Adirondack-Champlain Guide Service Newsletter 

Landlocked Salmon
After the snows have melted and the rivers go down, we should find our best spring Salmon fishing in quite a few years waiting for us.  Now that Vermont has once again started eradicating the sea lampreys, each year the fishing should be better and better.  I haven’t been pushing our Salmon fishing in a few years because the fish populations have been so low.  I don’t want to bring you to the lodge for only a boat ride.  I want you to catch fish so you will come back again and again.  As soon as the Salmon fishing runs start bringing the numbers of fish up to an acceptable level I will be the first one to let you know in a future website update or a newsletter.  In the late 80’s and thru the 90’s we had the premier Landlocked Salmon fishery in the country, if not the world.  If both New York and Vermont continue to control the lamprey’s it should only take a few years for the great fishing to come back again.  If you would, as soon as you’re done reading this newsletter, please go to this website www.petitiononline.com/lamprey2/petition.html and sign the petition for Vermont to lamprecide the rivers they promised to treat this fall. There are MANY so called environmental groups who would like to stop the treatments and have stopped them in the past resulting in the deplorable situation that we now have.  Please sign the petition, it only takes a couple of minutes of your time but is extremely important to take an active roll in this important issue. 

Smallmouth
40 degree water temperature and we are catching smallmouth, see the many pictures of fish caught on Tuesday April 22^nd.  Frank Rankin and I found the fish at several different locations and they are feeding and good size.  That’s Right!!! Just after the ice goes out smallmouth come into the shallows from the depths to start feeding on their favorite food, CRAWFISH.  From just after ice out until about mid May we almost exclusively fish crawfish colored jigs on the bottom.  As the waters warm they get more active and start hitting suspending jerkbaits (both hard and soft) and Senko type lures.  Usually the smallies start to spawn in the shallow areas of the lakes in early to late June and mid June to early July in the areas near deep water.  Topwater smallmouth fishing usually starts around mid June thru mid July. 

I say usually because in recent years it has been very hard to predict in advance where they will be and what they will be hitting.  I guess it is another sign of global warming??  All I can say to you guys who are coming up to fish with us, bring it ALL.  From late April thru mid July is the very best time for the smallmouths.  There have been many days we caught and released over a 100 smallmouth per boat during this time frame.  From mid July thru mid September smallmouth are spread out and more difficult to find, but we still do well on most days.

 

Pike
Northern Pike spawn right after ice out and then go into a dormant resting period and usually don’t start feeding again until about mid May.  There’s that word “usually” again.  From that time until mid June there is very little weed growth and the pike can be caught on a variety of lures.  In-line spinners, spoons, crankbaits, jerkbaits and topwater lures with exposed hooks work well.  Spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and other weedless lures also work great at this time.  It’s a fun time with a great deal of action.  Pike remain in the shallow weedbeds feeding on the spawning sunfish, crappies and other small fish until late June and early July.  Then they follow these same pan fish to deeper weedbeds way off shore.  They remain there right thru the summer.  

Largemouth
Largemouth bass usually come into the shallows around mid May in really large tight schools.  Just like with the pike, if you fish for them before the weeds come up you can use a lot of lures with exposed hooks.  The top bait for largemouth’s at this time has to be the sinking worm or “Senko” type lures.  As the water temperatures warm to the 50 and 60 degree range fish shallow water jerkbaits and crankbaits and they will work.  The largemouths remain shallow until early July when they move out to the deeper and cooler weedbeds.  During the summer months we find a great many largemouth, smallmouth and pike together in the same areas which doesn’t happen at any other time of the year.  

Stream Trout
Even though trout season opens on April 1^st, the rivers are much too cold and high in our area to fish before the month of May.  Right near our lodge we have the world famous Ausable and Bouquet Rivers which flow into Lake Champlain. Besides natural reproduction we have two state hatcheries and one county hatchery which stock the hundreds of streams, rivers and ponds in our area.  Our county hatchery stocks 12 to 20 inch fish so we have both quantity and quality fish here. Again, May thru July is the best time for the most action. 

Lake Trout
There are not too many places in the country that offer Lake Trout fishing in shallow water and sometimes right from shore, but we do!! From mid May thru mid June Lake Champlain Lakers are right on top or right next to shore.  They are great fun to catch on lite tackle.  From late October thru November we fish again for them in shallow water.  Just like with Salmon, because of the sea lamprey problem, their populations have been down in recent years.  (Don’t forget to sign the petition) The Lake Trout average 5 to 6 pounds and many going over 10 pounds.  They offer quite a fight on lite tackle. 

New York State Fishing License
Don’t forget you will need a new 2008 NYS fishing license to fish Lake Champlain or Long Pond while at the lodge. We do not sell fishing licenses at the lodge and they should be obtained before arriving at the lodge to fish.  You’re local Dick’s Sporting Goods, Wal-Mart, Gander Mountain and many other locations sell licenses.  We are stopped and checked for licenses very often during the fishing season so don’t get stopped without yours, it could cost you some bucks. 

Boats and Motors
Over the 30 years we have been in business many of our clients have asked me what are the best boats and motors to purchase.  After all these years I can now assure them what to buy because I have TRIED a considerable number of them.  If you want a dependable, long term investment HONDA MOTORS and LUND BOATS are by far your best bets.  These are as worry free as you can get!!  Yankee Marine a new dealer, located in the Albany area, has three locations.  One dealership is located in Albany, one in Lake George and one on Saratoga Lake.  They have a large selection of Lund boats and Honda motors.  Their locations are convenient to reach and their prices are worth the drive.  They will be featured on our website so when you’re ready to purchase a boat or a motor or both, check it out.   

Arctic Trip
We still have openings for our August fishing trip to upper Quebec, near the Arctic Circle.  We are fishing for some of the largest Brook Trout, Lake Trout and Arctic Char you will ever find.  It is a very remote area but with all the comforts of home and it is the trip of a lifetime!!  If anyone reading this newsletter is interested in going with us on this super trip give me a call at the lodge after 7:00PM (518-963-7351). 

ACGS Golf Shirts
Don’t forget to ask Jane or I to show you our new golf shirts that are 4-sale and stored in our display case.  We have several colors and most sizes to choose from.  We hope you will purchase one or more of these shirts and every time you wear it you will remember us and what a great time you enjoyed while fishing at the lodge. 

Fall Reservations
I want to thank everyone who has booked with us this year.  I’m sure that we will enjoy a great season.  I feel very badly for those of you who tried to book with us this spring and were too late to get a reservation.  I hate to have to turn anyone away.  I sure wish they made more weekends.  As of this writing, we still have a few dates open this spring.  Actually the first weekend we open which is April 25^th-27^th we still have openings as well as May 4^th thru May 10^th, June 10^th-12^th and June 16^th-20^th.  There are also a number of days open in July.  If you can’t make it this spring, don’t forget the fall bite.  The best times are late September thru early November.  We don’t catch the numbers we do in the spring but the fish are bigger!!!  The largest fish in all species are almost always caught in the fall.   

OK Guys, it’s time to go fishing see you soon. 

~Pete

PS: Don’t forget to sign the petition!! I know I have mentioned the sea lamprey petition several times in this newsletter but I can’t stress enough how important it is that we get as many signatures as we possibly can.  This is an important issue and we need everyone’s help.  If you’re on our mailing list it shows you care about fishing and we need your help to bring back the Lake Trout and Salmon fishing to what it once was.  Here’s the link again just click on it www.petitiononline.com/lamprey2/petition.html