Sunny skies & light winds made for a smooth yet cool ride as we raced across the lake towards our first fishing area. This trip had been postponed from the Victoria Day weekend to the Memorial Day weekend due to the foul weather we had. Once again, as each anniversary arrives, this annual trip to Lake Memphremagog has to be undertaken, or else. It’s a small price to pay for 17 years of marriage. I’m very fortunate to be partnered to someone with the same passion & love of the sport as I have and am grateful of this each and every day. Where some husbands have to fight and argue with their spouse to go fishing, my wife requests this of me instead. Tough job eh! She has excelled in the sport over the years and thoroughly enjoys time spent on the water, as much as I do.

Normally a jerk-bait produces fish on almost every cast at this time of year, but due to the overly cold weather we’ve had lately, we could only scratch up a handful of bass. Surface temperatures barely hit 50 degrees and the air temperature wasn’t much warmer either. I knew there had to be more fish on this shallow, pre spawn flat and was determined to catch them. Vermont’s “Catch & Release” season allows bass fisherman and women the pleasure of catching these bronze beauties earlier than usual. Having had great success with Rat-L-Traps on other bodies of water this time of year, I figured I’d give them a try. It wasn’t long before I had a response from a four pound bass. Burning this crank-bait over lots of water in specific areas of the bay produced many hits, but many lost fish as well. The lure was triggering them into attacking, but they were not really feeding. Most of the ones that were landed were barely hooked on the back treble and any extra pressure on the fish would tear it loose. A 7 foot, slow action rod set up with 12 pound Berkley Trilene Inshore line and a very light drag on the Curado 200 bait cast reel, allowed more fish landed than lost. By making long casts and sweeping the hook set like a Carolina Rig set, we were able to get into more than 50 bass ranging from 2.5 to 4.5 pounds in about four hours of fishing time. We combed the bay and had constant action throughout the time we were there, catching and releasing these beautiful smallmouth bass.

After lunch, we relocated to some offshore structures and once again began boating smallies in the two to four pound range. This time however, we were fishing the deepest drops on the reefs in 18 to 25 feet of water with jigs. Once again, the Fin-S by Herb Reed of Lunker City provided us with continuous acrobatic action as the bronzebacks displayed the aerial jumps that they are so renowned for. It turned out that some of these deeper areas were just loaded with the bass that should be closer to the nesting areas inside the bay. Most of the bigger females were relating to the open water humps and shoals rather that the frigid bays. Mother nature has a way of confusing even the fish sometimes, I guess. Overall, 75 or more smallmouth bass were landed on this our belated anniversary day.

Day two turned out to be a nasty one, with the weather taking a turn for the worse. It began with a strong SW wind of 15 to 20 knots and then got even windier. This made it nearly impossible to control the boat in the shallower water, where I found most of the fish the day before. Three-foot rollers were blowing into the bay and then it began to rain. The temperature dropped 5 to 10 degrees in under an hour and the barometer did as well. Figuring that the fish had moved out deeper, I started on the first transition in about 12 feet of water. Christiane hooked up with the first of many fish of over four pounds on the Rat-L-Trap by slowly reeling it, as we drifted with the wind. I figured I’d try a Bandit 300 series crank-bait to go down a little deeper & immediately locked up with another fat female of close to four pounds. Markers were thrown and back out we went again. This time though, I threw out two drift socks from the stern and slowly worked the area once again. Many more fish were caught by both of us as we slowly drifted the deeper areas outside the bay. The bass had definitely disliked the weather change, but not as much as we did. After a few hours of this miserable hate, we decided to call it quits and head for the ramp. We took a bit of a beating on the way back, as the wind seemed to change the further we went out into the lake. Constant cross-wave action tossed and twisted us all the way back. We were sure glad for rain suits on this day. Lake Memphremagog can be as gentle as a kitten or as mean as a lion. The mountainous terrain surrounding the lake tends to funnel and swirl bad weather, causing sudden weather changes, often. If you plan a trip to the lake this season, be prepared for the worst but expect the best bass action. Size and numbers of these beautiful Smallmouth Bass were caught and released on yet another anniversary to remember.

Conditions seemed just right for the first trip to Lake Memphremagog for “Pre Spawn Smallmouth”. Vermont has a special Catch & Release season that just has to be experienced to be believed.

The day called for mostly sunny skies and light winds of 5 to 10 mph from the west/north west. Water temperature would be the key to success as this was my first trip to the lake this year.

We launched in Newport at the city dock and headed off to a small bay nearby. The surface temperature showed barely 50 degrees, but I knew they would be here. With both Tony and I casting suspending jerk-baits, it wasn’t long before the first fish was boated and released. In about an hour, we managed to catch 10 fish ranging from 2 to 4 pounds, in 4 to 8 feet of water. “Still too cold” I said, as we relocated to other deeper areas further away. The jerk-baits were just not working, so I knew we would have to go deeper. Light jigs of 1/8oz. Combined with “Fin-S” baits by Herb Reed at Lunker City, allowed us to start hooking up, as we should be. Most of the fish were staging in 18 to 25 feet of water adjacent to spawning areas. With each move, we continued to boat bass by fishing the steeper edges of similar areas throughout the lake. The “Fin-S” would definitely be the winner today as the fish proved to still be deep. As well as being deep, they were very inactive with most being dead sticked into biting our presentations. Along with the 60 to 75 bass up to four pounds landed, many more were lost as well. We even managed to boat 3 beautiful young salmon between 2 & 3 pounds. Tony would be having a nice dinner with these Landlocks.

The season seems to be on the beginning edge of its cycle. In the next few weeks, weather permitting the smallmouth will become more active with each passing day. The aggressiveness of these bronzebacks will increase and faster moving lures like jerkbaits & crankbaits will trigger them into striking. The jigs will always have a place and still manage to stir up the fattest females with light line presentations. Be ready to adjust several times a day during this time of year as the water warms & the fish become active. Keep an open mind and be alert to any subtleties you may encounter. Flexibility is the key to success for the “Pre Spawn Smallmouth” of the Northeast Kingdom and the Bronzeback is King.

To All Bass Fishing Enthusiasts

Advanced Bassin’ Plus would like to welcome you to a world of action an excitement. Although the Bass season in Quebec only begins in June, there is plenty of spectacular bass fishing to be had in May.

Northern Vermont waters like Lake Memphremagog and Lake Champlain have a special « Catch & Release » season that can jump-start anyone’s engine after the long months of winter. Numbers of Bass caught will frequently exceed 100 fish days. Many of these trophies caught will be in the four to five pound range!

Plenty of choice dates are still available for this spectacular « Pre Spawn » experience. If action and excitement are what you are after, this « Smallmouth » fishing should be experienced. You won’t believe it!

Visit the « Advanced Bassin’ Plus » website at <A HREF= »http://pages.infinit.net/mjcbass » TARGET=_blank>http://pages.infinit.net/mjcbass</A> for a complete profile of everything we have to offer.

Stay tuned for a follow up report on this amazing, early season fishing, to come soon.

Tight Lines to All

Mark Currie

Advanced Bassin’ Plus

A Lake Memphremagog Marriage (Written by: Mark Currie 05/22/01)<P>This past weekend was our first 3 day long weekend, and my wedding anniversary as well. What a better way to kick off the fishing season than to spend it on a beautiful Vermont Lake, catching Smallmouth Bass by the hundreds. A tradition was started some ten years or so ago and if it ever changed, a divorce would be in order. My wife would be the one filing for it however, because she is the one that insists on going year after year. It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it!

Lake Memphremagog is a spectacular body of water that covers some 28 miles or so, in length. It begins at the Canadian end of Magog, Quebec and stretches all the way to the U.S. end of Newport, Vermont. It’s beautiful scenery is only matched by the phenomenal fishing that it yields each spring as the smallmouth bass begin their annual migration from the deep water to the shallows, where they will eventually spawn. If you time it just right, you can intercept them on the main lake points, and offshore humps & rockpiles. Targeting them in the shallows as they spawn is not recommended and can be detrimental to the future years of fishing.

The first morning began damp and miserable, until a three and a half pound bronze beauty stopped the suspending jerkbait I was throwing. You would be amazed how tough these smallies are and how hard they fight in water barely above 50 degrees. All of a sudden the weather didn’t matter as we were into the first of many fish of the season and they were beauties. We continued to boat bass in the three to four pound range for the next hour or so until the bite slowed down. Knowing that there were plenty more fish roaming the edges of the bay, just waiting for the water temperature to rise, we opted to relocate. Memphremagog is renowned for the numerous offshore shoals and structures, and quite often at this time of year, many bass are found staging on them. Out to open water we went, and my wife Christiane was into a fish on her first cast over the rock shoal. We concentrated on the deepest sides of the structure, as the fattest females were positioned there ambushing anything that came their way. A Herb Reed’s Finesse bait fished on eight-pound Berkley Trilene XL line fooled the four-pound bass into striking this lifelike imitation of the ever-present Smelt that inhabit the lake. The visibility of the water was amazingly clear as I sighted several more buddies swimming alongside her during the battle. We continued to boat many more fish of equal size on Jerkbaits, Jigs and 4 inch Berkley Power Slugs, until they slowed down, once again.

After a quick lunch on the boat, I thought I would try some shoreline fishing outside the main bays of the Vermont end of the Lake. The thought proved to be the right move and we began to catch more bass along the thirty-foot edge of a cliff like shoreline on Rogues and other Suspending Jerkbaits. By covering the water with these lures, you never know what you might catch as the line snaps tight, and the fish nearly jerk the rod from your hands. Along with the bass, we caught many huge perch, a couple of Lake Trout, a Brook Trout and a fair Sized Rainbow Trout of about four pounds. We also had quite a few follow-ups by other Trout, and one laker that must have gone over ten pounds. Over fifty bass were caught from various locations on the lake in search of the really big ones. All the fish caught, including the trout, were released unharmed as we were only here for the pleasure and thrill of the fight, not the consumption of the fish. The least we could do on our anniversary is dine out!

Day two proved to be an even better day than day one, if you could believe that! The weather turned for the better, and gave us sunny skies all day, with a high of about 75 degrees and variable winds. I thought we would try some other points with deep edges and huge boulders, to see if we could catch a real big one, but we only managed to scratch up another dozen or so two to three and a half pound males, and decided to move. Too much water, too little time! Off to the large flat offshore that has yielded many a five pound bass in the past years, and slam! First cast along the deep edge, and Christiane is into a four and a half pound bronze beauty. This fish is so powerful, that she starts to complain of sore wrists from holding the five and a half foot Fenwick rod that I gave her for a birthday present the year before. With the water being as cold as it was, we didn’t see many fish jump, and this one was no exception. She bulldogged down and almost overpowered my wife until she managed to get a lip on the pre spawn beauty. This one’s a photo fish I told her and snapped off a shot with the digital camera. Once released we continued to boat many more on different baits, but the best seemed to be the Finesse, on a 1/8 ounce ballhead jig. All the big, sluggish females seemed to come from that bait worked slowly along the deeper edges in twenty feet of water. I managed to catch several smaller fish on top of the flat with a suspending jerkbait in a silver/blue finish, and even another Lake Trout, but nothing of any size. Changing to another rod rigged with finesse, I joined my wife in boating over twenty more big fish in about three and a half hours. Slower fishing definitely had a hand in catching all the big fish. Size and numbers can be caught if you just keep an open mind and let the fish dictate what they want. By covering lots of water along the shores of the lake, we managed to catch plenty of fish, but only a few really big ones, however, by concentrating on the deep edges of the spawning flats that they use every year, we caught only the big females feeding on the smelt. With growling stomachs from skipping breakfast, we thought we deserved a lunch break seeing as how it was after 12:00. We had both worked up quite an appetite from battling those fish all morning, and broke out the food and relaxed for a little while just enjoying the day.

After lunch we thought we’d try a few other locations with similar features. As a tournament fisherman, an important key element is patterns. Once you pattern the fish on a body of water, you can usually duplicate this in other locations on the lake at the same time. The next place proved to be no different, with Christiane hammering the first fish on the same Finesse bait in 18 feet of water, right on the lip of the break. Scattered boulders were amongst the shale and rubble that composed the bottom content we were on, and so were the fish. They were thicker than thieves and as hungry as a bear. We doubled up many times with the average fish weighing about three pounds, but many of them going over four. After about two hours of boating over 25 fish, we ran to another offshore structure and did it all over again. What a day! We probably caught close to a hundred fish between us, and many of them trophies by most standards.

Day three was going to be a short one with us leaving by noon, so we tried to get on the water before 7:00 due to the condensation and fog that regularly appears in the morning mountain air. We wasted no time by running to another offshore rock pile that we hadn’t yet fished, in anticipation that it would produce as well as the others, the days before. It wasn’t long before we were answered with double fours. A beautiful pair of bronze beauties, once again. Both females, and both ready to explode by the looks of it. This lake, even during the summer months has a tendency of producing spawning like bass. They feast on the smelt and look pregnant because of it. We call them footballs. Footballs they were, with both of them regurgitating smelt during the battle to the boat, only to be eaten by the others that followed them. Two beauties and one photo for Christiane to remember of our sixteenth anniversary and how we spent it. The family think we’re nuts, and all my friends are sick with envy. Gotta love it!

Even a fellow fishing friend there at the same time commented to her, and I quote, « You’re a Saint ». How true they are!

We milked this spot for all it was worth, and changed baits several times to provoke and entice more strikes from the others that were reluctant to hit after seeing so many of their buddies go topside. We probably caught close to, if not more than fifty bass again in only a few short hours. Jerkbaits, finesse baits, or power slugs will take these prespawn bass when the conditions are right. Water temperature will dictate where they will be and at what stage they are in if you know where to look for them at this time of year. We targeted the offshore structures and deeper shoreline where we found temperatures between 50 and 55 degrees. It should be a few more weeks before the bass really get into the full spawn mode, by the looks of the temperatures, but you can still find prespawn fish in other parts of the lake if you know where to look for the cooler water.

Some would think that they died and went to heaven, but not us. Just another anniversary where the Bass Gods from above bless us for all the little things we do right during the year.

Vermont has a special « Catch and Release » season that begins April 14th, and ends June 8th. Their regular season starts on the following day, June 9th and ends on November 30th. Remember to practice catch and release whenever possible, not just during the posted season. These fish are special, and should be treated as such.

Welcome to this year’s fishing!