Wednesday, October 2, 2019

bass-holding structure

The winding St. Lawrence River leads to the massive expanses of Lake Ontario, but on the way, it literally passes the “Thousand Islands,” an endless smorgasbord of bass-holding structure made better by the river’s heavy currents. There are backwater largemouths, too, but they play a secondary role to the bronzebacks that can be caught from dirt-shallow down into the depths.

Monday, July 1, 2019

The St. Lawrence River

“The excellent largemouth bass fishing on this picturesque body of water is often over-looked due to the trophy smallmouth that abound here,” the magazine said.The St. Lawrence River (Thousand Islands) is listed as the nation’s top bass fishing spot in the country by Bassmaster Magazine in its July/August issue.
And one other Upstate New York waterway – Lake Erie (the New York side) -- was listed as the 10th best. The rankings were part of the magazine’s annual, “What Are the Best Lakes in the Nation?” article.
The excellent smallmouth bass fishing on the St. Lawrence earned it the number one spot, the magazine said. The same reason was given for Lake Erie making the Top 10 list.

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Northern pike

Consider that you can catch muskellunge, northern pike, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, catfish, and panfish. Northern pike remain one of the prize sport fish. Changing conditions on the river usually mean that the pike are in deeper water and more widely scattered than in past years, but when you hook one you will agree that they are worth the effort.
Smallmouth bass are always one of the most exciting fish to catch. The myriad granite structures and river currents provide great habitat. Current cold water conditions mean that bass probably will not have spawned by the season opener. However, there should be a lot to look forward to in the weeks ahead. Clearer water means that you will probably use deep water tactics like jigging or live bait for much of the summer, but smallmouth are great sport no matter what technique you use.

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

18-pound, 2-ounce walleye caught this month on the St. Lawrence River

The walleye are also structure-oriented. In lakes like Saratoga, fish the edges of contour or channel breaks and weed line edges. Also try to find underground humps and rocky rip-rap, and when found, mark them. Those that I talked to said usually during the summer it is good to “run and gun.”
As for bait, they proffered 4-inch minnows, but the majority of walleye anglers are using June Bug spinners with night crawlers. Now there are equally as many that like to use a lead-headed jig with a plastic grub. I suggest you try them both.
Good luck when you catch the big one let me know, especially if you beat the current NYS Freshwater 18-pound, 2-ounce walleye caught this month on the St. Lawrence River.

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Minnesotans to learn about the importance

The resolution calls on all Minnesotans to learn about the importance of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River to the economy and the environment of Minnesota.
Tourism generates a great deal of activity for Lake Superior, and the resolution notes an estimated 3.5 million people visit the North Shore every year, generating more than $1 billion annually and supporting more than 20,000 jobs.
Industries supported by Lake Superior include commercial and sport fishing, recreational boating, commodity shipping and waterborne transportation. With approximately 900 vessels and 35 million short tons of cargo moved through the Port of Duluth-Superior each year, it is the Great Lakes’ largest tonnage port and one of the top 20 in the nation.

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

St. Lawrence River

Thousand Islands region of New York. The St. Lawrence River is a smallmouth factory, and this particular stretch of the famed waterway quite literally lives up to its name.
For generations, the Thousand Islands region has played summer retreat from some of the country’s wealthiest and most prominent families. For those who know the region, they may recognize the names Boldt Castle and Singer Castle. These two massive homes were built on islands and today are tourist attractions. I would love to be fishing for smallmouth bass and take in these sites on the same trip.

Friday, January 4, 2019

Alexandria Ice Fishing Derby

The article also took note of Ontario’s licence-free Family Fishing weekend from Feb. 16-18 in 2019 and the summer’s Family Fishing Week from June 29 until July 7. It also mentioned the long-running Alexandria Ice Fishing Derby on Feb. 16. The article gave a shout out the Fence Depot, where it said you can purchase ice fishing gear.
Cornwall also has two free boat launches on the St. Lawrence River for boaters.
“You can’t go wrong in Cornwall,” said the article.
Author of the article, Carolyn Albee said in an email, “Cornwall is a great destination for those who want to experience all that Ontario fishing has to offer: river angling in the St. Lawrence, ice fishing on nearby Hoople Creek, or shore fishing in ponds and lakes. With such a variety of options, plus adorable inns, free boat launches, and plenty of supply stores, Cornwall is the perfect home base for a fishing trip, whether for a weekend or a week.”