Friday, May 18, 2012

Over the Falls

I had several preconceived notions in regard to New York.  I had never been to New York, I had heard many excellent fishing reports from other anglers, but I was hesitant.  I thought urban sprawl, I was more than thrilled to find out I was completely wrong.

We coordinated our visit with the folks at Niagara USA and they pointed us in the right direction for fishing all of the waters accessible from Lewiston, New York.  Literally right out of the doors of our hotel, The Barton Hill Hotel and Spa, was the Lewiston landing boat launch.  Add to that the convenience of trailer parking for boats and it was the best combination of luxury and accessibility.

I sampled the bounties of the area, fishing Lake Erie for smallies on a bright and sunny morning.  Going out with  Darrin Schwenkbeck of Shipwreck Schwenk's Angling Adventures, we worked the break wall and shoreline for smallies.
Darrin Schwenkbeck holding a smallie with Buffalo, NY in the background

I knew I was in good hands if I wanted to catch fish.  Darrin has won a Bassmasters Northern Tour event and has finished in the money in several Elite Series tournaments, he knows how to catch fish.
Better yet, Darrin is a runner (like myself) and a guide not only on the lakes around Niagara but also on the legendary Lake Champlain-the other Great Lake situated in the Adirondack mountains.   It's great to have a guide that knows where the fish are, it's even better to have a guide that is well rounded and interesting between the bites.

We didn't have much down time between the bites, Darrin kept me on the fish.  We fished with both a jerk bait technique, which is one of Darrin's secret weapons, and a tube bait set up.  Casting and catching and talking about marathons made for a one of the most enjoyable mornings on the water I've ever had.
Cross training for fishing and hunting makes the difference in the ability to endure adverse conditions and less than ideal situations yet still harvest animals and catch fish when others fatigue and have to go in.
The more hours that are logged in the field, the greater the chance of success is, it's simple.  It was great to find another angler that shared the love of endurance sports and translated those skills into angling.
Fishing the edges produced 3+ pound smallmouth

The icing on the cake was to find out that we caught more fish than most others fishing that day.  The crystal clear waters of Lake Erie made for some exciting visuals of the smallies as they took the bait and we were able to land them.  New York is a surprise.  Crystal clear waters abundant in a variety of fish species, friendly and knowledgeable people, and a short drive from many Midwestern cities. New York is many things, chief among them-it is now my "go to", destination for fishing in the Great Lakes.

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