By Andrew Canulette
BASS PRESS RELEASE
The weather turned foul on Thursday during the opening round of the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open No. 1 on Oneida Lake.
But the fishing was nothing short of spectacular.
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| Wetherell on the smallmouth. (Photo: BASS) |
Connecticut pro Alex Wetherell led the way with five bass that weighed 18 pounds, 9 ounces. Wetherell had his limit just 90 minutes after launch, and he slowly culled up throughout the day. He estimated he caught 25 to 30 smallmouth to put together a bag that was anchored by a pair of 4 1/2-pounders.
“I think my smallest fish was 3-3,” Wetherell said. “Last year, I was going after largemouth, but I gave up on that in practice this year. It looks like it was a good decision.”
Wetherell’s haul was indicative of recent productivity on this 50,000-acre lake, which is the largest body of water located entirely within the state of New York. Oneida is loaded with forage fish such as gobies and perch, and a mayfly hatch has further induced postspawn bass into a feeding frenzy.
The combination has created the perfect storm for fishing, despite the actual storms that plagued anglers Thursday afternoon.
“I had mayflies and crawfish all over my boat today,” Wetherell said. “There are gobies and perch in there everywhere, and I even had to two shad spit up in my livewell today. So the bass, they’re chewing.”
