There Is Much More to New York than Cities!

When most people hear New York they think of a city, skyscrapers, busy streets and a lot of noise. Others think of fine dining, plays, Broadway and nightlife in general. However, I think of the great outdoors. I have enjoyed camping, hiking, and fishing in the Adirondacks with my wife and kids. The pancakes and trout that I fixed for breakfast were incredible!

Well, I did have problems with the pancakes one morning! After making a dozen flapjacks and getting eaten alive by mosquitos, I decided to grab the bug spray. When I grabbed the can of "bug spray", I noticed that it was actually Pam cooking spray! Oh no! What did I put on the skillet!

Coho Salmon, Lake Ontario

Trolling for salmon and lake trout in Lake Ontario was a riot as well. We caught some absolute beauties! My favorite part was the fresh grilled salmon we ate between days of our two-day trip. My buddy Matt was the grill master and he got an A+ rating!

lake trout on Lake Ontario

Another first rate fishing adventure in New York can be found on Lake Erie at Dunkirk Harbor. I caught the biggest smallmouth of my life there. It was twenty-five inches long. (Take that "No Fish Cliff!") I caught him on a two toned wacky rigged Senko.

Twenty-five inch smally

The trip that I look forward to the most every year is the opening of the bass season on lake Chautauqua! The bass fishing is incredible! The comradery is fantastic as well. My brother is the originator of the trip. We took our sons there fifteen years ago, and we have been going back ever since! My brother's good friends have been kind enough to put us up for a few days each summer. They have a beautiful home on the lake, and they are very generous!

My son, Will, with a nice bass, Lake Chautauqua

My six-pound bass, Lake Chautauqua

We have used a variety of bass lures on Chautauqua. We have caught some real nice fish on jitterbugs in the evening. We have caught some large bass on spinnerbaits as well. I caught a five pounder on a small white twister tail jig in an attempt in catch perch!  Smallmouth bass have been caught by our group on tubes and hair jigs. My personal favorite lure is the plastic worm. Noteworthy colors are green and black. As is usually the case, fishing around docks and weed beds is very productive. The lake is usually clear as gin. Any lure that works for you in clear water I am sure will work here!