CTFishTalk.com: Lake Champlain - VT from Plattsburgh NY 09/29 - Connecticut Out of State Reports ( CT Out of State Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

I had been looking for a fishing charter on which to take my father-in-law for his birthday when I read this report by Vudak:

http://www.ctfishtalk.com/lake-champlain-9-18-t5680.html

Thanks, John! I contacted Captain Mickey Maynard (aka Cap'n Mick) almost immediately and booked a trip for today with my father-in-law and my daughter. Before I go any further, I have to say that if you want to fish Lake Champlain for northern pike, you'd be crazy to not book your trip with Cap'n Mick:

http://www.angelfire.com/home/lake/fishing/lake.html

Unfortunately, my father-in-law decided that he and my daughter could handle only a four hour outing. Although I would have loved a full eight hour outing, four hours turned out to be the perfect amount of time on the water today. And the three of us managed to boat a ton of fish in four hours, anyway! Very Happy

But let's go back to the beginning. We met Cap'n Mick at a service station in Plattsburgh, NY, and followed him and his boat to the Point Au Roche State Park Boat Launch:

I had told Cap'n Mick that we wanted to fish for pike and bass, so he brought his 20-1/2 foot center console fishing boat. The day was overcast and cool, with temperatures rising throughout the day from 62 to 68 degrees. The wind was out of the south at 15 to 20 mph, but shifted to south-southwest as the day wore on. It was beautifully overcast almost the entire time we were on the water. As we left the launch, I sat on the raised section of the bow, while my father-in-law and daughter sat on the cooler in front of the console:

The rough water and brisk wind made for a somewhat wet cruise across the lake from NY to the VT side of the lake. But the spray wasn't the worst of it. The first time the boat crested a wave and hit the next one with a thump, I was reminded that water doesn't compress as I felt Mike Tyson sucker punch me in the kidneys. It didn't take long for me to get to my feet and move to stand behind the console with Cap'n Mick, who was kind enough to shield me from the worst of the spray. He took us to some calmer water in a passage between two sections of the lake and we began fishing as we drifted over weeds in about 12 feet of water. We all used St. Croix spinning rods and Pflueger spinning reels. My father-in-law and I each threw red Strike King Premier Plus spinnerbaits with double willow blades and a trailer hook. My daughter threw a black one. She said that it was a battle to see whether fish preferred strawberries or licorice! Shocked

Fittingly, my father-in-law (aka the birthday boy) landed the first fish of the day, which was a decent pike:

And, thankfully, my daughter landed the second fish of the day, which was a decent pike/chain pickerel hybrid:

Cap'n Mick said, "Now we have to get one for Phil", and I told him that my minimum goal had already been met, since both my father-in-law and my daughter had each caught a decent fish. But he said that he expected us to catch at least eight to 10 fish in four hours. After a while, I caught the next one, which was a decent hybrid:

Then, my daughter yelled, "Fish on!" and landed a decent pike:

And shortly after that, I caught what turned out to be the lunker pike:

Cap'n Mick didn't have a tape measure and the battery had died on his digital scale, but I'd estimate that the pike was 34 to 36 inches long and weighed about 10 pounds. At this point, he revised his estimate of the number of fish that we would catch upward, to 12 to 14. After a short stop at a marina to go potty Rolling Eyes

and gas up (and where I caught a little smallmouth bass while I was waiting on the boat for everyone else to get back Very Happy

), we hit a different spot and drifted over weeds in about six feet of water. While we were there, my daughter caught the lunker hybrid:

We could see the bulge of a fish in its belly. I think that the hybrids were the prettiest fish we saw all day and were also the best fighters by far. They combine the size and strength of a pike with the fighting spirit of a pickerel. After a final upward revision by Cap'n Mick of his estimate to 20 fish, we ended up boating 25 fish of four different species. Surprised

I caught 10 and got the cycle (i.e., a hybrid, a pike, a smallie and a largemouth bass). My daughter caught nine and my father-in-law caught six. All told, we got one smallie, two largies, four hybrids and 18 pike. Here are the bass:

It turned out that on average and except for the bass, the fish preferred licorice over strawberry, nine to eight! Shocked

We had a great day:

Thanks, again, Cap'n Mick! We'll definitely be back to fish with you again!
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SeaDog1 · Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Posts: 2629

Hi Phil!

Looks like you and the family had a GREAT trip!

Also that Lunker Pike picture -> You have to use that as your New Avatar Exclamation

Can we now say your the "Prince of Pike" !!!!! Very Happy

Best regards,
SeaDog1 Mr. Green

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

But SeaDog1, I love my bass avatar! Very Happy

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Phish · Joined: 22 Aug 2008 Posts: 454 Location: West Hartford

What a fantastic trip. Great photos and lasting memories. Champlain is definitely on my wish list and has been for a while. Thanks for sharing.

DirtyDawg10 · Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 2238 Location: Granby, CT

Awesome report Phil. Sounds like a great time. It seems like you passed your fishing skills on to your daughter..."like father like daughter"...I'm sure none of you will ever forget that trip.

DirtyDawg10 · Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 2238 Location: Granby, CT

I forgot to ask...were all the fish caught on spinnerbait? or did you sneak a senko on in your pocket?

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

Hey, Dawg! We stuck with the same spinnerbaits the entire time. A fast, consistent retrieve was the rule. It wasn't broke, so we never had to fix it. When my father-in-law was landing the first fish, I sped up my retrieve so that I could grab my camera and take photos of it. About 10 feet from the boat, a 2-1/2 foot long northern pike came flying completely out of the water like a ballistic missile as it just missed my spinnerbait. My daughter was amazed. She yelled, "Did you SEE that?!?!"

On the way home from Plattsburgh, my daughter was famished, so we stopped for dinner at West Street Grill in Litchfield, where we had your birthday dinner last Sunday. We sat at the same table. And the same guy with the dog came in and sat next to us. He actually remembered me. I'm becoming a regular there already!
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DirtyDawg10 · Joined: 27 May 2009 Posts: 2238 Location: Granby, CT

lol...too funny. That guy and his dog were the Town celebrities. That was a very nice place to eat.

Fishface · Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 308 Location: New Britain

Nice job Phil And family. Looks like a sweet place to go.

Tim

Vudak · Joined: 02 Jun 2010 Posts: 66

I'm glad you had an awesome time there, Phil Smile

Captain Maynard is a great guy.

Now maybe this Spring we can work out a trade where you show me how to use a soft plastic and I bring you up to the southern end of Champlain to try to catch a mean bowfin Very Happy

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

That's a deal for sure. Thanks, again, for the recommendation. Despite the wind, we really lucked out with the weather.
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Old Mud · Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 1048 Location: Bath, Maine

WOW !! Great report Phil, Taking the family fishing is what it's all about. Thumbs Up

. Nice lookin family and fish !!. Very Happy

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PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

And, no, you can't have my boat! Very Happy

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Old Mud · Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 1048 Location: Bath, Maine

DANG !!!!

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"I was so poor growing up that if I wasn't a BOY I'd have had nothing to play with"

All that truly matters in the end is that you LOVED !!!!

PECo · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 5203 Location: Avon, CT

I can't fish in this weather, so here are a couple of more photos of my lunker pike:

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