New York’s bass season opener always falls on the third Saturday in June, which this year was the 17th. Now is the time to get on the water. If you need a place to fish, we have some spectacular bass fishing water in upstate New York within a two-hour drive in any direction. For example, to the south we have eleven Finger Lakes all with great bass populations. There’s almost too many good fishing waters to choose from; a problem I’d wager half the country wishes they had.
Brandon White with a great largemouth bass that couldn’t resist the enticement of his NuTech crazy jig. Provided photo
I recently reached out to Brandon White, co-owner of Rochester Sport Fishing, to help narrow down our choices. As a guide, Brandon specializes in inland fishing while his partner Kip Mammano handles the big water, concentrating on trout and salmon on Lake Ontario. Brandon focuses on bass, pike, walleye and tiger muskie, but is not too jaded to enjoy catching a pile of panfish as well.
Brandon was gracious enough to break down the closer Finger Lakes from a bass fishing perspective. “If I had to pick a Finger Lake, I prefer Honeoye Lake for its sheer numbers of largemouth bass, but Conesus for better sized bass. What I’m excited about this year is the 65-degree water temperature in these lakes. I’ve found from experience that specific water temperature is when the largemouth bass really turn on.
Brandon goes on to say, “most of the active bass at this time of year can be found in 6 inches to 10 feet of water, so target the shorelines. If I had to choose one type of bait for this early bite, and for most of the year for that matter, I like a bladed jig or, as some call them, chatterbaits. This lure will catch bass of all sizes and can easily be used by beginners or advanced fishermen or women.
“The bladed jig lets you cover all depths of water and fish almost any structure. This bait can be fished deep, shallow, or as top water lure. You can literally cast and retrieve it and catch fish, but to get the most potential out of the lure, I like to yo-yo it or stop and go with a twitch/twitch pause action. This versatile lure can be pitched under docks, cast long distances, burned on top of grass, or slow rolled along the bottom.
“One of my favorite bladed jigs is the NuTech Crazy jigs. One reason for this is their dual weed guard which allows them to be moved through heavy weeds with less hang-ups. I like to burn this jig across the surface to trigger those violent surface strikes. For a trailer on this practical bladed jig, I like a split tail or a Zoom Fat Albert curly tail grub. The later trailer is used if I want to present wider bait. If I’m looking for the big bite, I use a 3 to 4 inch paddle tail, like a Kietech Swing Fat. I have landed many huge bass and pike on this lure.
“If the white/chartreuse colors are not working, you can always go back to the standard green pumpkin trailer. Another great advantage to the chatterbait or bladed jig is that it excels in the wind, especially when using a heavier head because you can throw it a country mile even in a big blow.
“The only time these blade jigs may not produce is during or just after a cold weather front goes through and most of the fish slow down. The fish may then be a bit skittish of the flash and vibration this bait gives off. If the fishing is slow, don’t be afraid to change it up by using a black blade. If you can’t find a black blade, use a Sharpie to color it in.
“Sometimes I want a slenderer profile; I will then just take off the skirt and use a paddle tail trailer. If you want to experiment, try bending the blade to change the action to make them run deeper or shallower. And last but certainly not least, if you are getting short bites on this jig, add a trailer hook same as you would use on a spinner bait.”
So there you go. Now get on the water, it’s bass o’clock. No excuses, just remember how long the winter was, the lawn work can wait! Go pick up a couple bladed jig baits and get out there and chase some bucketmouths. If you don’t have a boat or are having trouble finding fish, give Brandon a call at 208-4830 or Kip at 797-3735 or visit them at rochestersportfishing.com. These guys will see you get bit!
