Lake Champlain

Lake Champlain report 5/24/08: Launched in Ticonderoga 12noon.  Water temp ranging from 58 degrees in the main lake to 64 degrees in the sheltered coves. Air temps in the mid 60’s, but felt cooler due to the wind blowing.  Wind blowing 10-20mph from the north. Lake was choppy and stained. Boat traffic was heavy, with the majority being fishermen. Started fishing main lake points with crankbaits. Rapala DT 10 in Crawfish color and Bomber tx in citrus color. Caught several fish ranging from 2-3lb. All were being taken on the outer edge of the weed lines in 9-12FOW. Not all of the main lake points produced results. Only a couple of key points produced. From the main lake points I moved to the sheltered coves and found the bedding fish. Several bedding fish caught were in the 2-4lb class. No big giants were sighted or caught. All bedding fish had to be aggravated into biting. All bedding fish were caught on weed jig tipped with black and blue Mudd Bugg trailer. Found alot of cruising male bass either looking for nesting site or leaving nest. The chop on the lake made the site fishing difficult. Recommendations: Hit the main lake points with crankbaits and rattletraps. If fishing for bedding fish, a good pair of polarized sunglasses is needed. Check the warmer, shallower coves and try to be as quiet as possible. Be persistant. Some of the fish caught today had to agrivated into biting.   

Lake George

Lake George report 5/24/08: Went out of Mossy point in Ticonderoga, water temps ranging from 51 in the main lake to 54 in the smaller sheltered coves. Air temp in the upper 40’s with bright sun. Started fishing the small sheltered coves looking for warmer temps. Caught a few small bass on jerk baits and tubes. No bedding bass found yet in the north end. I did find several cruising fish in the shallow coves but only one taker. Moved back into the main lake and started fishing some of the well known humps. Cloud cover and north winds picking up (@10-20mph) Several small mouth bass in the 2# range were found, however not in abundance. Most fish were caught in and around giant schools of bait. When the bait fish disappeared so did the smallies. The fish caught were fat as footballs. All were caught on drop shots rigged with Berkley Gulp minnows in white and Bass Pro shops tender tubes in green pumpkin. Fished several main lake points with limited success. Also talked to several others bass fishermen and they also found the fishing tough.

 

Lake George

Got out today for a couple of hours on Lake George. The day started with air temps in the mid 50’s with bright sun. Water temp running 54-55*. Most fish were caught on Rapala suspending jerk bait in black/chrome. The smallies were aggressive but nothing over 2lbs. Fish were coming off main lake humps in 12-20FOW. Moved to second hump in hopes in finding some of the bigger smallies. Caught several more small smallies most coming on the jerk bait and some coming on a Storm swimmbait, (shad color) but all fish were in the 1-2lb range. Moved to shore line and found several bigger fish. A 3.5# large mouth fell victim to the suspending jerkbait, while one nice 4.5# smallie fell victim to a black/red Mudd Bugg texas rigged with a 2/0 Eagle Claw hook with a 1/4 oz. weight. Several large mouth in the 2lb range were also caught on the Mudd Bugg in black/blue. These fish were in the 12-16FOW. Cloud cover and a south wind moved in and started kicking up the main lake. The smallie bite was still on when I got off the water but the largemouth bite had slowed down.

If going out to Lake George,  try some of the main lake humps. Some of the bigger fish should be moving in soon. Use the suspending jerkbait and work it fast. This erratic action should tell you if the smallies are there. If bite is slow, throw a texas rigged crawfish bait. These fish should be targeting the crawfish soon. A jig and pig will also work well for the large and small mouth. Try using the Mudd Bugg or the Swamp Thang or if your perfer a jig, check out some of the Mad Ty products. These jigs are awesome.  The Mudd Bugg, Swamp Thang, and the Mad Ty products can be found at Saratoga Tackle or ordered direct from www.nybassguide.com. Take a look, and stay in the game.

If in the need for a new boat, check out the Nitro line of bass boats. These boats are super stable and powered by Mercury motors. (No. 1 on the water). Sleek lines and a dry confortable ride will get you to the fish in style. If your syle is pleasure boating, check out the line of boats offered by Alpin Hause. These guys have everything under the sun, and a staff that is second to none. Fiberglass and aluminum fishing boats, Fish/ski’s, bowriders, cuddy’s, and party boats. With several locations to choose from, Alpin Haus has it all. The Mercury trained maintenance staff will keep you Mercury powered boat worry free for years to come.  Check out your boating intrest at www.alpinhaus.com 

When rigging your new fishing boat, or if you want to add storage to an existing boat,  dont forget to try the Cooks Tackle storage system. These units provide a unique storage solution and keep all your favorite baits within reach at all times. I have several of these on my boat and they sure come in handy. These units have a money back guarantee and are very easy to install. Check out the Cooks storage units at www.nybassguide.com or visit Cooks direct at http://www.cookstacklesystems.com. 

May 4, 2008

May, 4 2008

Saratoga Lake: Water temp ranging from 52-54 degrees, Rain and cloud cover has kept the water temps down. Cool air temps in the mid 50’s to low 60’s. But despite the adverse conditions, the fish were biting. Several reports of people coming in catching 20-30 bass ranging in size from 12″ to 6#. Bass being taken on suspending jerkbaits, crankbaits and even a swimbait. My fish were taken on football head jig (skirtless) produce by Mad Ty jigs with a Mudd Bugg trailer produce by yours truly. Not many fish were taken but the average size was just over #4. The bigger bass are still holding back on the outer edges in 10-12′FOW, while the smaller bass moving into the shallows for the warmer water. Warmer weather should really get the bigger females into the spawning mode in the next couple of weeks.

Both the Mad Ty and BMB Custom Baits can be purchased at Saratoga Tackle or ordered direct through the web site. Check out the complete line of baits. If you don’t see something you like, give a call and it can be made to order.

Cooks Tackle storage systems are a life safer to keeping your boat organized. It keeps everything at your finger tips for quick access. No more digging through boxes or containers to find that lure. Open a lid compartment and everything is displayed. Check them out using the link feature or visit direct at www.cookstacklesystems.com

Fishing in style can be accomplished in a Nitro Boat. These boats are awesome. they have plenty of room, enough storage to keep everything organized, and a safe dry ride. The new “Z” series boats are awesome. Big, safe riding boat with enough features to make the other boat brands envious. Check out the line of Nitro boats in person at Alpin Haus Boat and RV, or visit their web site at www.alpinhaus.com