Enjoy A Tremendous Holiday At Sherkston Shores - Part2

In part one of this series on Sherston Shores and the nearby area I focused on the swimming and some of the other family activities you can enjoy there. In this article I'm going to tell you about the smallmouth bass fishing. It's the great fishing that keeps bringing me back to Sherkston. As I said in the last article, Lake Erie's water is crystal clear at the resort. When my father and I go out on his sail boat, we can see the bottom when the lake is 20 feet deep. Not only is the water clean but the number of fish that live there is unbelievable. Most of the fishermen anchor or drift over between 10 and 20 feet of water and fish for the smallmouth with diving crank baits. Since I don't bring my boat up, unless I can find a ride, I have to find a different way to hook these beautiful fish. That's what I want to tell you about in this article.

There is a wreck of an old barge about a mile from the shore. In the 1940s, World War II caused the value of steel to increase significantly. This price increase caused the authorities to salvage as much of the barge as possible.. They built a temporary dam to dry the lake bed between the beach and the barge. Then they built a road out to the barge and trucked a large amount of steel back to shore. When they took the dam down and flooded the road, they left behind a fisherman's paradise. Most of the time, the old road sits at the bottom of one to four feet of water for the first half mile or so toward the wreck. From the edge of the road, the water immediately drops off to be between five and eight feet. This is where the bass hang out looking for their next meal. My favorite fishing times are first thing in the morning and late in the evening. Top water baits with no weight work great at these times. I prefer a rattling crank bait in the middle of the day. I've yet to find a time of day that these bass won't bite. As a matter of fact, I'm not kidding when I tell you that I've caught over 100 fish in a day many times. The bass average 12 inches long and the biggest one I've hooked was 21 inches.

The season opens on the fourth Saturday in June and continues until the end of November. You have a few options when it comes to fishing licenses. If you're going to be fishing in the lake for a week or less, you can purchase an eight day sport fishing or conservation license. The sport fishing license allows you to keep up to six smallmouth bass a day and the conservation license has a limit of two fish per day. If you'll be fishing the lake for more than a week, or will be going up twice in a season, you should buy a seasonal sport fishing or conservation license. The limits are the same but the license is good for the year. Since I'm a catch and release fisherman, I save some cash by buying a conservation license.

Well, if great swimming, family activities and fishing aren't enough reasons to visit Sherkston Shores, there are more. In part 3 of this series, I'll tell you about some of the fun things to do within a short drive of the resort. Stay tuned. Sherkston consists mainly of privately owned and rental cottage units. There is also an area where you can pitch your camping tent and stay for a day, a week, or longer. You can also buy a daily access pass if all you want to do is pack your picnic basket and enjoy a day of recreation. I do want to remind you that if you're traveling from the USA, you will need either a passport or one of the new passport cards to return home after your stay. Sherkston Shores is very easy to get to. Just cross the Peace Bridge in Buffalo, NY and travel west on Route 3 for about eight miles. Sherkston Shores will be on the left at Empire Road. There will also be signs to guide you in.

By: Alan M. Kassirer

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Alan Kassirer has been fishing at Sherkston Shores for over 40 years. He also owns Picnic Baskets and More, an internet store specializing in wicker picnic baskets, barbecue tools and other picnic equipment. Alan also suggests that you visit our sister site, Camping Gear Stop for the best in family camping tents and other camping gear.