Adirondack-Champlain Guide Service Newsletter Share
Fall 2010 Edition
[Quality
Fishing, with Quality People]
Hi Everyone:
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The Lodge
Welcomes You |
Are you ready for a nice cool fall, I know I am and I'm hoping that is what we
receive. I don't know
now about your summer but ours has been long and hot! Even though the early
season was much warmer than normal the fishing was fantastic right up through
mid July. The last couple of weeks of July were our very best for topwater
action. As I write this newsletter the fish are still in their summer
pattern. Most fishing has been slow this month except for the smallmouth
fishing which has been surprisingly good. We didn't catch great numbers of fish
but the ones we did catch were big! It's surprising because the mean water
temperature on Lake Champlain has been in the 70's. That is calculated six feet
under, in the center of the lake, which means the shallower areas are much
warmer and I don't believe that it has ever been that warm at this time in the
season!
REMINDER !!!
This is just a friendly reminder that your present New York State fishing
license expires on September 30, 2010. If you plan on coming up to the lodge to
fish with us this fall you will need to purchase a new license that is valid
10/1/10-9/30/11. We are often asked this question, "if we are going to fish
only Long Pond do we still need a New York State fishing license and the answer
is yes". We do not sell fishing licenses at the lodge so it is always
advantageous to purchase your new license before arriving at our lodge.
LOSS OF A GOOD
FRIEND
It is with a heavy heart and a feeling of deep felt sorrow for his family that
we at Adirondack-Champlain Guide Service announce the lost of a really good
friend and also an experienced and talented fishermen. Jerry Molinari from
Saddlebrook, New Jersey passed away unexpectedly this week. Jerry and his wife
Diane have been coming to our lodge for years to fish together.
LUNKER TIME
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Alewives |
We've been in business for over 32 years now and so much has changed over the
years as pertaining to the weather. It used to be that the temperature "cool
down" for the fall was in late August-September and were our top fall months for
bass and pike and October for our Lakers and salmon fishing. Now it's October
for bass and pike and November for Lakers and salmon..
Anyway, no matter when it comes, fall is the time for our biggest fish of the
year in almost all species. With the illegal introduction of alewives into Lake
Champlain as a forage base most of our game fish are growing even bigger.
Already this year the Lake Champlain Lake Trout record has been broken three
times. We've caught and released post spawned smallmouth bass that were almost
six pounds, which means that those same fish in the fall will be over 7
pounds!! I can't wait to have one of our clients hook into one of those brutes
and it could be you!!
LAMPREY
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Big Lamprey |
I'm sure you must get tired of me asking you to sign the lamprey petition but it
is very important. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so here's a
recent picture of a sea lamprey taken while fishing in Lake Champlain. I can
only hope this picture will motivate you to use the active link below to take
you directly to the lamprey petition which we hope you will sign. This sea
lamprey is huge and just imagine how much damage it can cause attached to
numerous lake trout and salmon. We need everyone's help to get this parasite
under control. Please add your name to this ever growing list of concerned
citizens by signing this very important document. If you have already signed I
personally thank you and for those readers who have not signed please, please do
so.
http://www.petitiononline.com/lamprey1/petition.html
PIKE
Northern Pike are one of the first fish to become active in the fall. Now prime
time days are usually late September thru early November. Last year our biggest
pike were caught the last two weeks of October and the first two weeks of
November. We were catching many 10 to 15 pound pike on consecutive casts. They
slammed suspending jerkbaits, shallow running crankbaits, inline spinners and
spinnerbaits. We caught more big pike in that short period of time than we did
the entire rest of the season.
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Sam Proctor
Circleville, NY |
Rich Savage
Newbury, NH |
LARGEMOUTH
Largemouth's start their fall feeding about the same time as the pike. Last
year we were still catching them long after the pike had stopped feeding. As
you saw in last year's updates we landed many 5 to 7 pound trophies during
October and November. Besides using spinners, buzzbaits and shallow running
crankbaits in and around weed beds we also landed many on weedless jigs and
worms while fishing old railroad pilings, sunken barges and other solid
structures on the bottom of Lake Champlain. Fall is definitely our very best
time for structure fishing.
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Fred Johnson
Cohoes, NY |
Sam Proctor
Circleville, NY |
SMALLMOUTH
Smallmouth's are by far our most sought after fish. We have become very
successful at keeping track of them all year and we have worked very hard to
accomplish that feat. It does not matter what time of the year you guys and
gals come to fish with us almost everyone will catch a trophy smallmouth.
Smallies in the fall are so much heavier and they look so much different than
they do in the spring. They are full and their skin is so tight from gorging
themselves and they feel and look like footballs. As I mentioned before we are
expecting to catch 7 pound smallies this fall along with hundreds of 4 to 6
pounders. Starting in early October smallmouth's start moving back to the
shorelines and rocky points. At that time we are using almost everything
including topwater lures, suspending jerkbaits and spinnerbaits. As the water
gets cooler the bait fish, which they feed on, move deeper and the smallmouths
follow them. We then switch to deeper diving crankbaits, jerkbaits and also
drop shotting. Finally, from late October to late November when the smallies
are 20 to 40 feet deep or more, the tube jig is usually all you need. Tube jigs
as well as speed craws, in crawfish colors are the most consistent and best
lures to catch smallmouths no matter what depth they are in. In my experience,
smallmouths prefer crawfish more than any other bait.
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Rich Savage
Newbury, NH |
Jim Savage
Wake Forest, NC |
LANDLOCKED SALMON
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Phil Zulli
Mahopac, NY |
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Great Eating |
For all of you that have continually signed the lamprey treatment petition year
after year we want to thank you so much. It looks like the salmon and lake
trout fisheries are really coming back!! All year, local fishermen have posted
photos of great catches of big Lakers and salmon, almost every day on the
internet. I can't wait for November to arrive when these fish can be caught on
the surface with lite tackle. The four year old and older salmon return to the
rivers that flow into Lake Champlain to spawn about late September. The run of
salmon usually last through October. The fishing regulation for catching these
salmon in the rivers in the fall are: artificial lures or live bait may be
used. No Weight !! This eliminates spoons, spinners, weighted lines, etc. The
reason for this is that these salmon don't die after spawning. They can spawn
several times during their life span. Also, the ban on weighted lures at this
time eliminates the temptation of snagging that might go on. For fishermen who
love to fly fish landlocks are one of the ultimate fish to catch on a fly, they
jump like crazy!! The best flies are usually streamers such as the gray ghost,
green ghost, nine-three and the Edson Tigers. Once the salmon are done spawning
they return to the big lake and start to feed for winter. They will school up
and chase the smelt and alewives up to the surface with a feeding frenzy like a
"Blue fish blitz" in the ocean. The gulls and diving birds flock over them
which gives the salmon's position away. We then troll streamers and small
spoons right in the prop wash right behind our boat, right thru the diving
birds. What a thrill !! Sometimes you might have four lines out and four
salmon on !! We immediately stop the boat and play the fish in. We do lose
some because they jump so high and have a soft mouth. Oh, by the way, these are
Atlantic Salmon and they are "Delicious" to eat!! Fishing like this goes on
right thru November or until the ice forms. The Landlocks run 2 to 8 pounds.
LAKE TROUT
Well, if you think salmon fishing sounded like fun, most of the lake trout
fishing we do in the fall is done by casting !! Just as in bass and pike
fishing we drift certain shorelines and points casting spoons, spinners,
crankbaits, jerkbaits and jigs in shallow water. The Lakers are in their
spawning areas but unlike salmon they do feed right up to and right after they
spawn. Before we had our last lamprey problem we were catching 20 to 30 lakers
a day and that was back in the 80's and 90's. The biggest ones back then were
about 12 pounds but they are growing much bigger now and we should be catching
some near 20 pounds very soon!!
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Tom Sommers
Collingswood, NJ |
Doug Rockwell
Pine Bush, NY |
BOOKING NOW
For those of you who are thinking about coming up and booking a trip with us
this fall, please book ASAP, especially if it is a weekend, they book up first
and fast. If you would rather not have a guide, how about booking our lodging
and meals package for fishing Long Pond: 3 days of fishing, 2 nights lodging
and 4 meals for @ $210.00 per person or 4 days of fishing, 3 nights lodging , 7
meals all for @ $310.00 per person. This also includes the use of one of our Jon
boats on Long Pond. We are located right near the Bouquet River where you can
fly fish for the fall Salmon. Less than 20 minutes from our lodge we have the
famous Ausable and Saranac rivers to fish. We have unbeatable rates and great
fishing for many different species!!
Well guys and gals, I guess that's it for another newsletter. I hope you can
all make it up this fall we look forward to seeing you. Remember, this is the
last great fishing of the year before that long winter ahead.
Bye for Now,
- Pete
and Jane
Adirondack-Champlain Guide Service © 2010
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