Changing Seasons (October 27/0…

Over 3000 bass have fallen victim to presentations used in this, another successful fishing year. From early May on the, “Catch & Release” waters of Northern Vermont Lakes to recent trips on the St-Lawrence River in Quebec, both Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass have been caught in numbers as well as size. The strange thing about all of this is that now is the best time of all. How can it get any better? Smallies over six pounds and Largemouth over seven pounds have already been boated and released. Waters such as; Lake Memphremagog, Lake St-Louis, Lake of Two Mountains, Lake St-Francis, Lake Champlain, Ottawa River and the lower St-Lawrence River have all produced trophies for many clients to enjoy and treasure. Digital Camera photos have enabled all of these fish to live for others to enjoy again and again.

This fishing season has been a complete blur! The excellent weather conditions have prompted folks from as far away as Colorado and Kansas to experience the best fishing of their lives. Catches of 130 fish in one day totalled out at over 300 bass in three days for two fishermen from Oklahoma on Lake Champlain in September. They asked me if this was actually legal, or if we were fishing someone’s private, stocked lake. They caught more fish in those three days than they could imagine catching back home in an entire year. By keying in on specific spots on larger locations, we were able to monopolize on the area completely. Multiply this each and every time on each and every body of water and you’ll have the recipe for success.

Crankbaits, Jerkbaits, Spinnerbaits, Topwaters, Slugs, Senko’s, Tubes, Spider Grubs, Finesse Baits and every and all presentations accounted for this successful bass fishing. With Drop-Shotting still fairly new to most in Canada, I concentrated more of my time, refining the technique on all waters. When the fishing got tough, this method continued to fill the boat. The largest Smallmouth was 5.5 pounds, caught on 8lb. Mono in 18 feet of water on a Berkley Finesse worm. Places that had produced till nothing would bite again came to life once more. Confidence was the reason for this success. By not leaving a location until I felt that it had been fished thoroughly, more quality fish could be caught every time. No particular bait or presentation worked better than another, just a variety. By letting the behavioural patterns of the bass dictate what to use, incredible days were the norm rather than the rarity.

This year the tournaments took a back seat to the business that I started last year. Clients came first and the tournaments followed afterwards. With the exception of the Canadian Open held in Windsor Ontario this past July, all the others events were put aside. This particular event in its “Pro Am” format of pairing anglers and co anglers together for three days of fishing is one well worth participating in. I strongly recommend it to anyone competitive enough to give it a try. Teams from as far away as Japan and Mexico contribute to the list of anglers from all over Canada and the United States.

As with the tournaments this year, my reports & articles also took a back seat to the incredible fishing. I will be on the water until the end of November as I anticipate a late season. Even with all the cold weather we have had lately, I expect the season to go another four or five weeks until I call it quits for the year.

I still have some days open for those of you eager to catch some big bass before the winter sets in. Average days of fifty or more bass up to and over five pounds are common. Some days even exceed 100 fish! If you can endure the cold & ski during the winter, you can surely dress for the “Big Fall Smallies”. They won’t be the only ones hooked when you experience this incredible time of the season as it changes once again.