Paul Mueller’s 7-pound, 13-ounce smallmouth bass yesterday seemed to be an awakening of sorts for him about the unique fishery here. Mueller lives only a five-hour drive away in Naugatuck, Conn. But he’s spent very few days on the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario.
“I’ve ice-fished the lake for walleye,” said Mueller, noting his lack of time in this area otherwise. “I’m like, ‘What the heck am I doing?’ I need to come here more often. This is a special place. This is a place where if you have free time, you come here on vacation to fish because you’re going to catch the fish of a lifetime.
“It’s a tremendous walleye fishery. I caught one through the ice that was over 10 pounds. Ten-pounders are common here. That’s crazy because a 10-pound walleye is a fish of a lifetime.”
As is, of course, a 7-pound, 13-ounce smallmouth bass, the biggest in Elite Series history. Mueller doesn’t have anything approaching that today, but it’s early. He’s got a limit weighing about 12 1/2 pounds.
“They’ve got to get bigger,” Mueller said after landing a 3-pounder, which was his fifth keeper. “But you’ve got to get bit too. And we’re starting to get bit.”