Dunkirk Harbor, Barcelona Harbor, Buffalo Harbor and every stream that flows into Lake Erie from Buffalo to Pennsylvania attracts smallmouth bass preparing to spawn. The harbor waters provide sheltered shallow water with rocky or gravel bottoms, ideal for nesting. The harbors and streams are rich in baitfish and aquatic invertebrates, offering a buffet for pre- and post-spawn smallmouth.

Above that, the calm waters make such places favorable for both the fish and the anglers. One look from the deck at the Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club will provide onlookers with visual evidence of the large number of boats fishing there, that “something” must be going on in the harbor. Fishing for smallmouth bass is pure fun.

The biggest fish usually arrive in the harbor later and generally hold out in the deeper structure areas just outside of the harbor areas. With fish approaching 7 pounds on the trophy “to-do list” for many anglers, right now is the best time to get out there for bass anglers.

What to Use: Tube jigs (3-1/2 inch on a 1/8-3/8 ounce internal head) that mimic gobies, which are an abundant primary food source — drag slowly across the bottom and add a short hop now and then. NED rigs can effectively entice a finicky nesting bass with a subtle presentation. Drop-Shot rigs that allow for precision placement of soft plastics near nests and holding areas, and crankbaits and spinnerbaits that can cover water quickly and trigger reaction strikes, especially from aggressive bass guarding the nests. Lastly, live baits such as minnows, crayfish, and leeches under a slip bobber always work, except most anglers do not favor these because the bass swallow the bait and may be injured, hampering their ability to survive after release.

Young Andrew Frelock has been catching smallmouth bass, steelhead, rock bass, red horse suckers and sheepshead in Lake Erie tributary creeks using his fly rod for the last week or so. Submitted photo

Rods, Reels, Lines: Fishing rods in the medium or medium-light power range that are 6-1/2 to 7 feet long provide enough backbone to handle strong smallmouth while providing enough sensitivity to detect light bites. Open-face spinning reels in the 2,500-3,000 size for presenting finesse techniques like drop-shotting or NED rig fishing in our very clear waters. Reels like the Shimano Stradic, Daiwa Fuego, or Pflueger President are typical of the most popular bass reels.

The main line for these reels is braided line (Power-Pro, Sufix 832, etc.) with a 6-10-pound test fluorocarbon leader (Seaguar InvizX, Sunline Sniper FC, etc.) are popular. The braid allows long casts with its small diameter, and the fluorocarbon offers near invisibility underwater with increased abrasion resistance around rocks. Some bass fishing pros prefer to use a baitcasting setup for crankbaits and heavier tubes, but spinning gear dominates the field.

Remember that this is a trophy catch-and-release part of the New York State bass fishing season, and only one fish 20 inches or greater can be harvested. Enjoy!

IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL

Colt CBX Bolt-Action Rifles. Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC has recently learned of a potential safety issue with its CBX bolt-action rifles. Both the CBX Precision and CBX Tac Hunter models are affected. Colt is voluntarily initiating a recall of these rifles because of the potential for an unintentional discharge of the rifle. Colt has learned that, for some CBX rifles, if the trigger is pulled while the manual safety is engaged (in the “safe” position), the trigger may not fully reset.

This could result in an unintentional discharge of the rifle when the manual safety is moved to the “fire” position, without a further pull of the trigger. To prevent the possibility of death or serious personal injury, Colt asks anyone who owns a CBX rifle to immediately stop using it and return it to Colt. Consumers who own a Colt CBX rifle should visit www.coltcbx.com for information about returning their rifles to Colt for a refund or replacement option.

Consumers may also contact Colt Customer Service by email at cbxrecall@colt.com or by telephone at 1-800-962-2658 weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Eastern) and select the CBX recall option at the main menu.

Gotta love the outdoors.

CALENDAR

May 17: Ribbons and Bows 3-D Archery Shoot, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., $20, Hawkeye Bowmen, 13300 Clinton St., Alden; Info: Deb Frederiksen, defrederiksen85@gmail.com.

May 18: NYS Archery Shooters Association 3-D Archery Shoot, West Falls Conservation, 55 Bridge St., West Falls. Info: Mike Cummings, 716-655-5030.

May 18: US Coast Guard Boat Inspection, Southtowns Walleye Association clubhouse, 5895 Southwestern Blvd.; Pre-register by leaving your name, number, boat size and type of boat at 716-649-8202.

May 20: Junior Olympic Archery Program for youth 5-16 yrs of age, 6 p.m. start, West Falls Conservation, 55 Bridge St., West Falls.

May 20: Erie County Fish Advisory Board Meeting, 7 p.m., Bison City Rod/Gun, 511 Ohio St., Buffalo, open to the public.