The bass are bitin'

By DAN LADD, Adirondack Hunting & Fishing Report

June 28, 2009 03:22 am

— A few years ago, a friend of mine who was working on a fishing-related project asked my opinion as to what fish species I thought best represented the Adirondack region.

I quickly answered that it would be the brook trout, with the largemouth bass being a close second.

It's about this time of year, however, that bass fishing may overtake that of just about every other fish species, at least in local waters. Summer vacations alone add angler numbers to the ranks. Then there is the fact that we have healthy bass populations in waters throughout the Adirondacks. The fact that most bass anglers practice catch-and-release simply goes to show that bass fishing is just plain fun.

Not that it's always easy to catch bass, but there may not be a better species to target when introducing youngsters to angling. Panfish and stocked trout may prove rewarding but get even a 1-pound bucketmouth on the end of a young angler's line and they will quickly discover both the joy and challenge of fishing.

Another attractive quality to bass fishing is that there is more than one way to catch them. My brother Bill is top-water maniac. No matter what time of day, he is always throwing Jitterbugs, poppers and floating crankbaits at bass, usually with good results.

I, on the other hand, am a plastics man. I like to Texas rig Senko worms and creature baits like Sweet Beavers and drag them through logs, trees and especially vegetation. I also like to experiment with different types of equipment and lures from various crankbaits to even putting a popper on a fly rod.

One of my favorite summer bass techniques is to dance a light plastic bait over the tops of lily pads inciting strikes from the bass lurking underneath. Unlike the power-fishing pro anglers who use heavy bait-casting rigs loaded with braided line, I simply use a medium action spinning outfit with 12-pound fluorocarbon line. Once I hook into a bass, I quickly get them to the boat, not giving them time to wrap my line around the vegetation. Try it sometime, it's fun.

Sometimes the bass don't cooperate. A few weeks ago, I spent a tough day on the water with a friend and his young daughter who, at age 8, is quite a caster. I expected fish to be jumping in the boat, but we only got a few and one of them fortunately came on this little girl's line.

For the bass opener, I was camped out at Lake Durant in the central Adirondacks. While this lake is primarily a tiger muskie destination I've caught my share of largemouths there over the years. My buddies and I were out there fairly early and nothing was biting. So, I paddled my kayak down to the western end of the pond and got into the veggies and out of the wind.

After changing baits, the action started and I wound up having a pretty good day out there. My theory is that where there is one bass, there are two (or more), so after boating a nice 2-pounder I flipped my bait back in there and landed another just a little smaller than the first. Nothing like back-to-back success.

I also enjoy fishing for smallmouth bass too, but being a kayak angler keeps me off big waters like Lake Champlain, although I've had some luck in the Ausable River delta just south of Plattsburgh. One of my favorite smallmouth waters is Lake George, especially in the islands around the narrows. There's plenty of rock in Lake George and therefore it can be a smallie heaven at times. Nothing fights like a good smallie.

I'm not as big a fan of summer as I used to be. In fact, I can't wait for fall. But, having the Adirondacks as a playground and a collection of waters to chase bass in sure makes it go by a lot quicker.

Dan Ladd is the author of "Deer Hunting in the Adirondacks," outdoors editor for the Glens Falls Chronicle, columnist for Outdoors Magazine and contributor to New York Outdoor News. Contact him at www.adkhunter.com.

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