Things returned to “normal” as far as weather and temperatures were concerned in April and May looks like a good month for fishing on Lake George. The smelt spawned as they typically do in late April with the tributaries flowing well thanks to some late snowstorms and heavy rains… these fish will remain somewhat shallow through May. Which means both salmon and lake trout can be targeted in shallow waters, with both able to be taken on or near the surface through most of the month.
Spoons, stickbaits and streamer flies on various presentations can work including flatlines, planer boards, downriggers and leadcore. Vary sizes to find out what they want but think smelt for the shape, long and skinny; the smelt fry will hatch in late May and if you time it right small lures fished off the brooks can work for some good-sized salmon. Don’t be afraid to try deeper, we have caught some nice salmon off the riggers in early May in past years while looking for lakers. And for lakers you can always fish pretty deep, just remember to troll slowly with the cold-water temps; christmas trees are a good option at this time.
Some Lakers will stay deep year-round, especially with good cisco numbers for them to feed on, and they were hardly pressured by ice fishermen this past winter. Bass fisherman can fish for both large and smallmouths with artificial lures and catch and release only until the season opens on June 17. DEC relaxed these rules a few years back and it is nice to be able to legally target these fish before and during the spawn. The fisheries don’t appear to have been negatively affected by this early season C&R fishing either.
Also, mark your calendars for the weekend of July 14-16 for the 3rd Annual King George Fishing Derby. We plan on adding a landlocked salmon category this year so there will be more appeal for the trollers. Overall prize money for the Adult Division will increase to $16,000, with payouts for the top 4 winners in each category: lake trout, salmon, largemouth and smallmouth bass.
