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Saranac Lake Fishing Adventure

September 2005


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Our 7th annual trip came and went so fast, I can't believe it's gone. We had summer like weather, we all got sunburns. We did go a week or two earlier than normal this year because of schedule conflicts. We tried our best to get there early to make sure we could secure "our" island. Well, we didn't make it in time, when we arrived another group was just beginning to unload their boat and there was one small boat already there. The morning commute from Lower to Middle Lake was so foggy that we actually got lost trying to find the river. Well, I wouldn't say we were lost but we certainly couldn't find the river. This may have contributed to us not getting the island.
Sailing into the mist
When we realized we weren't going to get our island, we reluctantly went across the lake to "Hurricane Island" (actually it's named Halfway Island, but if you read my report on our 2003 trip you'll know why we named it Hurricane Island). The Island is conducive to anchoring the boat however and we were able to do so rather easily compared to the other island. We set up camp and waited for my Father-in-Law to show up with his brother. He has been trying to join us for a few years now but schedules never quite enabled it. They showed up at about 1:30 PM. We had already cooked and ate lunch, couldn't wait since we skipped breakfast.
The new boat, anchored nicely    Fred, Uncle Bob, Roger and Jon at camp
So, it was finally time to go fishing. We started at our "hot spot". A drop off near a creek mouth. I landed a small Pike pretty quickly there but that was it. We moved to another favorite spot and again I got a Pike, about the same as the first. The action seemed a bit slow. The day was warm and clear so I attributed the slow fishing to the weather conditions, but I wasn't complaining believe me. The lake and surrounding waterways were as pristine as ever.
A beautiful day on a beautiful lake  First of the day  Adirondack water foilage Gator # 2
That night we enjoyed some venison stew and a great nights sleep in the outdoors. The Loons kept us entertained with their songs and I dreamed of a bear coming into camp. Must've been a swimming bear! We awoke early (well, not really) and I cooked us some eggs, sausage, and corned beef hash. Man that was good! We packed the boat with lunch, snacks and refreshments and headed out to pursue the mighty Northern Pike and whatever else would bite. All the while listening to the likes of Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, Jimmy Buffet and others. Oh yeah, Johnny Cash! We hit a few favorite spots and the boys managed to get on the board with a few Panfish and Bass.
The Perch King reigns    Roger kept his title intact as the Perch King
Is that bait ?    Jon caught this Pumpkinseed on and OLD standby. It's never failed him yet
The weather continued to be awesome and we spent the entire day on the boat. That probably had something to do with the sunburn! I even burned the tops of my feet as I spent most of the day barefoot. Again, not complaining! The pike fishing was a bit slow for sure, but I did manage to land one more nice one at the hot spot that afternoon.
Nice gator!    This guy hit real hard, came in like a log and then went crazy at the boat when he realized he was hooked.
We spent some time in the creek where we fish some every year and managed a few Smallmouths. A Bald Eagle spent some time watching us there from a high pine branch. At one point he flew over and had his landing gear down but pulled up at the last minute. I love watching them grab fish off the water. I think we saw an eagle every day on this trip. It's great to see them at home in the Adirondacks again.
Smallie    Love the way them Smallies jump
Back at camp we had another great dinner, this time home made Wild Turkey soup - yummy! We had another great night for sleeping, just cool enough to make you stay in your sleeping bag. The next day greeted us with sunshine and warm weather again, but it was time to pack up. 
Another year is in the books. We had awesome weather but the fishing was a bit slow. We are going to try to get back to our schedule of coming up later in the month. I think the cooler water makes the fishing a little better. We did get to enjoy watching a canoe/kayak race on the lake the day we were leaving. It must've been some sort of marathon because there were literally hundreds of boats. Single man, 2 man, 6 man canoes and many kayaks. They ended up in the village of Saranac Lake so that must've been some long race. As usual, the mountain scenes around us were breathtaking.
& Mountain    Hey, isn't that .............?...... never mind
See ya next year

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