invested in the business, which would be about $81,000 in 2023.
Rossell or Roseel Payne lived out the rest of his years in the Oxbow (Antwerp) area, and he is buried at the New Oxbow Cemetery near the corner of County Route 24 and County Route 25 in Jefferson County.
Prior to the arrival of Rossell Payne to the area and the construction of his sawmill, the land nearby, was settled, and possibly owned by, a man named Peter Vrooman. Even though Vrooman’s name is no longer part of the lake, the creek that runs nearby still bears his name (i.e. Vrooman’s Creek).
The map above was published about 1855. Payne Lake is clearly labeled as Vrooman’s Lake on this map, which means it had not quite gained a reputation as being “Payne’s Lake”.
As I mentioned earlier, Peter Vrooman still has his mark on the area, since County Rd. 22 is technically known as Vrooman Creek Rd, and there is an actual creek that runs near the road that also share this name.
It’s a pretty little creek, and a nice home for beavers, waterfowl, and even raccoons. I’ve seen all of these creatures, and heard others, while driving on the small bridge over the creek.
Conclusion
I hope that you have found this post about Payne Lake interesting, that you have learned a bit about its history and how people usually use this lake today.
If you have any questions about something that you read in this post, or if you would like to share your own story about Payne Lake, I would love to hear from you in the discussion below.
Thanks for stopping by today!