Courtney Petkovsek-Powers
May 14, 2013
Spring is here! It's time to get outdoors and start hiking,biking, running, paddling, enjoying the beautiful spring and summer sunshine, and Fishing! Saranac Lake Fishing is such a popular activity and what better place to dothat in than in the incredibly gorgeous Adirondack region of Saranac Lake, NY? Not only is there great fishing in the local lakes and rivers, but there is a wonderful local sporting goods store that holds an exceptionally great selection of fishing poles, reels, lures and bait!
Bait & Lures
We begin with trout season, which starts in April each year. A well-liked lure and spinner brand is Acme Phoebe's. Two of the varieties they have are the Blue Fox and Panther Martin which sell well.
Next is bass and pike season. Pike season opened on thefirst Saturday in May. Then Bass season opens on the third Saturday in June. Mepps are a traditional lure that can be used for anything, but are typically targeted at Bass and Pike.
Some new lures for this year are Live Target brown trout and rainbow trout imitations that are going well for both species. And they have a variable swinging depth, meaning thatyou can get them down to whatever depth just by counting per second.
And then they have some new frogs and mice by Live Target which are said to be the new thing for bass and pike this year. Top water bait is a type of lure that will stay on top of the water, where you are able to work the action of the lure itself. Where as other lures are submerged when suspended.
Another classic is the Eppinger Dare Devil, people usually look at these for pike around here. Some peopleget the smaller one's for trout, but about 80% of the people looking at Dare Devil are going for bass and pike. They are a steel material.
Then they have the Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits which are their most popular bass bait during the summer. Just about everyone is using this bait. It's definitely the number one lure for bass right now. Of course people do have their preferences, but this has so many different options. You can make them do whatever you want; from looking like they are feeding, an injured fish, a fish in the move, etc. There is a lot of versatility with this bait.
And then there are the Rapala lures.There is the original floating, the count down and the jointing floating Rapalas which are classics and many people are looking for them when they come in here. They are very traditional lures made out of balsa wood.
Rapala came out with some new lures like the X-Raps which replace some of the old lures like the husky jerk (which are still out there),but the new ones are selling a little better. The newer models of Rapala's are made of composite plastics.
The Spro fishinglures are a new thing they are carrying this year. They have a similar reaction as the Rapala's would have, the 'Jerkbait action'. Though they are new, they are growing in popularity.
The Lucky Craft are the tournament lures that many professional fisherman use, they go for about $18 each, but are worth the extra money. They have 18 coats of epoxy on them, and have 2 lead balls in them that shoot to their tail when you are about to make your cast to give you the furthest longevity out of your cast. Then when they hit the water the lead balls shoot to the belly to give it the perfect dynamic balance. It gives it a good action where you can work it to work it however you want to make it look like a real fish.
Rick Clunn, a professional Bass fisherman, designed a few fishing lures that are in stock at Blue Line Sports. One of the more popular Rick Clunn's is the Lucky Strike RC Freak, which can dive down about 20 feet. That is going well for bass this year.
Then they have the Lunkerhunt Bento Baits which are said to be good on the drop shot method, which is a Japanese method. The new popular color for this year is an olive green/gold color (seen below). You are not restricted to what you can catch with this bait, it can be used for any species. The picture on the back shows you how a drop shot method is set up. A weight is tied to the bottom and then you decide how far up you want to tie the hook up. You let the weight act as your anchor or hit the bottom and it will keep your line tight. This allows you to make the lure do whatever you want, and drop it at any depth that you want instantaneously.
Rods & Reels
Blue Line Sports carries a rod for everyone, ranging from $25 to $180. One of the most popular brands right now is the E21 Carrot Stick. It is an extremely lightweight pole, with incredible sensitivity. They have the Wild Black and Wild Green versions in stock right now. The Wild Black is designed for waterbeds like ours in the Adirondack Mountains. It has more sensitivity so that you can feel every movement from the line to your hand. The Wild Green version is considered the 'inshore rod'. It can be used around here, but was designed more for salt water, in the sense that it has a beefier back bone and can handle a little bit more. It has an extra coat of nano carrot fiber on it, giving it a little more strength. The tips are constructed a little differently. The tip on the wild green is mounted and cemented on. Whereas the wild black tip comes right out the guide itself, as one piece, which allows for more sensitivity. Both are selling at $139.95 each. These are for your more serious fisherman.
These rods are not sold with a reel, so that you can customize it to your wants and needs. The reel that most compliments this rod is the Krios Bait Caster ($110). With a bait caster you are controlling the line more with your thumb. Some reels have a break system and some have a magnetic tension, this one has a magnetic tension. You can adjust the tension from 1 (tightest) to 10 (loosest) to fit what best works for you and what you need it to do. One of the great advantages of using a Bait Caster is, if you have a lighter lure on this you can get a much further cast on this one than you can with a normal spinning reel. This is being sold at $110.
The most popular spinning reels are: Shimano Sahara, Shimano Symetre, Shimano Stradic, and the Shimano Stradic C4. Each of these reels offer something for everyone. The Shimano Sahara is the least expensive at $80 and the Shimano Symetre is $100. Both of these have would do okay in salt water with proper cleaning after each use, but the next two reels will hold up much better. The Shimano Stradic is being sold for $200 and Shimano Stradic C4 at $220, both have a waterproof drag and will be able to withstand the salt water much better. For local fishing, any of these reels will work great though.
After all this, you know where the Best place to go for all your fishing needs, Blue Line Sports. The products are top of the line, the location is convenient, and the staff is so knowledgeable and helpful. Stop by and see for yourself, you will not be disappointed!