tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299754856177194332012-02-14T12:19:12.134-05:00Sean Wilkes fishes on the Bassmaster Weekend Series and in the N.Y. Bass Federation. A Troy native and graduate from RPI, Sean discusses all aspects of the sport from ice fishing to tournament fishing.Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.comBlogger1981100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-76592074988149471892012-02-13T13:04:00.002-05:002012-02-13T13:17:27.304-05:00

Fishmas is back! If you don't remember Fishmas from last year or you are new to my blog, Fishmas is my made up holiday which takes place the Saturday after the Bassmaster Classic. This year, the Classic is scheduled for February 24th-26th so that would make March 3rd, Fishmas.Fishmas consists of my largest tackke order of the year. I will stock up on old favorites and order some new items for the

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-17013096591029316842012-02-09T09:15:00.003-05:002012-02-09T09:36:34.048-05:00

When I blogged yesterday about spring and open water fishing being right around the corner, I had no idea that I would catch my first open water fish of 2012 hours after my post.I needed to get out of the house for a little and I threw my a couple of my Kistler Rods in my Tundra, just in case I found some open water. Sure enough, I found open water and struck gold. I stumbled upon a nice school

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-14347572358940234622012-02-08T09:44:00.002-05:002012-02-08T10:00:43.971-05:00

The conclusion of the Super Bowl always seems to mark the beginning of the fishing season for me. I am a huge football fan (and an even bigger Giants fan) so I really enjoyed the outcome, but it's time to divert my focus to fishing.The fishing season is going to be coming in full force over the next few weeks. The hunting shows slots on the NBC Sports Network are now fishing shows, the Bassmaster

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-87751380980528776812012-01-30T13:52:00.004-05:002012-01-30T14:00:02.683-05:00

Most people associate sight fishing with spawning largemouth but on Saturday, I went sight fishing for bluegill. This is one of my favorite things to do during the winter months. We fish a lake with clear water, set up our ice shack with to cut off the light, and we can see right down to the bottom in up to ten feet of water.Saturday was a bit of a challenge for us. We only landed one bluegill in

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-27275706586183723532012-01-18T13:27:00.004-05:002012-01-18T13:35:19.789-05:00

Yesterday, Wired2Fish.com reported that B.A.S.S. has banned the Alabama Rig and similar lures (double fluke rigs, double drop-shot rigs, etc.) from the Elite Series. You can read the full report here: http://www.wired2fish.com/Alabama-Rig-Banned-by-BASS-for-Elite-Series-and-Classic-WhatsUp6255Obviously, I have voiced my negative opinion of the Alabama rig which you can read here...http://

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-71486126016910355062012-01-04T23:16:00.003-05:002012-01-04T23:40:49.895-05:00

After waiting, waiting, and more waiting, I finally caught my first fish in a long time and my first fish of 2012. It may be one of my favorite catches of the year but I will get into that in a minute.Accompanied by two of my good buddies, we headed north in search of ice. I hadn't received any actual reports from the lake I was planning on fishing so part of me was nervous it might not be safe.

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-32905473044375328602011-12-29T12:15:00.002-05:002011-12-29T12:25:29.924-05:00

Normally, the Capital District is ice fishing this time of year. However, an uncharacteristically warm December has left 100% of our local lakes and ponds ice-less. If I hadn't put my boat away for the winter I would not only be able to launch my boat, I would probably be able to load the boat with quality fish. My hats go off to anyone who is still doing this and I hope you have your life jacket

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-1083591746886165042011-12-14T00:40:00.002-05:002011-12-14T00:46:24.131-05:00

My third gift idea is a good read by one of my favorite professional anglers, Mike Iaconelli. "Ike" is a unique fisherman and certainly has an interesting perspective on life. This book not only contains fishing tactics, but good life lessons as well. This is a must read for any fisherman, not just the tourney guys.

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-85178847967341549632011-12-10T02:46:00.003-05:002011-12-10T03:04:30.550-05:00

My second Holiday gift idea is a good one for those of you who forgot to get that special someone something this year. I say that because not only the hottest bait on the market right now, but its on backorder, so you have a built in excuse when it doesn't arrive on time. That's right, holiday gift idea number 2 is the Alabama Rig.and you can find it here...http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-3527338629684943082011-12-09T03:13:00.004-05:002011-12-09T03:25:09.399-05:00

Let's start small. Everybody loves a gift certificate. Bass Pro and Cabela's are great choices. However, A Tackle Warehouse Gift Certificate may be more appropriate for the serious bass fisherman.http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/giftcards.html?page=giftcardsIf there is a pike or musky fisherman in your family, then a gift card to Rollie and Helen's will fit the bill.http://www.muskyshop.com/modules

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-51844156531029568692011-12-07T15:33:00.002-05:002011-12-07T15:39:36.342-05:00

This is a brutal part of the season for me and many anglers across the northeast. If I didn't plan on selling my boat in the spring, I would have had my boat out the last few weeks fishing but considering I didn't want to take any chances, I put it away for the winter a couple of weeks back. In that time, I have only been able to make it out fishing once from shore. I was able to pick off two

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-71717045540563915302011-11-22T14:52:00.003-05:002011-11-22T15:10:35.757-05:00

For those who haven't heard, a "new" rig is sweeping the bass fishing nation. I put new in parenthesis because it really isn't a new rig, but rather a variation on the popular saltwater tool, the Umbrella Rig. It is the Alabama Rig, and I can't stand the thought of it being allowed in tournaments.Essentially, the rig consists of five baits which you can cast with one line, making it a legal

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-36023640962273933262011-11-14T12:54:00.004-05:002011-11-14T13:09:22.148-05:00

Despite the wind this past Saturday, I was able to spend some quality time on the water with my father in search of northerns. We fished a lake that I am really not too familiar with as I have only fished it twice before in my life.On my 5th or 6th cast of the day, I had a nice northern (about 35") follow my Believer (http://www.muskyshop.com/modules/cart/products.php/keys/believ/page/1/id/345/

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-58608495248034819392011-11-10T14:32:00.007-05:002011-11-10T14:48:25.126-05:00

Tuesday wasn't my last day on the water this year but it sadly was the last day on my boat....ever. I am hoping to sell my boat by the winter or early next spring in hopes of purchasing a larger model with more horsepower so I can compete in the Bassmaster Opens.I spent today cleaning it up and getting it ready to sell. Anyone who is interested in the boat can e-mail me at scwilkes22@gmail.com

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-68708958675678076052011-11-06T12:21:00.002-05:002011-11-06T12:27:37.389-05:00

The way the smallmouth have been biting on the Upper Hudson, I knew I had to get out there one more time. This time, I was out with two of my good friends for another cold, early start on Saturday morning.I hooked up with a nice smallmouth on my first cast fishing the same exact structure I fished this past Wednesday. Water temperatures were comparable to Wednesday's so I didn't see a need for a

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-11019323612692061112011-11-03T13:04:00.004-04:002011-11-03T13:19:47.830-04:00

I hit the water yesterday with my former RPI Bass Teammate, Tom Cooley. When we launched, the air temperature was below freezing and the water temperature was a whopping 46 degrees on the Upper Hudson.Regardless we started the day off on the right foot and found a decent sized school of nice sized smallmouth. I wanted to catch them on crankbaits but today's bite dictated us to throw tube jigs.

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-48022049343002998672011-11-01T12:43:00.005-04:002011-11-01T12:52:16.142-04:00

As I stated in my previous post, Saturday would be a much different day. Saturday didn't start out good by any means. We went fishless until about 10AM when we decided we needed to make a drastic change.I decided I would soley concentrate on Muskies the rest of the trip as did my father. We were working a stretch with giant musky baits when my buddy who still had his heart set on bass hooks up

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-51916073313929011822011-10-30T13:22:00.003-04:002011-10-30T13:37:25.614-04:00

We got off to a late start on Friday morning for our trip to the St. Lawrence River. We ended up arriving in Massena around noon which gave us about 5 hours to target the river's infamous smallmouth and musky.We began to start our search up a creek mainly to avoid a stiff west wind. We quickly realized that the water temperature in the creek was lower than the main river so we decided to head

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-21923655112513811192011-10-27T16:57:00.002-04:002011-10-27T17:06:40.064-04:00

I hopped in my truck this morning with my boat in tow. My truck's thermometer read 37 degrees. It was raining and breezy. Part of me wanted to stay home and remain dry and warm. The other part of me realized that tomorrow is going to be much colder and I have a trip planned to the St. Lawrence River so I might as well get used to it.I fished the Upper Hudson River today. The water clarity was as

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-90857064313464677662011-10-26T21:21:00.002-04:002011-10-26T21:34:57.859-04:00

I had about a 2 week break from fishing for some personal reasons but now that tournament season is over, I have a few weeks of recreational fishing before winter sets in.I've got Muskies on my mind. On Monday, I visited my favorite Tiger Musky lake under ideal conditions. I casted and casted but came up empty handed. Monday got me back in the mood to chase large Esox, something I really have

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-10016603142311507992011-10-20T18:18:00.003-04:002011-10-26T21:21:24.555-04:00

Someone recently posted on the NYBass forums that they saw a 14-15lb largemouth swimming Ballston Lake which would be a state record.What is this person thinking? I assure you that there is not a 14-15 lb largemouth in Ballston Lake and even if there was, why would this moron tell people about it? If I witnessed a state record quality fish swimming in my home waters, I promise you that I would

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-67270032783158326342011-10-18T19:16:00.003-04:002011-10-18T19:22:58.343-04:00

When smallmouth group up in the fall, especially on our river systems, there isn't a better way to catch them than with a crankbait.The crankbait shown above is my particular favorite. It is a Lucky Craft BDS Magic. This crankbait has an especially tight wobble that I have a lot of confidence in. Fatter, wider wobbling crankbaits don't seem to produce for me as well in the fall.My #2 Fall bait?

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-37769048436545495312011-10-06T13:01:00.004-04:002011-10-06T13:05:42.779-04:00

Just a reminder to all that as of October 1st, you will need to purchase your 2011-2012 fishing license in order to fish legally.Information on how you can obtain your license can be found here:http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6101.htmlIf you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me via comment or e-mail (fishingoutloud@gmail.com).

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-27804275219845567332011-10-04T10:21:00.006-04:002011-10-05T19:27:33.627-04:00

This week went from a mental roller coaster ride to a physical one very quickly. I stayed off the water on Saturday and prepped my gear for the tournament day. I knew I was on good fish but I wasn't on a lot of fish so I had to make sure every knot was perfect and all my line was fresh. One mishap could cost me a spot on the state team.A major cold front came through the Cayuga Lake region on

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-89174641156096048222011-09-28T19:16:00.004-04:002011-10-05T16:41:50.376-04:00

Tournament fishing is stressful. There is no way around it. It's not for everybody and there are times I question whether or not I am capable of dealing with that stress.This past Saturday while practicing for a Capital District Bassmaster event on Oneida Lake, my power trim quit working. This is after I didn't have my boat for a month because of a power trim issue. Let me tell you...not having

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-27028706051397723082011-09-26T08:47:00.002-04:002011-09-26T08:49:23.054-04:00

Yup...my power trim failed on me again while practicing on Oneida on Saturday. This is a huge deal considering I have the final Federation Tournament on Cayuga this upcoming Sunday.

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-7172363685330793412011-09-22T12:19:00.003-04:002011-09-22T12:28:58.858-04:00

I fished the Upper Hudson yesterday only to realize that I forgot to charge my trolling motor batteries the last time out. With the amount of water and current that is pouring through the system right now, not having a trolling motor makes life very difficult.I did make the best of a bad situation and let the current push me over some areas but that's not really the best way to catch smallmouth

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-34347666650951768402011-09-15T20:11:00.003-04:002011-10-05T16:44:23.335-04:00

Alright....in my last post I said I would tell about my Champlain trip "tomorrow." However, things happen (work happens). I awoke to a phone call last Friday morning and had to go into work. I have been in Connecticut for the last week attending work functions. Fortunately, there was a Cabela's within 10 miles of my hotel so I did get to do something fishing related.Back to Champlain:I'm sure the

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-66106785804949142962011-09-08T13:31:00.005-04:002011-09-08T13:37:24.791-04:00

Pictures for now...the story tomorrow...

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-61545203631834751212011-09-02T12:44:00.005-04:002011-09-02T13:00:40.470-04:00

I left off on my last blog post stating that I was really in need of a Champlain trip to catch some big smallies. With that in mind, I took the trip up to Port Henry with my father in hopes that most of the muddy water and runoff from the hurricane would fall below the Crown Point Bridge. Unfortunately, the water was extremely muddy around the Port Henry/Bulwagga Bay region. We fished for a few

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-47347474535165983382011-09-01T12:36:00.004-04:002011-09-01T12:57:44.310-04:00

After working five consecutive days I knew I had to spend some time on the water on my Tuesday/Wednesday Birthday weekend. On Tuesday, I couldn't find anyone to fish with so I ended up fishing Saratoga Lake by myself. When I pulled into Stewarts with my boat in tow to fill up with gas, a local drove by and told me that I wouldn't be able to launch because the boat ramp was underwater. HAH! If

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-20651722184197609662011-08-26T12:36:00.003-04:002011-10-05T19:31:19.062-04:00

My little brother heads back to college this weekend so I had to get him out on the water for one last hoorah. Despite a heavy south wind on Wednesday, we decided to head to our favorite place in the world: Lake Champlain.Due to those stiff winds, we launched out of the more protected southern end at South Bay. Unfortunately, the water was discolored and all the chestnut that is normally present

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-9980419077919980092011-08-25T11:22:00.003-04:002011-08-25T11:48:04.456-04:00

Like I mentioned at the end of my last post, I felt pretty confident going into day 2 of the Federation Club Team Championship on the Hudson River out of Catskill. On Day 1 I gained valuable experience that might allow me to put a few more fish in the boat. Targeting strictly smallmouth, I ran a little further from the launch in the hopes of having more water to myself. Based on what I gathered

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-79928916013590770952011-08-24T20:57:00.002-04:002011-08-24T21:43:37.512-04:00

Oh man it's getting tougher and tougher to keep my blog updated. I'm constantly working or on the road fishing but I am going to "blitz" my blog over the next few days to get caught up on what I've been doing lately. First I will talk about Day 1 of the NYS State Bass Federation Club Team Championship. This tournament pits the top 6 members of each club from 2010 against each other to decide who

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-61253227215878949252011-08-17T12:17:00.004-04:002011-08-17T12:25:25.910-04:00

I fished a local pond yesterday with one of my brother's friends out of his boat as mine is still in the shop. The biggest thing I noticed when we got to the water is that the water temperature had dropped over 8 degrees with the rain and front that came through earlier this week. As a result, the fishing was much slower than we would have liked but we still managed to put a few good ones in the

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-9201580610901467032011-08-16T21:49:00.003-04:002011-08-16T21:55:28.351-04:00

One of my favorite aspects of tournament fishing is being able to travel to bodies of water that I've never fished before. In my first year fishing for RPI I fished the Potomac River in Maryland, Lake Gaston in Virginia, and found two of my favorite places right here in New York: Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River. I am about to take on a new body of water this upcoming weekend (well...

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-34650277898529149292011-08-10T11:08:00.002-04:002011-08-10T11:12:37.316-04:00

I've been without my boat for a few weeks now which sucks but it gave me a chance to do some old school fishing out of the Kayaks. I hit the Upper Hudson last week with two of my friends and had a blast catching topwater smallmouth. The summertime bite is in full effect and it's only going to get better the next few weeks. Topwater in the morning and tube jigs in the afternoon is easy fishing at

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-85846237197114710012011-08-02T14:51:00.002-04:002011-08-02T15:05:17.213-04:00

So I haven't been on the water once since the Federation tournament out of Massena on the 24th of July. I'm going to be working my sixth day in a row tonight and tomorrow I will finally be able to pick up a rod again.When I can't fish, I like to tell stories and I had one from the Federation tournament that represents how frustrating tournament fishing can be...As you read in my last post, my

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-85399395674169717422011-07-29T14:19:00.002-04:002011-07-29T14:34:22.277-04:00

I launched as boat number 65 out of 71 on Sunday morning. I was very concerned about the draw but as it turns out I was able to fish my primary spot without any other boats around.When I pulled up to the spot I noticed that the current that was pulling through the area was no longer existent. I fished the spot anyway and was able to land two decent smallmouth and one dink but they were no where

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-81643950880658727212011-07-28T12:53:00.005-04:002011-07-28T13:04:46.003-04:00

Two weeks ago I thought my Federation Season was over. I have a bum power trim and no one could get me into their marina in time for the tournament to take a look at it. Fortunately, I let my family talk me into taking my boat up anyway despite the issues and try to salvage as many angler of the year points as possible.I say fortunately because I had a blast on the St. Lawrence. I spent two days

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-62777561174401178032011-07-19T13:00:00.004-04:002011-07-19T13:04:06.905-04:00

Something I meant to share with you but slipped my mind with all the excitement/boat issues that I've been dealing with lately is the giant largemouth my brother pulled from a local lake which he would like to remain nameless.The largemouth (shown above) weighed 6lbs 10 ounces and was caught on a 10" Texas-Rigged Berkley Power Worm in Motor Oil.A largemouth this size is certainly hard to come by

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-73890384512054066632011-07-18T13:09:00.003-04:002011-07-18T13:14:57.001-04:00

What I thought was a minor issue with the hydraulics on my power trim has turned into a nightmare. While running down the Mohawk River in my last tournament a weekend ago, I felt my trim suddenly go. Marina's have been backed up with the great weather we've been having but finally someone was able to get me in today and from the sounds of it...my season could be over.There are a bunch of words to

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-50539793784495862882011-07-12T17:34:00.003-04:002011-07-12T19:39:11.933-04:00

I hope that no one has been anxiously awaiting my next blog post. If you have, I apologize but I have again been on the road fishing tournaments and practicing for them which is why there has been such a delay in between posts lately.Fortunately, I bring good news...On Saturday the 9th of July, I was fortunate enough to win the Bassmaster Weekend Series event on Lake Champlain. You can read more

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-39892018657345344242011-06-23T10:18:00.005-04:002011-06-23T10:41:01.761-04:00

Blast off was at 5:30 AM and they wanted us at the ramp by 4:30AM. Because we stayed on the southern end of the lake and were launching at the northern tip, we had to wake up at 2:45 AM. That's early...even for me.97 boats filled the northern bay of Lake George and one by one we filed out of the no wake zone and blasted off towards out spots.The first spot I stopped at was a small bay up north

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-63732578424259181262011-06-22T21:25:00.003-04:002011-06-22T21:38:09.780-04:00

It feels good to be home. It feels even better to be home after the way last week panned out. I hate not having access to my blog but I barely had any cell phone service where I was staying for the past week.I began practice last Tuesday for the New York Bass Federation Opener on Lake George (aka Lake Rip Off). I met my friend at the Mossy Point Ramp in Ticonderoga and launched. As soon as I saw

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-84609094220267908662011-06-13T09:21:00.003-04:002011-06-13T09:48:25.747-04:00

I got out of work Monday night at 10PM or so and drove home and met my fishing buddy at my apartment. From here, we drove straight to Lake Champlain and spent the night sleeping in my truck at an abandoned parking lot. We were up at 3:30 to begin 3.5 days of practice in preparation for the Bassmaster Weekend Series Opener out of Plattsburgh New York.There is no other lake in the world that suits

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-53213256221689252452011-05-31T23:50:00.002-04:002011-06-01T00:04:55.438-04:00

I'm not one of those people who buy into the saying "a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work." If I'm not at work, I want to be catching fish.I went past Amsterdam today with my younger brother to Schoharie Crossing on the Mohawk River. We have a tournament there with the Capital District Bassmasters in July. With my upcoming tournament schedule, I won't have any time to fish it so

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-2370404987716000002011-05-26T12:33:00.002-04:002011-05-26T12:52:09.994-04:00

If the 2011 fishing season ended today (and I'm very glad it doesn't), it would still be the greatest fishing season I have ever fished. I can't even describe to you the shear number of fish I have caught over the last few weeks.As we close in on tournament season though, I will be becoming more and more tight lipped about exactly where and when I am catching these fish. However, I will still

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-23293839064574981562011-05-18T12:11:00.006-04:002011-05-18T12:38:31.431-04:00

I haven't posted lately because in all honesty...I have been fishing. It's not easy to put down the rods and pick up the keyboard but I decided to take a day off today and hit the gym so I figured I'd throw an update out there. For all of you English majors out there, that is how you complete a run-on sentence.We fished the Striper Tourney on the Hudson this weekend. To be frank, there were no

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-43916149296729443102011-05-05T10:30:00.002-04:002011-05-05T10:33:54.648-04:00

I just got word that the 6th annual City of Troy/Ale House Striped Bass tournament has been postponed to the current river conditions. The tournament has been moved to Saturday, May 14th.

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-6379063687389991782011-05-04T11:49:00.009-04:002011-10-05T19:28:46.602-04:00

Two weeks ago I spent a day with my brother on Saratoga Lake in which we caught 89 bass including some giants. I honestly thought that was the greatest day of fishing I had ever had. We had non-stop bites the entire day and you throw a few pigs into the mix and that is about as good of a day as anyone could ever ask for......until yesterday when I was blessed again.It was the type of day that I

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-81853744358066095942011-05-02T10:09:00.006-04:002011-05-02T10:24:09.557-04:00

The current water levels are hard to believe. The Hudson River is up over its banks and flowing. These conditions will certainly make it very difficult for anglers participating in the 6th Annual City of Troy/Ale House Striped Bass Tournament this weekend.I opted to stay away from the rivers last weekend and head to Saratoga Lake, Lake Champlain, and Lake George.I fished Saratoga Lake on Friday

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-53226091508069520072011-04-27T09:19:00.003-04:002011-04-27T09:33:23.581-04:00

Ticonderoga has a certain musk about it that most would consider foul. To a bass fisherman, that smell is the smell of heaven. It smells so good that after I cross the South Bay Bridge heading north, I roll my windows down to take it in.The reason I love that scent it because it means that I am on my way to fish Lake Champlain out of Ticonderoga. Yesterday, I was able to attain my first breaths

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-60435552050671567492011-04-25T08:25:00.004-04:002011-04-25T21:55:24.052-04:00

Last weekend, my brother returned home from college for a family party. He still hadn't been out fishing this year and was itching to get on the water. Unfortunately, weather had it's way with us last weekend so we had to cancel.He returned again this weekend for Easter and we weren't going to let weather hold us back this time. We woke up to near freezing temperatures and a hard steady rain. The

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-12995442104085585912011-04-21T10:35:00.008-04:002011-04-21T11:19:07.510-04:00

Finally I get to write some decent open water fishing reports. I fished Saratoga Lake on Tuesday and Wednesday this weeks as I feared the rivers would be too high and muddy to catch them.I launched at 9:00AM on Tuesday to a chilly breezy day. The water temperatures weren't much warmer (43 degrees when I launched). I saw some of my friends out on their boat so I decided I would start near them. On

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-71166475409763651382011-04-17T23:48:00.002-04:002011-04-17T23:53:00.296-04:00

Yes, you read that correctly. There will be a pep rally for the striped bass tournament this Tuesday (4/17) for the 6th Annual Ale House/City of Troy Striped Bass Tournament.The Pep Rally will be held at the Ale House at 5PM on Tuesday. Feel free to stop down and talk some fishing with me, have a few wings, and maybe a Guinness or three.The tournament itself will be held on Saturday, May 7th.

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-56094073322623666062011-04-16T00:55:00.002-04:002011-04-16T01:03:58.218-04:00

I have been waiting impatiently for two things for the last few months:1. Winter to be over2. My boat to run without any issuesOn my first attempt to take my boat out this year, I unfortunately realized I had a spun hub/prop (most likely left over from my lower unit issue from last year). I purchased a spare aluminum prop this morning while my main prop gets re-hubbed and was thrilled with the

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-18633647416614485342011-04-13T12:51:00.002-04:002011-04-13T13:03:05.215-04:00

Spring got off to a late start this year but I am quickly making up for it. Yesterday I was able to get out on a pond with the kayaks with one my friends from RPI(my boat is in the shop having work done to it). We had bass on our minds and we struck quickly.My buddy quickly landed a three pound largemouth and I followed it up with a small bass. We were both on the board after our first few casts

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-88771056247955014252011-04-11T23:50:00.001-04:002011-04-11T23:51:18.283-04:00

From the Dec's website:Please note that due to recently enacted legislation, a recreational marine fishing license is no longer needed in New York. The license will be replaced with a free registry. See note below.Note: Pursuant to legislation signed by Governor Cuomo on March 31, a recreational marine fishing license is no longer required to fish in the marine district of New York, including

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-15602851855760415732011-04-05T22:15:00.002-04:002011-04-05T22:22:30.464-04:00

I work an odd work schedule and actually have Tuesdays off. Unfortunately, it rained all day yesterday and all day today so the rivers look like coffee and are essentially unfishable.Most of our lakes are still frozen over as well but I can't go an entire day without doing something related to fishing so I opened up some maps to prepare for the tournament season.I spent most of the day looking at

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-81814536058357820062011-04-03T10:03:00.004-04:002011-04-03T10:18:24.778-04:00

Well it was opening day of trout season on Friday but I had just gotten my bass boat out of storage. After replacing my lower unit over the winter, you can only imagine how anxious I was to get it in the water and try it out. When you spend over $3,000 on a repair, this is usually the case.Unfortunately, I couldn't get her out of idle speed but I am hoping this is just the result of a spun hub on

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-41700511627276409912011-03-31T12:37:00.004-04:002011-03-31T13:00:39.316-04:00

First off, I wanted to post the video coverage from my Seminar the other night in the event you missed it.http://tcaprood.blogspot.com/2011/03/records-bass-fishing-forum-was-another.html Secondly, I wanted to talk about how stupid I felt yesterday. I've talked about it a million times. I am not a trout fisherman. But just because I am not a trout fisherman, that doesn't mean I can't write about

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-27519910252356529692011-03-30T00:10:00.003-04:002011-03-30T00:12:38.075-04:00

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who attended the bass fishing seminar tonight held at the Troy Record. I would also like to send out a special thanks to Tom Caprood of the Troy Record who set this whole thing up. The entire night wouldn't be possible without him. For those who did attend and wanted to see the replay, I will post the link as soon as it becomes available. For now or

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-53245071197723420972011-03-24T12:58:00.003-04:002011-03-24T13:00:17.891-04:00

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-40446161648643071692011-03-22T23:41:00.005-04:002011-03-22T23:51:26.693-04:00

Ahhhh...Fishmas finally arrived. If you've been following my blog, you know that Fishmas is a made up holiday that my friends and family celebrate every year involving a large tackle order from Tackle Warehouse.Normally, Fishmas takes place on the Saturday following the Bassmaster Classic. This year, we had to delay the "holiday" for numerous reasons. Let's just say that I am finding the real

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-9320483214026310752011-03-20T09:23:00.008-04:002011-03-20T09:50:25.850-04:00

I recently returned from a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which was a much needed mini-vacation. The city of Pittsburgh is certainly unique and I had a great time.Our first stop was the famous Primanti Brothers Restaurant in the Strip District of Pittsburgh; home of the original stuffed sandwich. This thing is stacked with meat, cheese, french fries, coleslaw, and tomato all between two thick slices of

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-76867002999424278232011-03-11T11:39:00.004-05:002011-03-12T04:08:40.316-05:00

It has been a while since my last posting and for that I apologize. The good news is that you haven't missed much. The weather has sucked and so has the fishing because there hasn't been any.I did however, have the chance to attend the World Fishing Exposition in Suffern County last weekend. Overall, it was a neat scene walking in but after that, the excitement quickly died off. The first stop I

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-6168455959516871762011-03-04T13:17:00.002-05:002011-03-04T13:25:55.997-05:00

Tom Petty said it best didn't he? The waiting is the hardest part. I fully expected to be catching open water fish locally by now but the weather just hasn't cooperated. To make it worse, our friends in southern New York are already posting reports of catching bass in small ponds that have opened up.What am I doing to pass the time? Not much. I'm done ice fishing for the year after my trip to

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-4677852135346717262011-03-01T10:33:00.002-05:002011-03-01T10:40:46.696-05:00

Bored out of your mind this winter? Yea, me too. I'm heading to the Suffern Sport Show this weekend to try and take a bit of the edge off winter.Here are the details...http://sportshows.com/suffern/Special Guest speakers include Elite Series anglers Shaw Grigsby and Zell Rowland as well as new B.A.S.S. MC Dave Mercer.In addition, there will be numerous fishing and hunting exhibits for you to

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-60820156862991562512011-02-24T02:09:00.004-05:002011-02-25T02:14:54.543-05:00

If that's not working, try here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5ObXgREEagFishing for smallmouth bass through the ice is often an over-looked aspect of fishing in Upstate New York. Bass season is open year round (catch & release) in most of the state as long as you are using artificial lures like the drop-shot rigs and Jigging Rapalas we used today.The eratic action of the Jigging Rapala

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-15731530416268729442011-02-22T11:51:00.003-05:002011-02-22T12:07:33.832-05:00

If you have been following my blog for the dreadful past month or so, then you are fully aware of Fishmas, a made up holiday which my family and friends celebrate the Saturday after the Bassmaster Classic.Fishmas consists of placing a large tackle order from Tackle Warehouse and Bass Pro Shops. Through this tackle order we stock up on yearly staples, try out some new baits, and buy some baits

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-74222484418036621902011-02-21T02:44:00.003-05:002011-02-21T02:45:54.126-05:00

photo taken from http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/index

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-30409159849478598092011-02-18T09:48:00.002-05:002011-02-18T09:58:15.774-05:00

Just a reminder to all you B.A.S.S. fans out there that the Classic started today.You can follow all the action live on....http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/indexI am doing fantasy fishing this year and here are my picks for the Classic (the fantasy leage forces you to pick one angler from the top 10 (group A), one angler from 11-20 (B), one angler from 21-30 etc)A: Skeet Reese: of

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-22124046338548805662011-02-16T17:20:00.002-05:002011-02-16T17:29:10.514-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen of the Capital District,I am proud to announce that I took my first casts in open water today. I know you're thinking that I am probably going to follow that up with something witty like, "...however, I was in Florida" but if there's one thing I don't joke around about, it's open water fishing.There's not a lot of fishable water in the area but I found a nice local spot

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-57337768781750029772011-02-14T11:43:00.004-05:002011-02-14T11:55:38.329-05:00

Thanks for the comments everyone. I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog through the winter. That being said, I personally haven't been out on local water lately mainly due to the snow accumulation. I love ice fishing as much as the next guy but I don't have a quad and I don't have a snowmobile so making it to a lot of my spots at this point in the season are out of the question.That

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-86536528308891125562011-02-12T14:49:00.003-05:002011-02-12T15:18:00.557-05:00

From the reports I have been reading, it seems like this is going to be a wild Bassmaster Classic for a lot of reasons. Of these reasons, perhaps the most prominent is the navigation on the Louisiana Delta. What the competitors have been going through the first few practice days has been astounding.Competitors have been packing a bit heavier than the they would for the average tournament. Most

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-69710819334645236092011-02-11T10:49:00.004-05:002011-02-12T14:47:31.430-05:00

I can't even use the word practice anymore without thinking about Alan Iverson's practice rant a few years back. That rant is probably the last thing the Bassmaster Classic Competitors have on their mind today though, on their first official day of practice.With that in mind...I stumbled across this video last night which I found pretty amusing. Anyone who fishes tournaments should enjoy this

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-44645664101572308522011-02-09T08:12:00.003-05:002011-02-09T08:21:47.038-05:00

I don't know what's been harder on me lately, work or winter. Either way, I'm glad to be blogging again and seeing that these past few storms have put a dagger through my ice fishing season, I might as well give you another item on my Fishmas list.Today's item is one that I've never used before. I wanted to try a new worm style bait for drop-shotting. I was browsing Tackle Warehouse when I came

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-56277238427801696712011-02-02T21:22:00.007-05:002011-02-02T22:40:44.685-05:00

One of my readers recently asked about my tip-up setup for northern pike. To be completely honest, the tip-up is very simple design and the setup is pretty similar regardless of what species you are targeting. That being said, there are some tidbits that can make your pike outing a more productive one.Let's start with the tip-up itself. There are probably dozens of tip-up varieties out there but

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-34400671220040871552011-01-31T11:42:00.003-05:002011-02-01T23:15:39.514-05:00

Every year, my friend and I celebrate Fishmas, a made-up holiday designed to help us get through winter. Fishmas always takes place the Saturday after the Bassmaster Classic. Fishmas marks the day in which we place a major tackle order from http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/. This tackle order consists of stocking up on old favorites, new items, and a few surprises.Over the next few weeks, I plan on

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-85869901254318066032011-01-30T11:51:00.005-05:002011-02-01T23:15:58.377-05:00

Every year, my friend and I celebrate Fishmas, a made-up holiday designed to help us get through winter. Fishmas always takes place the Saturday after the Bassmaster Classic. Fishmas marks the day in which we place a major tackle order from http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/. This tackle order consists of stocking up on old favorites, new items, and a few surprises.Over the next few weeks, I plan on

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-14485455946693383052011-01-28T11:20:00.004-05:002011-02-01T23:16:12.557-05:00

Every year, my friend and I celebrate Fishmas, a made-up holiday designed to help us get through winter. Fishmas always takes place the Saturday after the Bassmaster Classic. Fishmas marks the day in which we place a major tackle order from http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/. This tackle order consists of stocking up on old favorites, new items, and a few surprises.Over the next few weeks, I plan on

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-80858360633102887092011-01-27T13:18:00.004-05:002011-01-27T13:28:33.867-05:00

The FLW Series East visited Lake Champlain towards the end of last summer and the tournament has been running on Versus over the course of the last week.If you missed it, you can watch some of the world's best anglers take on some of our home waters at http://www.flwoutdoors.com/flwondemand.cfm. Click the FLW Series TV Channel on the right hand side and the Lake Champlain event should appear (

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-91581518633909590352011-01-25T18:48:00.004-05:002011-01-25T19:02:37.684-05:00

I'm usually the last person to accept defeat but this winter is killing me. After my trip which I talked about in my last blog, I decided to tone it down a bit and just do some bluegill fishing."Just" doing some bluegill fishing usually doesn't require as much effort as my last outing. Frigid temperatures and over a foot of snow on the ice make my fishing life miserable. All of that snow puts a

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-28346754993902546222011-01-19T19:32:00.003-05:002011-01-19T19:57:02.776-05:00

We ice fishermen are a tough group. Granted new technology makes ice fishing very convenient but convenient is the last word I would use to describe today.My job doesn't allow me to travel to my favorite ice fishing destinations very often and I finally got an opportunity to revisit a great pike lake today.Driving was a little slow so we didn't arrive at the lake as early I would have liked. That

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-62465949397192166882011-01-18T10:55:00.005-05:002011-01-18T11:16:44.783-05:00

I took a weekend off from fishing to go watch my brother's basketball game at Endicott College, or is it Endicott University? I digress. Being so close to the ocean, I figured I'd go take a look. I pulled off the side of the road next to a bay and snapped a photo.To me, this picture encompasses New England culture. A little further down the road, I was able to get a little better view of the

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-25291470334051143542011-01-09T12:17:00.003-05:002011-01-09T12:35:36.358-05:00

Yesterday I took some of my good friends who have never been ice fishing out on Fish Creek on Saratoga Lake. I figured some consistent jigging and some tip-up action would keep them entertained. Man, do I hate to be wrong. We had 6 or 7 flags throughout the day and only caught 1 small largemouth. The rest of the flags were hit and runs. Jigging was slow too. We caught 6 dink perch and my buddy

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-61808840411828124122011-01-06T11:06:00.003-05:002011-01-06T11:17:38.091-05:00

I hit the water early yesterday with my buddy Tom on Cossayuna Lake in Washington County. I had some bait that needed to be used up before it expired so I wanted to go somewhere where I could use them up.I decided to fish a portion of the lake I had never ice fished before so I was a little unsure what to expect. Essentially, we were fishing a weedy flat with a sandy bottom in depths from six to

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-89796589393946551312011-01-04T11:07:00.003-05:002011-01-04T11:21:50.207-05:00

With a blob of rain forecasted for Sunday morning, I slept in a little bit before getting out. Because I lost those extra few hours, I also altered my plans to jigging for bluegills rather than setting up tip-ups for pike. Of course the weather men were wrong and it barely rained in the morning but I can't complain because the cold front moving in really had the bluegills in an aggressive

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-13452555442184562482010-12-30T12:05:00.008-05:002010-12-31T13:32:39.776-05:00

I finished up the end of 2010 with a bang on the ice.On Tuesday, I was able to get out with my brother and best friend to a local lake that is hands down my favorite place to fish for bluegills and crappie. It's not so much the quantity or size of the fish that excites me, it's the experience that this particular lake offers.This lake holds crystal clear water and a couple of mid depth weed flats

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-63207022794425696572010-12-23T12:32:00.011-05:002010-12-23T12:51:01.087-05:00

Yesterday was the first day I was able to get on the ice with tip-ups. Accompanied by my younger brother Kevin who is home from college (WNEC) and RPI Bass Team member Tom Cooley, we hit one of my favorite early season ice fishing holes.We bought two dozen "pike-sized" shiners thinking that would be enough for fifteen tip-ups for the day. Unfortunately, we were down to six shiners by 1pm.

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-2506535210117137852010-12-19T14:58:00.005-05:002010-12-19T15:02:11.668-05:00

Finally, after close to a month without really being able to go fishing, we have ice locally. It's been a long wait and it felt good to land a few fish again.The ice fishing season is off to an early start. We caught a ton of panfish on small jigs with spikes. I'm writing this on the way out the door as I unfortunately have to work tonight. More to come in the next few days.

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-14439992892303430102010-12-14T23:32:00.003-05:002010-12-14T23:58:55.774-05:00

In reality, the only thing I can do cure my cabin fever while I wait for the ice to form is spend money. Tonight, I treated myself to two Christmas presents in the form of Kistler Z-bone spinning rods.The beauty of Kistler Z-bones is that you can go to their website and design the rod exactly the way you want it. http://www.kistlerrods.com/c/fishing-rod/Zbone-Custom-Fishing-Rods/The first rod I

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-20158736152281764882010-12-13T13:42:00.004-05:002010-12-13T13:45:34.522-05:00

This weather is miserable. It makes it impossible to do any type of fishing locally. The rivers are too muddy for open water fishing and the lakes are frozen over but not thick enough to ice fish.What am I doing in the meantime? Going Crazy and asking mother nature to bring us some ice fishing weather.

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-60728974121446941912010-12-06T14:34:00.002-05:002010-12-06T14:40:51.762-05:00

According to Wikipedia, Cabin Fever also known as House Syndrome) is an idiomatic term for a claustrophobic reaction that takes place when a person or group is isolated and/or shut in, in a small space, with nothing to do, for an extended period (as in a simple country vacation cottage during a long rain or snow). Symptoms include restlessness, irritability, irrational frustration with everyday

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-32177016469325449512010-12-01T14:37:00.004-05:002010-12-01T14:54:55.273-05:00

I picked a terrible week for a vacation. Part of me was hoping there would be some frozen lakes up north and I could get an early start on my ice fishing season. Unfortunately, the weather has vanquished that notion.To make matters worse, with high speed winds and flash flood warnings, I can't even go open water fishing. This leaves me with only one option: shopping.I have been spending the past

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-55858791498173592522010-11-29T13:25:00.003-05:002010-11-29T13:29:54.222-05:00

The passing of Thanksgiving means that ice fishing season is upon us. I noticed ice on a few local ponds yesterday morning and I can sense the open water season coming to an end.I'm not calling it quits yet though. I have a week of vacation starting tomorrow and there is no where local that has any safe ice so I have to go open water fishing.When I get out, I will most likely be targeting

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-22984449905534386142010-11-20T20:16:00.003-05:002010-11-20T20:23:15.547-05:00

Under a full moon, my friend and I fished the Tomhannock tonight with a strong outcome. We landed 12 walleyes in less than two hours, one of which was a 6lb class walleye. While the bite hasn't been as ridiculous (in a good way) as it was last year, tonight was a as good as its been.All fish were taken on jerkbaits retrieved with a "pull" rather than a "twitch." Specifically, my fish came on a

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-60951857999896055692010-11-17T12:27:00.002-05:002010-11-17T12:42:28.099-05:00

6/11 - Lake Champlain (Plattsburgh)7/9 - Lake Champlain (Ticonderoga)8/6 - St. Lawrence River (French Creek)8/27 - Sacandaga Lake9/17-9/18 - Oneida LakePasted above is the schedule link for the 2011 Division 23 (NY EAST) Bassmaster Weekend Series Schedule. I couldn't be more excited about a division schedule. I fished the trail last year and had a blast and am looking even more forward to it this

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229975485617719433.post-20568449102271468382010-11-15T12:05:00.003-05:002010-11-15T12:12:53.573-05:00

My boat has been out of commission for over a month or so now so my only times on the water have been through the courtesy of my father and friends. I got out on the water again yesterday with a friend and I chose the body of water we would fish....the Hudson.When we arrived at the ramp, there was a thin layer of ice growing in pockets without current. The only thing colder than the weather was

Sean Wilkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200333978086832284noreply@blogger.com0