While our bigger waters get most of the attention in the summer, there is a jewel tucked away just to the south that is rich in both history and fish. The Schoharie Creek gets overlooked as a source of good walleye and smallmouth bass. In the upper reaches and in some of its tributaries, trout are stocked and hold throughout the year. The Schoharie Creek flows northward from Indian Head Mountain in the Catskills and empties into the Mohawk River at Fort Hunter. Numerous tributaries feed the creek as it snakes its way through the Schoharie Valley. The history of…

The desire to travel to New Brunswick on a spring bear hunt started more than 20 years ago when I was assigned the title of “Speaker Coordinator” for the Perth Bible Church Sportsman’s Dinner. The dinner hosted anywhere from 700 to 900 people in one day and all of the game meat was prepared by the members of the church, it was a great event and I took the responsibility very serious. Jack Douglas of Douglas Archery in Galway told me about a bear hunting lodge in New Brunswick that was very good. Jack always invited me along on the…

Growing up, the thought of catching striped bass meant going to Cape Cod, Maryland, or New Jersey and hiring an off shore guide, certainly not fishing in the Hudson River. The Hudson River has been a depository for sewage treatment plants, storm water runoff, and industrial effluent for many years and in the 70’s and 80’s was never considered a “fishery”. However, with the implementation of strict environmental regulation and increased awareness of the pollution in the river over the years, the old Hudson has cleaned up nicely. The major benefactor of its better water quality is the striped bass…

Unlike the last two years, the weather is cooperating and making good ice this year. This week’s temperatures and locking up the big lakes just fine. Smaller lakes like Caroga, Mayfield, West are already being fished. Keep in mind safety first and that you need at least four inches of ice to support a person. Keep in mind that the ice will be thin where there is current like where streams feed into lakes. Always test the ice thickness by drilling holes or using a spud. When in doubt, stay off it. When I started ice fishing as a kid,…