Hi Everyone,

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. 

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. 

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.   

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."

- Pete