LIP GRIPPER [D E STI NATION]
BIG MONEYand TROPHY FISH
T ANGLERS COME TO WADDINGTON, NEW YORK,
FOR TOURNAMENT GLORY AND WORLD RECORDS BY BEN DUCHESNEY
he welcome sign reads, “Waddington, New York: Carp World Cap- ital.” I’d like to add smallmouth bass, largemouth and musky to its
title. The quaint town of Victorian houses and church steeples sits on the American side of the slow-flowing St. Lawrence River between the Adirondack Mountains and Thousand Islands. Visitors to Waddington can stroll along the shoreline walkways or hang out on the beach as ships, yachts, barges and the rest of the river world passes by. The locals are proud of their fishing; nearly everyone you meet will give advice on a favorite lure or point you to a productive fishing hole. Tackle shops and professional guides are easy to find, and state and local launch facilities offer kayak anglers easy access to the best fishing holes.
Professional Advice
Waddington is most famous for the largemouth and smallmouth bass that mingle in the St. Lawrence and its tributaries. In fact, bass fishing is so good that the town of 2,000 residents hosted the 2013 Bassmas- ters Elite Series Evan Williams Bourbon Showdown last summer. After the tournament, I caught up with Bassmaster Elite Series an-
gler Jonathon “JVD” VanDam. He snagged second place in the Show- down by using two tactics: drop shots and spinnerbaits. “Bouncing a drop shot rig with plastic grub or worm will produce all day long,” he told me. VanDam likes a four-inch green or pumpkinseed Strike King KVD Dream Shot worm on an Eagle Claw Trokar 1/0 hook with a 3/8 oz Strike King drop shot sinker. When the sun is shining and the fish are on the feed, VanDam uses a spinnerbait with twin willow blades. “Smallmouth like lures that are cookin’,” says VanDam, suggesting zipping the lure through the water.
Bass Central
In addition to the St. Lawrence River, Waddington is a central loca- tion for day trips to other world-class fishing holes. Bass fishermen can’t go wrong fishing the Oswegatchee River in Ogdensburg, just a 15-minute drive away. The best access point is at Eel Weir State Park, where the river is wide and slow. To fish the famous Raquette River, kayak anglers should head to
Sandstoner Park, 25 minutes out of Waddington. A big, sandy beach makes launching a breeze.
Musky Madness
According to local guide Greg Mintz, any spot along the Grasse River, 15 minutes from Waddington, could produce a world record musky. In fact, the Freshwater Hall of Fame’s 30-pound tippet catch and release world record was caught just a few miles from Mintz’s favorite musky hole. Musky flies have more hair and feathers than a hunting dog with a bird in its mouth. Mintz fishes the eight-inch fly using a slow retrieve with frequent pauses. On the pause, the heavy lure twirls downwards creating a profile that big musky can’t resist. And what about the carp? These giant, silvery bottom fish can be spot- ted as they cruise the banks of the St. Lawrence and its tributaries. They are always ready to take a small jig and willing to put up a good fight. With a bunch of trophy fish to target and so many cool places to visit, maybe Waddington, New York, should call itself the Kayak Fish- ing World Capital.
DIGITAL EXTRA: Click here to watch a video of local angler and celeb Chris Lashomb battling monster musky from his canoe.
42…KAYAK ANGLER COOL, CLEAR AND FULL OF FISH; THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER IS PERFECT
FOR KAYAK ANGLERS LOOKING FOR A LATE SUMMER GETAWAY. PHOTO: BEN DUCHESNEY
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