INFORMATIONAL #1
Provided below is some basic info about the proposed GET-TOGETHER.
1. Whaley Lake, which is located in Douches County, is a 'fish factory', and just about everyone attending has a great time catching both LMs and Pickerel in good numbers. Some may even catch an occasional Crappie or yellow perch. Last year there were a lot of fish caught in spite of a violent thunder storm early in the afternoon. Most boats stayed on the water during the storm and continued to catch fish after the storm ended.
2. For those that have never been to Whaley Lake it is small and WEEDY. It is less than 200 acres in overall size. There is not a lot of boat traffic on the lake, especially on weekdays. Members of our site have brought and fished from bass boats, Kayaks, Jon boats, and other fishing boats.
3. This event will JUST BE A GET-TOGETHER. Basically, there will be NO competition, except maybe for 'bragging rights' between buddies. Many attendees openly share the tips and techniques that are working that day so all have fun and catch fish.
4. Whaley Lake is north of Rt 84, two exits west of the Rt 684/Rt 84 intersection. It is about 15-20 minutes to the lake from the Rt 84 exit.
Directions to the lake can be found on MapQuist.
THE MARINA ADDRESS IS:
1631 Route 292
Holmes, NY 12531
5. IF INTERESTED IN ATTENDING, just sign on as either a boater or non-boater, and HOPEFULLY we get enough boaters to take all the non-boaters that want to attend. John G. is keeping the records of who signed on. It’s possible there may be more non-boaters than boaters sign up, and a seat is NOT always a sure thing for non-boaters.
6. The pairing of fishermen will be done by going down the lists of attendees to assign non-boaters to boaters. However, if someone wants to fish with (or not fish with) a particular person, I have no problem pairing (or not pairing) them.
7. For boaters not-familiar with Whaley Lake, access to the lake is via a ramp owned by the Whaley Lake Marina and the marina owner (Dominick) charges a fee for launching a boat. The charges are $30 for large boats (bass boats, etc.) and $20 for small boats (Jon-boats, etc). For the NYBass get-together, Dominick will charge $20 for more than 10 large boats and $25 for less than 10 large boats. In the past it has been his practice to knock off $10 for small boats depending on the number of these boats launching.
8. If we end up in June with not enough boats to accommodate all non-boaters, Dominick can usually provide several rowboats (Dominick used to have 5 available). I will find out from Dominick what the rental will be for the Get-together if some want to rent a boat.
9. There is a large parking area directly across the street from the ramp where everyone parks. Boat rigs set-up in the parking lot, and back across the street, in a single line, as they launch. Alongside the ramp (on the north side), there is a sandy beach area where small boaters can be parked after the boat is launched. Also, there are usually ample dock slips at the Marina for tying up boat near the launch area. As I recall, boaters are not charged for parking their cars, but non-boaters are charged $5 for parking.
10. We usually start fishing at 6AM. It is suggested that boaters launch their boats between 5 and 6 AM (it’s better to get there early) so they can tie up their boats and spend some time getting acquainted with the people attending. I will ask Dominick to open the gate to the launch at 5 AM so anyone can start fishing anytime.
11. In past get-togethers, we broke at NOON for lunch. Whaley has a chuck wagon across the street from the lake that will have burgers, hot dogs, drinks and some other goodies for purchase.
12. After launch, boats can go back onto the lake and people can fish as late as they want to. As far as I know, there is no limit on how long boats can stay on the WATER.
