Welcome to Union Springs

Don Barone learns about the history of the New York town hosting this week's Elite Series event.

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Welcome to Union Springs, N.Y. and...
Welcome to Union Springs, N.Y. and…
…the 8th Bassmaster Elite series event of 2014...
…the 8th Bassmaster Elite series event of 2014…
…this one being held on...
…this one being held on…
…Cayuga Lake.
…Cayuga Lake.
We are in central New York in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of my home state…an agricultural area of dairy farms, acres of soybean, alfalfa and...
We are in central New York in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of my home state…an agricultural area of dairy farms, acres of soybean, alfalfa and…
…corn. Corn may be king around here, everywhere you look stalks fill the sky...
…corn. Corn may be king around here, everywhere you look stalks fill the sky…
…as do Ospreys…it's a great area for...
…as do Ospreys…it’s a great area for…
…outdoor activities. Kim and Shannon Baker and their friend Jamie Antosh told me it is a biking paradise. Kim:
…outdoor activities. Kim and Shannon Baker and their friend Jamie Antosh told me it is a biking paradise. Kim: “It reminds us of the Tuscany region of Italy with gently rolling hills, winding roads and wineries; it is very cool to bike the wine trails around here.”
It is also a very cool fishery. Rob from Batavia, N.Y., made the little over an hour trip from his hometown to,
It is also a very cool fishery. Rob from Batavia, N.Y., made the little over an hour trip from his hometown to, “try and catch me some bass, love to come to this lake to fish for smallmouth.”
But for me, Cayuga Lake has almost mythic implications. Growing up in the 1960s I was a huge fan of the TV show <i>The Twilight Zone</i>. When I was studying for my degree in Script writing, I studied the works of <i>Twilight Zone </i>creator Rod Serling. Serling had a family home on Cayuga lake, used to boat and fish this lake, and in fact produced <i>The Twilight Zone</i> through his production company, Cayuga Productions. Very cool for me to be staying on this lake.
But for me, Cayuga Lake has almost mythic implications. Growing up in the 1960s I was a huge fan of the TV show The Twilight Zone. When I was studying for my degree in Script writing, I studied the works of Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling. Serling had a family home on Cayuga lake, used to boat and fish this lake, and in fact produced The Twilight Zone through his production company, Cayuga Productions. Very cool for me to be staying on this lake.
We will be launching from Frontenac Park which is named after...
We will be launching from Frontenac Park which is named after…
…that tiny island out there called, appropriately, Frontenac Island, the only island in Cayuga Lake. The lake is 38 miles long, about 68 square miles in surface with an average depth of 182 feet, deepest part is around 400 feet. The entire lake was born of glaciers in the Ice Age that hit their peak here around 21,000 years ago, some of those sheets of ice where almost 2 and a half miles thick and covered almost every inch of New York State.
…that tiny island out there called, appropriately, Frontenac Island, the only island in Cayuga Lake. The lake is 38 miles long, about 68 square miles in surface with an average depth of 182 feet, deepest part is around 400 feet. The entire lake was born of glaciers in the Ice Age that hit their peak here around 21,000 years ago, some of those sheets of ice where almost 2 and a half miles thick and covered almost every inch of New York State.
Union Springs is a very pretty town. Back in...
Union Springs is a very pretty town. Back in…
…the 1800s, tourists from NYC would travel to Ithaca, on the south end of the lake...
…the 1800s, tourists from NYC would travel to Ithaca, on the south end of the lake…
…then climb on steamboats and...
…then climb on steamboats and…
…travel north to the town to...
…travel north to the town to…
…enjoy the mineral springs that were in the area. The town has a population of about 1,200 people with several homes in the area on the National Register of Historic places.
…enjoy the mineral springs that were in the area. The town has a population of about 1,200 people with several homes in the area on the National Register of Historic places.
Throughout town there are mom and pop fruit, vegetables and flower stands and...
Throughout town there are mom and pop fruit, vegetables and flower stands and…
…yes…you would be right on that point.
…yes…you would be right on that point.
Lots of historic markers around town including this one about local resident Charles Courtney, a famous crew coach and...
Lots of historic markers around town including this one about local resident Charles Courtney, a famous crew coach and…
…this happens to be one of his...
…this happens to be one of his…
…boats…or
…boats…or “shell” as they call them in crew, and it can be found…
…here in...
…here in…
…the historical museum in town and...
…the historical museum in town and…
…this lady, June Layton, one of the volunteers took me through the place that...
…this lady, June Layton, one of the volunteers took me through the place that…
…used to be a church where parishioners could donate money to buy stained glass windows...
…used to be a church where parishioners could donate money to buy stained glass windows…
…some of which kind of spooked me out…don't know if you see it but I can see a face in that design…kind of freaky…but the museum has...
…some of which kind of spooked me out…don’t know if you see it but I can see a face in that design…kind of freaky…but the museum has…
…all kinds of cool stuff about the history of the area including...
…all kinds of cool stuff about the history of the area including…
…its fishing history…including that of one of its most famous anglers...
…its fishing history…including that of one of its most famous anglers…
…Bob Doremus, shown here with his bass catch in 1931…and yes, that is the same Bob Doremus who...
…Bob Doremus, shown here with his bass catch in 1931…and yes, that is the same Bob Doremus who…
…illustrated hundreds of children's books including in 1967 a book called: <i>Star Trek: A Book To Color</i> which predated the TV series <i>Star Trek</i>.
…illustrated hundreds of children’s books including in 1967 a book called: Star Trek: A Book To Color which predated the TV series Star Trek.
Ah…yep…that's me way down there fishing...
Ah…yep…that’s me way down there fishing…
…Keri Lintner took this and the previous photo of me trying my luck because right before I left...
…Keri Lintner took this and the previous photo of me trying my luck because right before I left…
…the folks at St. Croix rods (they sponsor my column) sent me some rods to fish. So I went out and bought a N.Y. State annual fishing license and...
…the folks at St. Croix rods (they sponsor my column) sent me some rods to fish. So I went out and bought a N.Y. State annual fishing license and…
…gave it a shot…
…gave it a shot…
…and hooked a bigun…huge fight with what eventually turned out to be a really big…ah…evergreen tree...so...
…and hooked a bigun…huge fight with what eventually turned out to be a really big…ah…evergreen tree…so…
…my wife Barb came out to make sure I wasn't destroying the landscape of the rental cottages anymore.
…my wife Barb came out to make sure I wasn’t destroying the landscape of the rental cottages anymore.
After I put down the rod and reel, I picked up a knife and fork and had a picnic with our neighbors in the next cottage…Elite Series angler Jared Lintner and his wife, Keri, and their children, Allese, JC and Jayden, and Elite angler Mike McClelland sitting down there at the end of the table next to Barb.
After I put down the rod and reel, I picked up a knife and fork and had a picnic with our neighbors in the next cottage…Elite Series angler Jared Lintner and his wife, Keri, and their children, Allese, JC and Jayden, and Elite angler Mike McClelland sitting down there at the end of the table next to Barb.
So as the sun sets on Cayuga Lake...
So as the sun sets on Cayuga Lake…
…and as the three of us sit on the porch watching night slowly come, we, and all the Elite and staff at B.A.S.S., invite you to come out to this beautiful area and lake for the fun and festivities of the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite event...
…and as the three of us sit on the porch watching night slowly come, we, and all the Elite and staff at B.A.S.S., invite you to come out to this beautiful area and lake for the fun and festivities of the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite event…
…but I may be fishin'…got everything set for tomorrow.
…but I may be fishin’…got everything set for tomorrow.