Last week, I got to wet a line in a lake and a river — and both were quite generous with their fish.
The first was an invitation to fish Glen Lake from my friend Paul Galcik of Schuylerville. This little 319-acre lake is located in the town of Queensbury and it holds a variety of fish. Panfish, rainbow trout, pickerel and both large and smallmouth bass swim there.
We were on the water early, and we had the lake to ourselves. Paul, who I now call The Pickerel King, hooked up with a very healthy and toothy five-pound pickerel and followed up with at least another four or five of them that day.
Many anglers complain about these “junk” fish, but I still think they are one of the best fighters that swim in our fresh waters.
Throughout the morning, we also caught both largemouth and smallmouth bass, in both shallow and deep water, and when we quit at around 11 a.m., we were still the only anglers on the lake. By this time next week, we hope to have several of those rainbow trout that swim in this little lake in the freezer.
My second time on the water was with Anne and Gerry Edwards of Cohoes, fishing the upper Hudson River (Stillwater stretch), targeting bass.
Now, according to the “book,” fishing is not good when the water is high, muddy and it is a sunny, 90-degree humid day. Someone forgot to tell the bass in the Hudson about this because we caught quite a few. I expected to see other anglers on the water the day before the Fourth of July, but we were the only ones out there fishing for our eight-plus hours on the water.
Gerry was first to boat a 14-inch largemouth and shortly thereafter, Anne’s rod really bent and the battle began. When we finally got it in the boat, the bass measured close to 20 inches, and if you add the weight of the wacky worm still pinned in the corner of its mouth, it was a five-pounder.
By the end of the day, we hooked up with at least 20 good bass, and had a half-dozen or more “almosts,” which included a twin to the one Anne had caught. The best five bass that day would have been very close to 20 pounds.
I would say the bass bite this day was as hot as the day’s temperature. If you fish this part of the Hudson, watch out for the barges and tugsboat that are pushing them around. They are still dredging this section of the river.
Round Lake is also giving up some largemouth bass. I stopped by their launch this past Saturday and spoke with several boaters who all said that they had caught and released a number of 15-19-inch bass early that morning. They preferred not to give their names, but they did give up their secrets — both were using top water baits (Pop R and Zara Spooks) just off the weed edges. When the top water bite ended, they fished the weed edges with half-ounce blue/black Enticer Pro Series rattling jigs with 23⁄4 green pumpkin trailers. And that is exactly what they had tied on their rods that I saw laying in their boat. Honest fisherman — that’s a rarity.
And speaking of rarity, little Lake Lonely has again given up walleye. Bill Parry, the proprietor of Lake Lonely Boat Livery, said that two more ’eyes that were 3 1⁄2- and 4 1⁄2-pounders, were caught. Te biggest pike reported to be taken here was a 35-incher. As for the bass, the Tuesday night one-bass tournament anglers have weighed in some big ones. Last week, a 4.1-pounder won and second place was a four-pounder.
If you want to fish a fun tournament, this is it. On Tuesday night, you can compete in Lake Lonely’s single man one-bass tournament for just $10, and 100 percent of all entry fees are paid back. All bass caught must be alive and released after weigh in. Ahoy, bank anglers! Bill will rent you a boat and electric motor for this contest for only $10. I hope to be there this Tuesday. For more information, call 587-1721.
The Tuesday afternoon Saratoga Tackle Bass Challenge again drew 26 teams that battled the nasty winds and threatening lightning, but the bass were biting, with all anglers weighing in five-bass team limits. Leading the way were Dan Dyer of Saratoga Springs and Jeff Russell of Ballston Spa with 12.76 pounds. Their catch also included big bass of the contest, a 4.5-pound largemouth. They received a total of $845. The Saratoga Springs team of Dave Munger and John Jenkins were second with 12.36 pounds and received $351, while Brian Welch and Jeff Heck, also from Saratoga Springs, were third with 12.10 and received $234.
How about a tournament that you can have up to three people in the boat? That is exactly what the Mohawk Valley Anglers are offering in their 3-Man Sprint series. Each team will fish for six hours instead of the normal eight, and are allowed to weigh in six bass. The entry fee is $65 per team. The club will keep $10 from each team entry, and the money will be awarded to the top two teams in points at the end of the season; the remainder will be paid back at each tournament. All the tournaments are all local and designed for fun. For further details, email Barton Metzold at [email protected]
This Saturday, Cossayuna Lake Improvement Association will host their 11th annual Jerry Simon Jr. Memorial bass fishing tournament. The entry fees are $25 for adults, and $10 for kids 13 and under. Fifty percent of the adult entry fees will be paid back to the top four winners. For further details, call 677-2652.
Just a reminder — share your fish tales with other anglers and email me at [email protected] In addition to your name(s), include the city where you live and what, where and how you caught your fish.
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