Big water bound
More pros contemplate run out into Lake Ontario to play catch up
CLAYTON, N.Y. – If one thing became obvious at the day-one weigh-in of the Stren Series Northern event at 1000 Islands it’s that Lake Ontario smallmouth are dominating the tournament scene here this week.
The only four limits topping the 20-pound mark on day one came from the big lake, which sits about 18 miles southwest of Clayton.
The problem with this scenario is that getting out onto Lake Ontario is like riding a bucking bull, not for 8 seconds, not for 8 minutes, but rather for about 80 minutes – one way.
A stiff southwest wind piled rollers high right into the mouth of the St. Lawrence River yesterday. Today it looks like the wind might be a little less, enticing pros to go out and play catch up.
“When we all got to the mouth of the river yesterday, I saw about 10 boats turn around and come back in,” said pro Jacob Powroznik. “I don’t blame them. Getting beat up like that is just not worth it. I went out there a little ways, got my 15 pounds and came right back. I’ll probably go back out there again today.”
From the looks of things yesterday, risking the big run out onto Ontario is the only game in town for catching big bags of fish.
Most of what largemouth were weighed in were small and no one spoke of any good bags of smallmouth coming from the river.
“I think the grass is just not up enough for the largemouth yet,” Powroznik said. “Usually it’s all matted up like at the Potomac, but the big mats just are not grown up yet.”
Great Lakes ace Charlie Hartley spent his day in the river fishing for smallmouth yesterday, catching just 5 pounds, 5 ounces total. His river fishing tactic paid off handsomely last year when he finished 7th without having to go out on the big lake.
“I was so excited last year,” Hartley said. “I thought I had found something where I could catch big bags of smallmouth without going for a wild ride on that big lake. Well, it’s not working this year so it looks like I’m back to square one: going for a wild ride on that big lake.”
Hartley noted that such punishing rides out on Ontario are actually quite painless – if you catch 20 pounds.
“It’s funny, you go out there, catch 20 pounds and after you weigh them in, you never even realize what you’ve been through,” he laughed. “But if you go out there, catch nothing and break all your stuff, that’s when you feel it for the next week.”
With the word out that Ontario is the place to go, more pros will likely push on out to the big lake today to see if they can play catch up, especially since the forecast is calling for lighter southwest winds.
The day two weigh-in of the Stren Series event at 100 Islands will begin Friday at 3 p.m. at French Creek Marina in Clayton.
Friday’s conditions
Sunrise: 5:37 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 65 degrees
Expected high temperature: 81 degrees
Water temperature: 65 degrees
Wind: SW 5 to 10 mph
Day’s outlook: partly cloudy, warm, with possible thunderstorms