Finger Lakes

The residents of Silver Lake know of The Loch Ness Monster Hoax and largemouth bass. The first sighting of the serpent was in the 1850's and for years the serpent joined the Fourth of July Boat Parade on the lake. Then the serpent disappeared. The serpent reappeared when a person cleaned out an old garage and exposed the paper serpent as a hoax.

Largemouth bass are not a hoax when angling on Silver Lake. This three mile long and one-half mile wide lake abounds in crappie, perch, rock bass, and sunfish. These are the prey fish for the bass. The other species of game fish in the lake are walleyes and northerns.

The water in the lake is medium hard with a clear to tea brown color. The oxygen in the water is good except near the bottom in the heat of the summer. The plant life in the lake is healthy especially at the north and south ends where there is an excellent weed line consisting mainly of eelgrass. Several species of pondweed and stonewort are common to abundant through the lake.

Bass Fishing

Big bass are usually loners. The needs of a healthy bass population are oxygen, ideal water temperature, food, cover for ambushing bait, and structure. Silver Lake provides these ingredients for big bass.

Let's take a trip around this small lake in Wyoming County that can be fished in one day. A person can become knowledgeable of the honey holes in five to seven days. We'll start at Silver Lake Marine, which is on the south west side of the lake.

After launching and parking your vehicle without blocking someone else, motor slowly out through the marker posts to the edge of the south weedline. This weed line extends across the south end of the lake.

Keeping your boat on the outside edge you have three presentations. Your first should be a spinnerbait with a yellow, white, or chartreuse skirt, and a single blade. Cast this lure into the weeds and retrieve so the lure ticks the top of the weeds. Keep your pole high because when "ole bucket mouth" strikes and gets hooked, she will dive for the weeds and twist your line around them.

After fan casting the weed bed it is time to use a crankbait. A Rapala or Bomber that is perch, sunfish, or shad colored makes an excellent lure because it emulates the bait fish. This lure should be rated to run at four to seven feet below the surface when retrieved.. This running rating is best because the outside weeds are about ten feet down. You want your lure to pass over the top of the weeds not into them.

After you have used your spinners and deep divers it's time to use a plastic worm. Dark colored six to eight inch worm produce well at Silver Lake. Cast your worm rigged Texas Style worm into any pocket in the weed bed. Another presentation for the worm is on the outside edge of the weeds. Work the worm ever so slowly. Lift the tip of your pole about six inches, lower the tip and retrieve the excess line. Maneuver the worm rig using this retrieve to the boat. When you feel the tap-tap of Mr. Bass, set the newly sharpened hooks.

Time to move from this spot. From here motor north to the old train station with the over-hanging, look-out platform. There are huge underwater boulders that hold crayfish, a food on the bass' menu. Crayfish imitating and colored lures are the productive tools in this area.

Continue motoring north to the bait shop and marina where a multitude of docks need to be probed for bass. As you continue north you can work the many weed beds. Investigate these weeds the same way you worked south weedline.

Once you have reached the north end you will find another weed bed like the southern weedline. The only difference is that both the inlet and the outlet of Silver Lake is at this end of the lake. Work the stream's mouth of each creek with a spinnerbait and deep diver.

Moving south on the west side of the lake you will encounter the deeper coves and holes. Work this area completely for about 200 yards.

Moving south, work the weeds and beneath the over-hanging trees with both a spinner and worm. You have another stop before it is time to go home. You launched at Silver Lake Marine and you noticed all the boats moored at the docks. Each of these docks should be investigated.

Now you have been around the lake at least once. I'm sure you remember where you caught your fish and the productive lures. Now is the time to go back to these spots and explore those areas paying attention to the inconsistent structure that could hold the bigger bass.

After retrieving your boat from a good day on the water you will have a positive entry in your journal and you will make plans for another trip on Silver Lake.