The date was May 22, 2010 at Wappinger's Lake NY. James Belesi, of Bayside NY. who has been bass fishing in NY for 35 years caught this monster bass. It was by far the largest he's ever captured. Just one month earlier James underwent a small heart operation and is thankful because it was pumping like never before. When he hooked this fish it soon became tangled on some downed trees and old fishing lines half out of the water. His nephew Chris Belesi nearly jumped into the lake and grabbed the Bass and got him in the boat. This fish measured an amazing 23" in length. James used a 5 inch watermelon colored yamamoto worm rigged wackey style.

Wappinger Lake located in the town of Wappingers Falls is a shallow impoundment of Wappingers Creek. Beacause of its size and the shallow water, small boats are recommended. Wappinger lake provides good angling opportunties for catching largemouth bass, chain pickerel and panfish. Wappinger Lake has a Surface Area of roughly 87 acres and a mnaximum depth of 16 feet.

The two primary species of bass inhabiting N.Y. State waters are smallmouth and largemouth bass. Both species may be found in most all of the states lakes and rivers. The average bass caught is between 1 and 5 pounds, but there are many fish taken every year over 5 pounds. Bass fisherman by majority are a catch and release group so that affords this species a bit more protection than they would other wise receive.

The state wide size limit on bass is 12 inches in length and a daily creel limit of 5. Open season on bass is the 3rd Saturday in June through November 30th.The state record largemouth bass was caught by John L. Higbie he was using a spinnerbait fishing in Buckhorn Lake on 09/11/87. This majestic fish weighed an amazing 11 lb. 04oz. The state record smallmouth bass was caught by Andrew C. Kartesz on Jig and Grub Tail from Lake Erie on 06/04/95. This incredible fish weighed 8 lb. 4oz.

Both species will feed on minnows, crayfish, insects, worms, snails, frogs, or most anything that they can catch and swallow. This is one reason so many fisherman love bass fishing, because they are fairly easy to catch and will hit most any lure that invades their space.

Tackle for bass fishing is as simple as you want it to be, or can be as complex as you want with many tournament fisherman having 5 or 6 rods all rigged with different lines and lures for certain fishing conditions. Most any medium action rod 6 foot in length and spooled with 10 or 12 pound test line would be sufficient for most fishing conditions.

   The following links break down the best fishing options according to the month of the year. Certain times of the year present excellent fishing opportunities for differnt species and can help make the best of your limited free time.