Fishin’ Upstate NY

My jones for fishing began during a two-week stay at in-laws’ place on Spencer lake in late July thru early August. I caught many foot-long large and smallmouth bass, throwing spinnerbait and spinner lures from a paddle boat. I failed to “boat” the big ones I had hooked, the biggest one headed into a partially submerged tree it called home, and my drag was set too light, so I coudn’t pull him out, the paddleboat was pushed into the tree by a gust of wind and the lunker flashed it’s side at me and snapped my line. “Big fish: one that got away.”

So, when my cousin Jim told me he’d booked a cabin on Honeoye Lake for a week in mid-September, and brother Mike signed on to join & bring his bass boat, I booked my trip. I brought along my best reel and some spinnerbait lures. Mike picked me up at our mum’s house and we arrived at the Honeoye boat launch on Friday. We fished for a couple hours and caught a few largemouths. I motored the boat to the cabin’s dock and Mike drove his truck around the lake to the cabin. Uncle Tom & cousin Dan arrived later. Jim was flying in from Tucson but was delayed until Saturday due to weather in Chicago.

We fished every day Saturday thru Thursday and caught dozens of fish every day between the two boats. I caught some lunker largemouths, smallmouths bass, and a rare walleye. Mike certainly outfished me during the week, he caught a lot more bass, using a chatterbait lure. Mike is a master at filleting fish, and we had two fishfries thanks to Mike’s batter recipe and his huge deepfryer. Mike also won the two poker tournaments we played one night. Fishing consumed most of my daylight hours. My bigger spinnerbait lures produced some of my biggest catches. Honeoye photo montage:

Friday we tidied up the cabin, packed out our stuff and motored the boats to the launch, loaded the boats onto the two trailers, said our adioses and Mike & I drove to Chatauqua Lake about 2 hours away. We stayed at Mike’s cabin/house on a canal adjacent to the lake. Theresa joined on Friday eve, we went out to a brewpub for a fun dinner. Saturday, niece Marissa joined and the four of us went out fishing. We hit a couple of Mike’s favorite spots, one was the spot he’d caught a huge MUSKIE earlier in the summer. The next spot, I latched onto a nice walleye, which we put in the boat’s livewell. We anchored there and ended up putting TEN walleyes in the livewell. Walleye tend to school, unlike bass. They are Mike’s favorite fish as they taste the best: “The filet mignon of the fish world.” “The tug is the drug.” is another fishing cliche I learned first-hand. Mike fileted them all, battered and deep-fried them and we enjoyed another great fish fry Saturday eve. Mike & I went out at 8AM fishing at the same spot and boated 8 more walleye, 15″-to-20″, in 2 1/2 hours. These also got fileted on shore and put in the freezer. After watching the Bills football game, we packed up and headed home. Mike dropped me off at mums house and he gifted her three filets, battered & deep-fried. I got a day & 1/2 of scrabble with mum and she dropped me at the airport Tuesday afternoon and I made it home about 11PM. Couldn’t ask for better weather in NY and I had a great time assuaging my fishing jones.

Some pics from Chatauqua: