Earlier this week, I towed my boat to work so I could go fishing on Saratoga Lake after I finished my shift. I called my friend, Nick and invited him along. A true fisherman, Nick showed up early and was prepared to fish so there was no delay in getting on the water. After launching the boat, we discussed where we wanted to go and how we were going to fish. We ended up deciding on Stony Point as a starting point and then let the fish dictate our course thereafter. As we were idling out to the lake, Nick looked down into the floor drain and said, “why is there so much water in the bilge?” My lame response was “I don’t know, I put the plug in.” I immediately turned on the bilge pump, put the motor in neutral, opened the deck lid and saw why the lake was in the boat where it didn’t belong. The livewell pump that I had replaced earlier in the day had mysteriously detached itself from its base. I quickly re-attached the pump to the base, told it to “STAY!” and continued on while the bilge emptied.
With the problem solved, we motored to the south end of the lake and started fishing in 15 feet of water. I had gotten a report that Walleye were biting at that depth earlier in the day and wanted to see if we could catch a few ourselves. Half an hour later, we decided that we were in the right place but at the wrong time so we moved into the weeds and started fishing for Bass. That proved to be a wise move because the Bass were cooperative.
They weren’t picky either.
Nick and I would catch a fish on one bait and then throw a different bait just because. This is what we call “junk fishing”. “Junk fishing” is a fun way to experiment with different colors and styles of lures to see what’s working best. It’s also a great way to use up partial bags of plastic worms and clean out your tackle box. Instead of putting on a Senko, which I knew would catch fish, I started “dropshotting” with French fry style worm that were kicking around in my boat. It worked. Meanwhile, Nick was using a different kind of worm and catching fish on that. When he lost that worm, he tied on a spinnerbait that he cobbled together from the remains of others and started catching fish on that. Not to be outdone, I found an old chatterbait with a ratty skirt, attached a used swimbait and caught fish on that until the skirt fell off. I stole a skirt from a jig to replace what was lost and caught more fish. I even used a bloated old waterlogged seven-inch Senko we found in the bilge and caught fish. Nick and I fished this way until sundown and never had a break in the action. We boated Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, Chain Pickerel, Rock Bass, Yellow Perch and a Pumpkinseed that afternoon.
I’m not telling this story to brag about our fishing prowess but to illustrate a point. There is no single best lure or color or technique or even a best spot to fish because we covered about a mile of weed bed and used a tackle box full of lures that trip. You don’t need to get caught up in the hype surrounding fishing, you just need to get on the water and put a lure in front of the fish. Not every trip will turn out like the one we had, but every trip you take has the potential to be great. Don’t be reluctant to experiment, you just may learn something.
Lake Survey
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is conducting a creel survey of Saratoga Lake this year. The purpose is to check the overall health of Saratoga Lake’s fish populations. NYSDEC will be conducting on the water interviews with anglers to see what they are catching, their concerns and their overall satisfaction of the fishery. If you are approached while fishing, let them know how you’re doing. DEC will also be electrofishing at night to capture fish, which will be released once they are measured. Later this summer, DEC will set nets deep in the water to capture Walleye, some that will be sent to their lab for health department testing. The survey will continue through the coming winter and once it is over, all the information gathered will be collated, condensed, analyzed and written up in a report. The conclusions reached will provide us with a better understanding of the lake and may result in regulation changes that will improve the quality of the fishing in Saratoga Lake and help to conserve the resource for future generations.
Tim Blodgett, owner of Saratoga Tackle & Archery, can be reached at (518) 584-3952. His store is located on Route 9P, Saratoga Lake next to the state boat launch. For further information, visit Saratogatackle.com or find Saratoga Tackle on Facebook.
