Lake George the Queen of New York Lakes

Lake George is known as the “Queen of American Lakes” because of its beauty. However that early morning last October when we set out from Diamond Point aboard Rod Bender Charters all that we saw was fog. However beautiful the crystal-clear lake surrounded by forested mountains is, we were there for the great fishing that it offers.

Al Benas, Wayne Brewer, and I were making ourselves comfortable aboard the 28 foot Baha charter boat as Captain Jeff Johnson, better known as “J.J.”, quickly rigged up the rods for trolling. My friends Dan Ladd and Bryant Abbuhl always said that JJ was the best fisherman on the lake and that day he further established his reputation. We caught several nice lake trout while other experienced anglers were having trouble finding or boating many fish.

Our target that day on Lake George was lake trout. Although Lake George has excellent fishing for landlocked salmon and bass, the lakers are the dominant fish with abundant numbers and a self-sustaining fishery. The three of us friends may disagree on different things but we all agree that lake trout are fun to catch on light tackle, as well as fine eating.

This occasion was the NYS Outdoor Writers Association Conference in Lake George and the three of us had the good fortune to fish with JJ that morning in early October. JJ quickly found structure, marked fish, and set his rods with downriggers. That autumn day we found most lakers were down 90 – 100 feet.

JJ’s Okuma reels were spooled with 6 lb. test line and we were trolling red and orange spoons similar to Mooselook Wobblers or balsa plugs similar to Mini J plugs. As JJ explained, trolling covers move water and presents the lures to more fish. The lake trout like structure and the comfort of the thermocline but they are actively seeking the baitfish wherever they are found. The

summer thermocline is often found at a depth of 50 – 100 feet, depending on weather.

The rapacious lake trout eagerly hit the spoons and plugs and as the downriggers went off we carefully set the hook and played the fish. Although lake trout are not spectacular fighters like landlocked salmon, their head shaking and deep runs mean a good fight on light tackle as JJ uses.

Last year the average lake trout was 21 – 24 inches but this year the average is 25 – 27 inches. “Nice fish” Wayne called out as my 27 inch fish was brought to the net. I soon returned the compliment as Wayne fought a 23 inch laker, but Wayne’s mind was already on how tasty that fish would be on the grill.

Al and JJ compared notes on fishing and the charter boat business but Al eagerly took his turn and joined in the fun. Although the action was pretty steady, JJ entertained and informed us about a lot of things on the fishery and Lake George. As the fog finally lifted we did appreciate the beauty of Lake George and its setting.

Earlier this week I checked in with JJ to see how the fishing has been this year. He commented that it has been very good with lots of lake trout and some salmon being caught. Lake trout are still being caught in shallow water but are moving to deeper water and will be in 140 – 150 feet of water by July.

As noted earlier the average size of the lake trout has been increasing to 25 – 27 inches and some 5 and 10 lb. fish are be- ing caught. Some of this is due to the good supply of bait fish and some of it is due to the increasing popularity of catch and release among ice fishermen. Many of them are now using jigs instead of live bait which increases the survival rate of fish being released.

Landlocked salmon are now scattered around the lake but by early summer they will be found around the thermocline, perhaps 50 feet down. However, they will be chasing the bait and often JJ will find them feeing on top. Depending on what he is seeing, he may use different rigs and catch both lake trout and landlocked salmon on the same troll. In the spring the salmon are taken on spoons and stickbaits but in summer it will be all spoons. He uses similar patterns but smaller sized spoons compared to the lures used for lake trout.

During the summer, Rod Bender Charters offers party boat excursions for bass fishing any night of the week. Early in the season JJ targets largemouth bass since that fishery has been very good the past few years. By July the smallmouth bass are usually the target as that action picks up. Fishing for them is usually done with jigs or live bait, usually minnows in early summer and crayfish later.

As you would expect, JJ is usually busy but he still has some openings for charters available. There are a variety of options available and he can also arrange accommodations at Capri Village where he

Leo Maloney