Hey, I was thinking about heading to the 1000 islands on the opener in June and just hoping to get some tips on where i should start looking for bass  i havent done too much smallmouth fishing and was planning on launch somewhere between wolf island area and  clayton ny depending on where would be better. also ive heard alot of stories about peopl doing damage to their boats with all the shoals. is there anything unmarked i should look out for.  :-/

Thanks for all the help

Hey, I was thinking about heading to the 1000 islands on the opener in June and just hoping to get some tips on where i should start looking for bass i havent done too much smallmouth fishing and was planning on launch somewhere between wolf island area and clayton ny depending on where would be better. also ive heard alot of stories about peopl doing damage to their boats with all the shoals. is there anything unmarked i should look out for. :-/

Thanks for all the help

That time of the year on the river smallies will be in all different phases. Some fish will still be on beds near the main channel due to the colder water temps. Others will be post spawn moving from out from the beds, and others will have been spawned out for some time. Where you'll find the majority of the fish depends on how quickly or slowly the spring heats up water this year. Usually the fish are rather shallow in June compared to other times in the year when the best fishing is 20 to 50 ft. deep.

Best bet would be to find chunk rock/gravel mixed with shell beds and weeds in 5 to 15 ft. of water and throw spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, lipless cranks and senkos. If you choose to launch in Clayton, the public launch doesn't have much parking. The French Creek Marina is a better choice but it costs $10 I believe.

The river is FULL of unmarked shoals. If you don't have a GPS unit on your dash, make sure you FULLY study your maps and know where you are at all times as it can get ugly quick. Hope this helps!

Oops, I forgot to add that the NY side of the river opens for bass a week before the Canadian. You need a Canadian license to fish their waters. Check the boundaries and regs before you decide to venture too far.

I fish it often in May. One of my favorite baits is the twister tail or grub. I usually look for rocky shoals or islands but as Md said they can be anywhere that time of year.

BTW pike fishing is good that time of year and take your camera. It is a beautiful area.  

thanks for the help! soo i can fish on the u.s water side of the river June 20th as long as i have licenses?  Is it mostly smallmouth or is it worth trying to fish largemouth

Thanks

thanks for the help! soo i can fish on the u.s water side of the river June 20th as long as i have licenses? Is it mostly smallmouth or is it worth trying to fish largemouth

Thanks

Yes, the 20th is the first day in NY water. In Jefferson County(Clayton Area) you can't fish for bass before then...purposefully. It is a great largemouth fishery also. Look for weed beds adjacent to deep water. Weedy bays also produce that time of the year also. 2 1/2 to 3 pound largies are average and a 5 is a really good fish on that water.