Photos by Joey Greco
Fishing throughout the Capital Region By Joey Greco
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wo of my favorite things in life join forces during June, July, and August; fishing and the Capital Region. There are a staggering number of action‐packed angling opportunities right here in our area. We are so fortunate to be surrounded by an endless number of rivers, lakes, ponds, and creeks most of which are teeming with a vari‐ ety of freshwater fish species. During this “warm water” period these systems become plentiful with forage, vegetation, oxygen and of course hungry fish awaiting their next meal! Fish generally feed very aggressively during summer months to keep up with their rapidly increasing metabolism, which is regulated by water temperature. This can translate into some of the most fantastic fishing of the year! Here is a quick breakdown of Capital Region hot spots, including some of my personal favorite techniques that will hopefully help you catch “the big one”! 22 | JUNE 2019 | CRLMAG.COM
Saratoga County Saratoga Lake, aka “the fish factory” is one of the best fisheries in the area for action and numbers. Whether it’s bass, crappie, bluegill or walleye, this lake will never disap‐ point, and even the novice angler can typically experience some success here. During June and July, we love using our Costa Del Mar polarized sunglasses to actually “sight fish” for crappie and bass hanging off weed edges and under docks. Bring a light‐action Daiwa Procyon spinning rod spooled up with some J‐ Braid and a few curly tail grubs on a 1/16 oz jig head and you will likely return with a tired arm. Try casting at these fish from a distance and on a slow retrieve wait for the classic “tick” of a bite. This lake is a great place to take kids fish‐ ing as the abundant bluegill population will keep them busy for hours with a few simple
pieces of equipment. Some worms and small jig head in the 1/32oz size are all you need to catch these hard fighters on 4 to 6lb test line. Look for deep weeds and wood, docks or other vertical structure where these little critters like to hang out all summer. Access this lake at the state launch at the north end off of Route 9P. Lake Lonely is a small lake that can pay big dividends! This small murky lake in Saratoga County has a great population of northern pike, black crappie and largemouth bass. To target bass and pike, black weedless jigs flipped on heavy braided line to the edge of weed lines will produce many strikes come June and July. For more information contact the Lake Lonely Boat Livery for week‐to‐week reports, boat rentals, and advice.
Washington County The Battenkill and Metawee Rivers have