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| Tall Marker |
I'm sure I don't have to tell you that this has been a record setting month when
it comes to high air temperatures and extremely high humidity levels. If you
live on the East coast I'm not telling you anything you didn't know and probably
were subjected to. We had clients who still wanted to fish and we were more
than happy to provide guides to take them out on Lake Champlain. We don't have
air conditioning at our lodge but that didn't deter people from coming north to
fish. The water temperature at the Burlington ferry dock is 76 degrees at 10
feet down. We are presently fishing the numerous reefs we have marked on our
GPS unit that have produced quality fish over the years. We locate the reef and
then put out a "Tall Marker" buoy, which we make and sell at the lodge ( see
picture). The buoy allows us to move back a couple hundred yards and it still
can be seen easily unlike many other buoy devices on the market today. We then
drift, with the wind at our back, toward the buoy and cast in front of the boat
as we slowly move along. This type of fishing is one of those rare
opportunities that largemouth, smallmouth and pike can all be caught off the
same deep water reef. The fish all move to the reefs because the water
temperature is cooler, there is normally grass on the reef and the bait fish are
there or very close by. My "Favorite" fish the rock bass, is normally
there also and they can be troublesome and annoying at the same time for such a
small fish. We normally make at least a half dozen drifts toward the reef to
see what side and how deep the fish are. There are times when we find the fish
right on top of the reef and this can make for some hot early morning topwater
action. We have had some days when the topwater action continued throughout
most of the day depending on cloud cover and weather conditions. This is fun
fishing at its best. It can get warm on the water at this time of the year and
I have been known to pull into a beach area to take a dip so having your bathing
suit on under your clothing is always a good idea. Using your hat to pour water
over your head is another method we use to keep cool. This type of warm weather
fishing is not for everyone and I understand that. There are people who
vacation in our area and want to experience the great fishing Lake Champlain has
to offer on a "Guide Service Only" package. We pick them up right at their
hotel/motel and return them there at the end of the fishing day. We can supply
all the fishing tackle clients would need for a great outing out on the water.
The client or clients will need a valid New York State or Vermont fishing
license but we can obtain those at Wal-Mart or at a local tackle shop.
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John Brabazon Ephrata, PA |
Barry Farley
Media, PA |
Don Catalano
Three Bridges, NJ |
Tom Palomba Freehold, NJ
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Tom Wall
Freehold, NJ |
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Alan Pilchik Freehold, NJ |
Bob Benoit Brockten, MA |
Bob Zitto Hellertown, PA |
Bob Shiel
East Hanover, NJ |
Brian Rollin Whippany, NJ |
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Mike Benoit Brantry, MA |
Walter Skrabits Little Falls, NJ
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Bob Simon
Little Falls, NJ |
John Shepard Abington, MA |
Matthew Floretine
Hackettstown, NJ |
As the month has progressed the fishing has become difficult, not because we
can't locate the fish, but because of the boat traffic. July is a really big
month for tournament fishing as the word is spreading just how good the fishing
is in Lake Champlain. It is difficult to pickup any fishing magazine without
reading an interesting article on Lake Champlain. People are either fishing in
a tournament or pre-fishing getting ready for an upcoming tournament. We would
drive our boat to a normal hotspot, a reef or point and when we arrive there are
already a dozen bass boats there fishing. We had bass boats following us around
because they recognize us as being local people who must really know the lake.
This is not fun fishing and certainly not very productive for our clients. We
would put our buoy out to mark a reef and very quickly a half a dozen bass boats
would be fishing off our buoy. The boat launch parking lots are so crowded we
at times found it difficult to park our trailer. I guess we are spoiled because
normally the only boats we see on the water are boats that are fishing out of
our lodge.
Fall is rapidly approaching and some of the best fishing still awaits us, (Lunker
Time). If you have your heart set on catching the biggest fish of the
season then you better make a reservation for Oct/Nov. We take more pictures of
clients holding huge fish in the fall than at any other time of the year. The
pictures we have enlarged and put on the walls of our show booth are almost
always caught during the fall. Yes, it can get windy in the fall but the
rewards far outweigh having to put up with some wind. If you want to discuss a
fall outing give me a call at the lodge (518-963-7351). Don't forget we are
presently booking fall Lake Trout and Salmon trips or combination trips of
smallmouth fishing one day and Lake Trout and Salmon the next day.
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Matthew Mann Mt.
Olive, NJ |
Brian Rankin
Elizabeth City, NJ |
Tim Petersen
Ashburnham, MA |
Mike Moon
Stanford, CT |
Pete Greenberg
Westport, CT |
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David Roberson
West Minister, MD |
Vicki Moon
Stanford, CT |
Linda Pasternack
Manalapan, NJ |
Chris Zampini Branchburg, NJ |
John Zampini
Branchburg, NJ |
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John Geron
Scarsdale, NY |
Nathalie Grenier
Elizabeth City, NJ |
Jeff Black
New York, NY |
Evan Carroll
Cresskill, NJ |
Jay Greenberg
Westport, CT |
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Stephen Sheldon
Hudson, MA |
Cheryl Busa
Hudson, MA |
Frank Rankin
Willsboro, NY |
Richard McCrohan
Hillsdale, NY |
Pete Greenburg Westport, CT |
Let's Talk Lamprey
I
wanted to share these two pictures of a quality Lake Champlain salmon and lake
trout that were caught recently. You can't help notice the two large lamprey
attached to each of them that are sucking the life right out of the fish and
there are some old wounds on the fish also. We have reported in other updates
that the salmon and lake trout fishing in Lake Champlain is making a major
recovery and it is. There was a 16.77 pound lake trout caught in the LCI derby
over Father's Day in Lake Champlain. We will never completely eradicate this
nuisance parasite but we must continue to remain vigilante and continue with the
chemical lampricide applications program in the rivers and streams in both New
York and Vermont. These programs are vital for maintaining a level of lampreys
that still allow the fish to grow, multiple and survive in Lake Champlain and
are administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation,
the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the U.S. and Wildlife Services.
A
lamprey is a parasitic marine/aquatic animal with a toothed, funnel-like sucking
mouth. While lamprey are well known for those species which bore into the flesh
of other fish to suck their blood and body fluid. They normally stay attached
to the host fish until they kill the fish. If the fish is able to dislodge the
lamprey they immediately look for and attach themselves to another fish and the
whole process starts all over again. I have attached a couple of pictures that
reflect the special mouth of the lamprey that allows this parasite to attach
themselves to the fish and to be so relentless and devastating to the fishery.
Your
signature on the 2009 petition resulted in the successful chemical treatment of
the Lamoille River in Vermont. The 2010 petition is now available for you to
sign up right on line with the object of getting Lewis Creek in Vermont treated
this fall. This petition will be given to the Governor of Vermont to show what
widespread support there is for this important program. We have made it as easy
as possible for you to sign this very important petition. Just click on this
active link below and it will take you directly to the petition.
http://www.petitiononline.com/Lewis010/petition.html
If you have already signed the 2010 petition we thank you ever so much. If you
have not signed this document we hope you will take the one minute that it
takes to do so. We support this petition 100% and we consider it a personal
favor if you would sign the petition.
Largemouth Bass
We have reviewed the northern pike and the smallmouth bass in previous updates.
In this update let's take a hard look at the most popular of all members of the
bass family. The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is a species of
the fish in the sunfish family and are native to North America. It is a fish
with many names such as bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Florida bass and
several others. The largemouth is an olive green fish, marked by a series of
dark, sometimes black, blotches forming a jagged horizontal stripe along each
flank. The largemouth is the largest of the black basses, reaching a maximum
recorded overall length of 29.5 in/75 cm and a maximum recorded weight of 25
pounds 1 ounce (11.4 kg). Largemouth bass grow 4 to 6 inches during their first
year, 8 to 12 inches in two years, 16 inches in three years. The fish lives 16
years on average. The juvenile largemouth bass consumes mostly small bait fish
and insects. Adults consume smaller fish like bluegills, crawfish, frogs,
snakes and even small water birds. In larger lakes and reservoirs, adult bass
occupy deeper water than younger fish, and shift to a diet consisting almost
entirely of smaller fish like trout, ciscoes, shiners and sunfish. Prey items
can be as large as 25 to 35% of the bass's body length. Studies of prey
utilization by largemouths show that in weedy water, bass grow more slowly due
to difficulty in acquiring prey. Less weed cover allows bass to more easily
find and catch prey, but this consists of more open-water baitfish. Largemouth
are keenly sought after by anglers and are noted for the excitement of their
fight. The fish will often become airborne in their effort to throw the hook,
but many say that their cousin species, the smallmouth bass, can beat them pound
for pound. Anglers most often fish for largemouth with lures such as plastic
worms, jigs, crankbaits and spinnerbaits. A recent trend is the use of large
swimbaits to target trophy bass that often forage on juvenile rainbow trout in
California. Live bait, such as nightcrawlers, minnows, frogs, or crawfish can
also be productive. Largemouth bass are known to take any bait they consider
alive. There is a strong cultural pressure among largemouth anglers which
encourages the fish's live release, especially the larger specimens. We
encourage "Catch and Release" in Long Pond to keep the fishing at a very high
level. Largemouth bass were originally distributed throughout most of what is
now the United States east of the Rockies, including many rivers and lakes in
Texas, with limited populations in Southeastern Canada and northeastern Mexico.
Because of its importance as a game fish, the species has been introduced into
many other areas worldwide, including nearly all of Mexico and south into
Central and South America.
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Scott Carroll Cresskill, NJ
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Sam Proctor Circleville, NY |
Joseph Bazyl Parsippany, NJ
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Fred Johnson Cohoes, NY |
Casey Casamento Plattsburgh, NY |
Think Green
I know this is a favorite slogan that we see and hear all the time but it's
important. We hope whenever and wherever you fish that this slogan is
constantly on your mind. I know there are many people who fish that don't seem
to care about the litter they leave behind and we all know there are way too
many of them. I'm sure you have gone to your favorite fishing location only to
find bottles, cans, bait containers, papers and other forms of trash strewn
about. I often ask myself, how can someone who enjoys fishing and being
outdoors leave so much trash behind? How can they not care, are they just too
lazy and I hate to say it but they are just too dumb to care about our
environment. I know of a few fishing access points that have been closed
because towns got tired of having to constantly pick up trash left behind by
people who fish. I'm annoyed with fishermen who discard their beer or soda cans
and bottles into the waters they are fishing. It really troubles me when we are
fishing along to see a can or bottle on the bottom. What are these people
thinking, it is very obvious that they are not thinking and totally don't care,
which is too bad for those of us who do care. I know how hard it is to pickup
after someone else who has made a mess but we have to because it reflects on the
entire fishing community. Keep an extra garbage bag in your vehicle and boat
and when you see trash floating on the water or at the launch site or fishing
access point please take a few moments to pick it up and remove it. It's nice
to know that we don't need to wait until tomorrow, we can start to change the
world today!!
Joke
of the Day
Our Lamaze class included a tour of the pediatric wing of the hospital. When a
new baby was brought into the nursery, all the women tried to guess its weight,
but the guy standing next to me was the only male to venture a number. "Looks
like 9 pounds, " he offered confidently.
"This must not be your first child," I said.
"Oh, yes," he said. "It's my first."
"Then how would you know the weight of a baby?" I asked.
He shrugged. "I'm a fisherman."
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Pete
Adirondack-Champlain Guide Service © 2010