So, 5 months of snow, ice, rain and cold. Winter in Ontario can be a numbing experience, both mentally and physically. As a bass fishing fanatic, winter is the worst time of the year for me. I do some ice fishing, plan for next year's tournaments, maintain equipment and attend shows and seminars as much as possible. It all helps, that's for sure, but let's face it there is no substitution for catching bass.
A few years ago I said to myself where can I go and fish this spring for bass? I did some research and found some lakes in New York that were close by and open year round or at least a couple of months earlier than Ontario for bass (catch and release only of course) and made plans to go as soon as the ice was gone and the weather was a little nicer.
May rolled around and I had a game plan. Oh I was going to put on a clinic. I travelled to Oneida Lake and stayed for a couple of days. My buddy and I fished hard, covered water and tried numerous presentations. So here is where I would insert a few money shots, big bass, pre spawn smallies and largies and big smiles on our faces.... Huh? No Pics? Oh yeah.... we struck out. I know, I am surprised as you are. I mean, all the research I did, all the new baits to try and we got skunked??? Unreal.
So no way was I going to take this lying down. I planned another trip a couple of weeks later. I had a new plan. I was going to forget all the stuff I read online, in magazines etc. and just go looking for stuff I like to fish. Guess what, it worked. Flipping jigs in weed beds with 6-8 feet of water, just a few yards from where the largies would be spawning in a week or so were on fire. Lot's of big females in the 4 to 4.5 pound range were caught that day on our jigs. We even got into a bunch of smallies on a point that just smashed our Bass Magnet tubes in Dark Melon Pepper. Double headers were common and the skunk was gone. So all was good, we packed up loaded the Ranger and headed back to Canada... Oh yeah, we ended up blowing a hub on my trailer. That was pretty awesome, so both trips ended up costing me about the same, but at least I had bass thumb this time around!!!
So fishing to my strength's was the key. Go figure huh, I tried to get too technical and I ended up wasting a weekend, a few hundred bucks and incurred the wrath of a buddy who really wanted to go walleye fishing instead... He forgave me later when I promised to take him crappie fishing though. So all was good on that front, but from there on out all my early season bass fishing always starts with a look at the water temp, then I head to the bank. Rocks that are exposed to sun are a great start, From there I just cover water, looking for the same things I would look for on a new body of water at home. Weedlines, docks, rockpiles and wood. Reaction baits do catch fish and you would be surprised how fast you can fish and catch fish in 55 degree water. Five years later and fishing in New York is one sure way to get ready for a season in Ontario and one of the things that help get me through a long miserable winter.
A few years ago I said to myself where can I go and fish this spring for bass? I did some research and found some lakes in New York that were close by and open year round or at least a couple of months earlier than Ontario for bass (catch and release only of course) and made plans to go as soon as the ice was gone and the weather was a little nicer.
May rolled around and I had a game plan. Oh I was going to put on a clinic. I travelled to Oneida Lake and stayed for a couple of days. My buddy and I fished hard, covered water and tried numerous presentations. So here is where I would insert a few money shots, big bass, pre spawn smallies and largies and big smiles on our faces.... Huh? No Pics? Oh yeah.... we struck out. I know, I am surprised as you are. I mean, all the research I did, all the new baits to try and we got skunked??? Unreal.
So no way was I going to take this lying down. I planned another trip a couple of weeks later. I had a new plan. I was going to forget all the stuff I read online, in magazines etc. and just go looking for stuff I like to fish. Guess what, it worked. Flipping jigs in weed beds with 6-8 feet of water, just a few yards from where the largies would be spawning in a week or so were on fire. Lot's of big females in the 4 to 4.5 pound range were caught that day on our jigs. We even got into a bunch of smallies on a point that just smashed our Bass Magnet tubes in Dark Melon Pepper. Double headers were common and the skunk was gone. So all was good, we packed up loaded the Ranger and headed back to Canada... Oh yeah, we ended up blowing a hub on my trailer. That was pretty awesome, so both trips ended up costing me about the same, but at least I had bass thumb this time around!!!
So fishing to my strength's was the key. Go figure huh, I tried to get too technical and I ended up wasting a weekend, a few hundred bucks and incurred the wrath of a buddy who really wanted to go walleye fishing instead... He forgave me later when I promised to take him crappie fishing though. So all was good on that front, but from there on out all my early season bass fishing always starts with a look at the water temp, then I head to the bank. Rocks that are exposed to sun are a great start, From there I just cover water, looking for the same things I would look for on a new body of water at home. Weedlines, docks, rockpiles and wood. Reaction baits do catch fish and you would be surprised how fast you can fish and catch fish in 55 degree water. Five years later and fishing in New York is one sure way to get ready for a season in Ontario and one of the things that help get me through a long miserable winter.
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