New York State Angler Achievement Award - 23" Largemouth Bass

I'm continuing my two year trend of exploring freshwater fishing on Long Island, which has been extremely rewarding, and has often provided very good freshwater fishing for a variety of species such as largemouth bass, walleye, pickerel, and brown trout. 

I had heard for many years of the quality largemouth bass fishing on the east end but never gave it a shot. With high winds forecasted, the small pond that I fished offered good shelter in every direction during the blustery day. Plus, the water temp was likely just right for pre-spawn largemouth fishing, and I had planned to make a trip to this pond before the season closed for a month at the end of April. 

In the early spring, mature largemouths move into the shallows to feed heartily in preparation for the changes their bodies will undergo during the spawn. They also scope out an area to dig out their bed. At this time, they will orientate towards structure such as fallen trees, brush, boulders, or weeds in 2' - 4' of water (or sometimes more shallow). They will look for food, but find it in scarcity at this time and will roam the shallows in search of baitfish. The pre-spawn usually occurs when the water temp reaches the low 50s and the spawn begins at around 60 degrees. This is an excellent time to get a shot at some pig-sized largemouths that bury themselves in cover as lakes become infested with weeds in the warmer weather. 

A warming trend will lead to excellent fishing, but a cold front usually shuts the bite down. 

Unfortunately, it was a cold and windy day with strong winds out of the west. As we rolled into the north fork, the air temp was 37 degrees. As expected, this little pond was perfectly sheltered in every direction. 

We launched at 10 am and fished until 1 pm. I was optimistic because the water temp was 57 degrees but also a little leery due to the cold front. 

This lake had great structure for largemouth bass fishing. 

On my second cast of the day into a tangled mess of fallen trees and brush, my rod bent hard and I thought it was stuck. To my surprise, a very big largemouth jumped out of the water - it didn't give an inch as I tried to bring it to the kayak. On the second jump, it wrapped itself around a big submerged tree branch, but I continued to reel . . . . I brought back a little line, but it was bad, so I had to grab the paddle and work my way into the brush - the bass's big mouth was out of the water, and I lipped it and brought her into the boat. She measured at 23", which is the biggest largemouth bass I've caught in over ten years. I took some pics and quickly revived and released with the help of George T. She swam away strongly. 

That was it. No more hits for the rest of the morning and we went around the pond twice. We called it a morning after three hours. 

The lake is a pretty little gem. With a mostly undeveloped shoreline, nature abounds. For fishing, it had the best largemouth bass structure that I have seen in a very long time - fallen timber and brush everywhere. Due to the small size of the pond, it is easy to explore and fishable in almost any weather. I intend on going back after the bass season opens again in June. It also apparently holds walleyes, which is surprising for such a little pond. White perch are the primary forage for the largemouths. 

Long Island has some really underrated freshwater fishing, especially for largemouth bass and pickerel. For these two species, I would say that LI would rival any fishery in the country. The warmer winters provide a longer growing season. I am anxious to keep exploring some of the largemouth bass fishing on the east end. It is worth the drive.