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Created by Scott McKee Oct 31, 2018 at 1:09pm. Last updated by Scott McKee Oct 31, 2018.

Thank you, Jay!

This site is sponsored by NMA Member Jay Nannen.

Took the boat out yesterday to try to catch some bass in the river. First time this year for bass in the river. In the spring was in the lake and caught one.

First tried an aimless dropshot drift through the triangle to beyond the shipyards. Aimless drifts usually work for bass. Nothing.

Went towards Staley's and fished the trench to the rise onto the reef. First drift hooked and lost one. Second drift boated a 16"er. Tried shoreline ledges and mid river humps, but nothing else.

Tried above and below South Grand Island Bridge. Had nibbles. Little fish biting off the tails of my gulp minnows. But no bass. At least none big enough to mouth my minnows.

Fished 5 hours and caught one bass. Including the spring lake trip, 10 hours for 2 bass. I have had lots more action fishing for muskies.

In my opinion the smallmouth population in the river is likely at a 2 decade low. Last time it was this bad was in the mid 1990s, and some bass fishermen were blaming the muskies. Too many muskies eating the bass, they claimed.

Just need a couple good year classes. Bass grow pretty quickly.

 

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When I talked with Chris, he mentioned that they've been talking about doing a census of the fish population in the Harbor & River. It could happen this Fall. I don't recall ever hearing of a census done of all the fish out there to get a makeup of the population

It would be interesting to see what the mix is though.

Do you think the "little nippers" were gobies?

The nippers could have been almost anything. Gobies, small perch, or baby bass. Quite a few below the bridge. Didn't catch any.

It seems like bass fishing has gone downhill in many places. I wonder if they are considering ending catch and release for the off season. I have heard that once a bass is taken off it's nest, it is a matter of seconds before the perch, gobies, etc clean it out.

Steve...I don't know if they're considering ending C&R during the off-season but I know they're thinking about going to some kind of two season approach. Right now there are three seasons but at the Angler Outreach, they admitted that it's confusing. I don't know what the two seasons that they're thinking about are though, but keep your eyes open for comment periods.

Steve,

My understanding is that the local smallmouths tend to spawn from mid-June to mid-July. That's why the Canadian season doesn't open until the fourth week in June (the NY has been the 3rd week). If the spawn is this late, the problem is not the early season because there's nothing for the bass to protect on the nest. The problem is the summer season. If this is true, to allow the smallmouths to protect the nest, you would have to close the season from mid-June to mid-July. Since this is the peak fishing season for most "casual" anglers, that has never been thought of as a real option.

Good day boys
I think that it is a combo of evasive critters.
Zebra have cleaned the water causing less bait fish
And easier pickings of all Y O Y.
Cormorants eating 7 lbs a day of any Y O Y.
Gobies eating the eggs.
Jojoout

I brought up changing the season or ending the C&R season as a tool the DEC has at their disposal to help protect the bass population, since it is a self sustaining population and stocking will never be considered as an option but I didn't think about the cormorant  problem and maybe a method of controlling them is another tool but there might be a lot of opposition to that and as for the Canadian bass season being a viable option in New York, it probably makes more sense in Canada because they are further north and many of their waters warm up later so the bass in those waters spawn later than in many New York waters.

How is that for a sentence Scott? Do I have potential?

Welcome to the run on club, Steve!

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