hey RichZ ....

can I bug you one more time on Lake Champlain?

heading up there next week, if everything goes according to plans on my
buddy's side of life, so I have a few last questions, if you don't mind?

first, it was pretty amazing seeing you up there last week. I mean, I've
never been up there, its a huge lake, this was our day to do a quick
exploratory excursion without the boat and get a feel for the area, find
some lodging, and after riding around to many different places we happen
to be sitting by the lake at TC waiting for the ferry and there you come
pulling into the ramp 5 minute after we arrive. I really couldn't
believe it. I'm sitting there and I say to my buddy, "that profile looks
like RichZ!" he agrees from the couple of pictures I've shown him from
'gorilla in the nut' to get him initially interested in this venture
along with reading all your reports to him for years. wasn't quite sure
that was you at first but your son in the back looked familiar as well,
and then when you got in a car from Conn. and with a T-shirt with Conn.
on it, well, talk about happenstance. good to see you .... but I wish I
could have talked to you longer and bought you a beer and picked your
knowledge base for awhile; but, we all had places to go.

my question concerns the lower part of the lake, the area from Whitehall
up, starting at the canal. how is it? I don't recall much of your
reports on this section except South Lake which we will not bother with
(maybe the area at the ramp above the bridge) because we will have
Vermont licenses so can't go into NY and will play around in the 10 mile
stretch above Whitehall. plus, the lake is smaller and less intimidating
to a couple of guys who have cut their teeth on the Conn. River and
never really fished bigger water. should feel more like home to us.

is the bass fishing good bass fishing down there, mostly largemouth I
would presume? are there pike down there or do you need to be more in
the area of TC you were in last week to find the pike. we'd like to have
a little of that occasional excitement. we can only get a room around TC
for 2 nights and will need to move down to Whitehall for the next night
or so so have decided just to fish that especially after sitting at the
dock of the pier12 marina and liking the idea of docking the boat for 2
nights and fish out of there with less boat hassles. so, that's what we
will probably do unless its just amazing further north and too much to
resist or you point out this section is a waste of time, comparably
speaking.

as for what you would fish and where you might go if you were there next
week, I'm sure your tired of saying these types of things to guys like
me so I won't really bug you there and as I have saved every report
you've given for the last 3-4 years, here and elsewhere, I figure most
of it is in there already. but like I said, I can't recall much
reporting on the narrow souther stretch so I hope you don't mind a
little advice here.

Dscotts wrote:
the area from Whitehall
up, starting at the canal. how is it?

In summer, I love it down there. Next week might be pushing it though.
I would imagine you'll have some nut to flip by then. Or at least to drag
something over the top of, if it's only one layer thick.

But chestnut aside, the whole "18 hours in August" article on my site takes
place within 8 miles of the mouth of South Bay. Bascally, you'll be
spinnerbaiting/soft jerkbaiting/pitching the milfoil and hammering the
"hard stuff" with a worm, creature bait or jig.


mostly largemouth I
would presume?

Yes, except for the occasional lost smallie, and the population of smallies
that lives right around the locks.

are there pike down there

It's champlain. There are pike everywhere. The 4 largest champlain pike
I've ever caught came from south bay. FWIW, there are also some humongous
walleyes in the river section between Dresden and Whitehall. (think
chartreuse shad rap)

Do yourself a favor and take a pass or two along the Benson Landing
shoreline, basically from the boat ramp south to the marker. Don't let the
gar chase you away. The bass will be right in there with 'em.

BTW, we met at Ti on Saturday, after I had experienced my worst champlain
day ever. The next day, Tom & I launched at Crown Point and smoked 'em on
spinnerbaits.


RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing

RichZ wrote:
But chestnut aside, the whole "18 hours in August" article on my site takes
place within 8 miles of the mouth of South Bay.

somehow that slipped by me ... I'll study that intently!

Bascally, you'll be
spinnerbaiting/soft jerkbaiting/pitching the milfoil and hammering the
"hard stuff" with a worm, creature bait or jig.

thanks Rich, as always your generosity is greatly appreciated ....

BTW, we met at Ti on Saturday, after I had experienced my worst champlain
day ever.

yes, you weren't a happy camper for sure ....but still good to meet you
however so briefly; but again, depressing to be so close to an expansive
wealth of fishing lore and have to just shake your hand and wish you a
good evening. maybe I'll get on the water with you one of these years.

The next day, Tom & I launched at Crown Point and smoked 'em on
spinnerbaits.

I love .... spinnerbaits!!! started making my own this year which makes
it even more fun to catch something on what you concocted, one reason I
loved fly fishing so much as I made all my own flies but somewhere over
the last few years I got hooked on bass.

as for your Crown Point cure for an ailing weekend, might be something
to keep in the back of our minds if the Ti area is stingy to us.

the only thing that will stop us now is my buddy's life, especially
cause his mom is having pretty serous health problems. but all is set,
reservations are made, so all we're fighting is the old saying my uncle
said to me many years ago - "the hardest part about catching fish is
gettin' on the the water!" I was much younger then and he was my age now
and I never realized how prophetic that was at the time.