This year will be much like the first time we came back in 2014. It’s same time of the year. The last trip here was much closer to the spawn and the fishing was entirely different.
The grass always plays a huge role here and this year will be no different. The grass isn’t in quite as good of shape as it was in 2014 but there is still plenty of it and the bass here thrive in it. This lake is incredibly fertile, like most northern lakes.
I expect to see fish caught several different ways besides just fishing the grass. Docks always play a role here but those fish tend to get picked off pretty quick once the tournament starts. There aren’t hundreds of docks here like many of the lakes we visit.
One thing that will be interesting is to see if anyone will unlock the smallmouth bite. We saw last time we were here that there are some big smallies that live here, but they are hard to find this time of year. I’ve got one spot where I will try for them, but I wouldn’t say I figured it out. I did catch one big smallmouth in practice though so we’ll see what’s there on game day.
Overall the fishing had actually been a bit of a grind as far as getting bites, but I think the weights will be good because these fish are so fat and healthy.
I’ll have a lot of rods rigged for several different situations but an X Zone Lures True Center Stick will be my bread and butter this week. I’ll have one rigged on a light Texas rig and one wacky rigged. Color doesn’t seem to matter a lot up here just so it’s some form of green pumpkin or a natural type color like that. I’ll throw it on an MHX NEPS 86HF which is a 7-foot, 2-inch heavy-action rod for the Texas rig and the NEPSN 81MXF for my wacky rig.
I’ve said it many times – I love fishing in New York. I’m excited to get this one underway and catch some big largemouth and show how diverse these northern water can be. Y’all stay tuned.