Bill and Joe's Panfish Pursuit

Wild Bill and his friend Joe were back out with Legends Outdoors for some early fall fishing.  The avid hunters and fishermen are in the midst of bow season and the cooling off of the water for that fall bite.  The early fall though has been extremely warm and thus far October has been the warmest October on record since it was kept track of.  The two men were once again on a panfish mission as they set out in comfortable conditions.  As usual these guys go all in with Keitech Baits and finesse tactics and have at it.  The action was solid as they caught dozens of panfish consisting of perch and crappie.  Most of them were good solid keepers that they harvested for fish fry meals that they so much enjoy.  Many were also thrown back as well as the bonus largemouth that Wild Bill caught.  Bill and Joe brought along some hearty lunch as usual and even brought along a "Happy Birthday" cake for the guide's birthday.  That was very thoughtful of Bill and Joe and it is deeply appreciated.  Overall they had a great day out as usual and we wish them the best during their hunting season adventures and look forward to seeing them for their next Legends Outdoors outing.

Early Fall Fiesta

Durrell and Bev along with cousin Steve were back at it with Legends Outdoors for another outdoor adventure.  This early fall trip seen them face overcast skies with light winds and a storm that they waited out at one point before getting back out on the water for some fishing.  The water was cooling now as it was in the 65-66 degree range and those smallmouth and crappie were getting a bit more active.  The trio used a combo of jigs and Keitech Baits to pursue their quarry working them at a methodical pace to entice strikes.  They brought along snacks and their usual jovial spirit as they had a great time fishing together.  All toll they caught well over 30 fish consisting of crappie and smallmouth bass as a few of them posed for pictures below.  Steve and his slab crappie even posed with his 2021version Legends Outdoors Hooded Sweatshirt!  An all around great fall day out for Bev, Durrell and cousin Steve!

Kapsize Crew 2021

The Kapsize Crew has been getting together every year for many many years at different venues for fishing adventures.  They have been with Legends Outdoors for many years now as Dennis hosts this long time group of friends near scenic Lake Wallenpaupack.  They do a variety of evening and weekend activities while doing the fishing during the weekdays bracketed around the weekend.  This year would be no different as Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday the group would take to the water of this Wayne County lake.  The weather for all four days was awesome as their September gathering seen a mix of clouds and sun, but the wind was only light and the temperatures stayed nice and moderate.  The water was in the low 70's as they utilized both the pontoon and a bass boat on their adventures.  They used a two prong approach to their fishing by using live bait to search for giants of the deep and also Keitech Baits when they were casting about.  The stories, jokes, tales, and the going on in their lives were exchanged during the four days.  Two of the days the men were treated to a shore lunch on one of the islands that consisted of fresh fried panfish fillets and Legends Outdoors special macaroni salad.  One of the days Ed would hook into a nice hybrid striped bass and he fought it valiantly before it was landed for a nice group photo.   The group would catch many a nice smallmouth bass on the trip on both the live bait and Keitech Baits.  They also caught many varieties of panfish on the adventure as the overall action was very good for the anglers.  Keith, one of the members of the Kapsize Crew passed away earlier in 2021 and a reading was made in memory of him by the group during one of the days.  Keith will be dearly missed by the Kapsize Crew and all of us here at Legends Outdoors as he was a man of many great qualities.  The trip was another overall great one for these long time friends and we wish them a wonderful rest of the 2021 year and look forward to hosting them again in 2022!

Good Neighbors

Dennis and Joe are avid anglers and also neighbors.  The two men like to fish Lake Wallenpaupack as well as spend time up at the lake doing a variety of other activities.  They took a September trek out together on the legendary lake aboard the Legends Outdoors pontoon boat.  The late summer day seen a chilly morning with high blue skies and barely any wind.  The duo would use a two prong approach using live bait and Keitech Baits to pursue their quarry on this day.  Joe has fished this lake for quite a few years and never caught a striped bass, but that would change on this day as he hooked into one that would give him quite a memorable battle as he fought it for quite some time before landing this strong fish.  Dennis also hooked into a smallmouth bass at the same time and they landed this double header and the fished posed for a photo before both being released.  The action didn't end there as they would catch pickerel, some perch, rockbass, smallmouth bass, and a few crappie including a 15" slab that Joe caught marking his personal best of that species also.  Dennis typically brings some delicious hoagies out with him for the trip and did so again on this one as they once again were top notch.  Dennis and Joe are good neighbors and had an absolute great time together on this trip and will have plenty to reminisce over for years to come.

All in!

Bill and his crew have been out with Legends Outdoors in the past and decided to give it a go again out on Lake Wallenpaupack.  The five men took some time away from their busy schedules and got together for this trip on a nice summer day.  They were "all in" on going for big fish from start to finish and that is just what they did!  The local group set out on a mission and the bait was set out as they settled in for the day.  The jovial spirit of these men didn't take long to show itself as there was plenty of great conversation and laughter throughout the day.  The action would be very good on the live bait as there were plenty of strikes to go around for the group during the outing.  The group hooked into two stripers that peeled drag and made plenty of power runs before being worked into the net for a few photos and then released back into the depths of the lake.  Also caught on the day was a rare catch in a northern pike that also and was greeted with a photo before being released.  The action also included several plump perch totaling about a dozen that were harvested.  Rounding out the catches were some smallmouth bass and a few other panfish that were caught mixed in when the anglers started throwing some Keitech Baits around later in the outing.  All of those fish were also released back into the scenic waterway.  Brought along for some good nourishment were subs made by the Zaleski's establishments that have some very good food indeed.  The group also brought along some nice cool beverages to compliment the subs on this memorable day.  It was quite a day for these five friends and we look forward when the group gets back together in 2022 for another Legends Outdoors adventure.

Bill and Joan

Returning clients Bill and his wife Joan went out for a summer outing recently with Legends Outdoors.  The day was a beautiful sunny one with barely a cloud in the sky and a very light breeze.  The happy couple like to fish many a local waterways as they are very much into fishing as well are very much into antique cars.  They traversed about the scenic lake casting away with Keitech Baits in a variety of depths with very good success.  It was a blend of perch, bluegill and smallmouth bass that came aboard and some of those smallmouth bass were hefty ones that posed for photos before being returned to the waterway.  Amidst the conversations about their other hobbies of gardening and canning along with making their famous zucchini bread, Bill hooked into a striper that gave him quite a tussle on the light line as so often they like to make power runs and often pull free or break one's line, but Bill played it out carefully and brought it to the net for yet another nice photo.  The day was really awesome overall as they had snacks and enjoyed the sunshine on their shoulders and went under the canopy for shade when they wanted to rest a bit.  Bill and Joan live life to the fullest and we were happy to have them back out with us on Lake Wallenpaupack for yet another Legends Outdoors adventure.

Behemoth Bronzeback Bonanza

Mark along with his family of Cassie, Julia, Donny, Nathan and Joanne took a summer fishing trip out on Lake Wallenpaupack with Legends Outdoors.  The returning client and his family climbed aboard the pontoon boat with high hopes, but they would have no idea they were about the set a new mark for a Legends Outdoors fish caught.  They started out for a while with live bait in search of a striper or another giant of the deep without success, but they were not deterred in the slightest.  They would then switch tactics and roll shallower with topwater and Keitech Baits.  The topwater would produce a few nice smallmouth while the Keitech Baits would do the majority of the damage.  Mark would hook into a giant smallmouth on the Keitech as it would pull drag and try aerial assaults.  He would battle the big bronzeback and carefully work it towards the net.  He would land a 21.5" 5# 2oz. behemoth that would set a new benchmark for Lake Wallenpaupack and smallmouth bass as it was the biggest ever caught to date with our guide service.  It didn't stop there as the group caught good numbers of fish including several other really nice smallmouth bass and a really long pickerel that was 28.25" in length!  It was a perfect storm type of day almost literally  as it was right before Hurricane Fred was prepping to arrive in our area.  The family enjoyed nice cold beverages and snacks as they joked, laughed and fished about the lightly wind swept lake.  A fun time was had by all and we were glad to see Mark back again along with his family and we look forward to their return for another Legends Outdoors adventure.

Opening Act for Peter and Bernadette

Peter and Bernadette were visiting the Poconos from their home in New York City and decided to do some fishing on scenic Lake Wallenpaupack to kick off their vacation.  This couple had a scorcher of a day as it was one of the hottest days of the entire summer as the heat index was very high.  They got an early start and headed out on the water in the coolness of the morning though in search of the fish that swim below.  The recent rains had the lake level very high for this time of year as they went right to the Keitech Baits to pursue their quarry.  The action was decent most of the early morning and then Peter and Bernadette really learned a valuable lesson on shade and sunlight and how it effects the behavior of the fish.  Pin point casts became much more crucial as the sun's rays beat down strongly on the lake warming the water rapidly.  They would catch largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and a variety of panfish on the day as they caught some good numbers despite the very challenging conditions.  Peter also hooked a giant pickerel that he battled for a bit before it made a power run and turned in a different direction severing the line with is sharp teeth. They spoke about many of their experiences in the fine arts field that they work at in New York and how they met back in college studying the same course.  The happily married couple also seen plenty of wildlife and enjoyed exploring the lake as well as the Wallenpaupack area during their visit. 

Do Fish Read?

Many an article will state how much northern smallmouth bass feed on/are more active on sunny days.  Do these fish read these articles is the question at hand.  Legends Outdoors regulars in Tony and Danny would put that theory to the test on an August outing on scenic Lake Wallenpaupack.  The mission starting out on this hot summer day was to go for stripers early on and move on from there.  The stripers would have no part of their offerings, so the Legends Outdoors faithful went on to plan "B" and went for smallmouth bass.  It didn't take long for this father and son duo to get into them and several hefty ones would be battling on the ends of their lines.  It wouldn't be a day of big numbers, but the size was good as they used live bait and Keitech Baits to catch these beautiful bronzebacks.  These avid sportsmen had plenty of good conversations about many topics and Tony brought along his traditional pizza that he gets from location unknown, but it is top notch indeed.  All of the fish were released that were landed on this day and it makes you wonder with all the nice smallmouth bass caught in these conditions....did the smallmouths follow the script of the books and magazines as written?

Family Fun in the Sun

Mike and his son Jay are Legends Outdoors regulars several times per year both open water and ice-fishing alike.  The summer of 2021 seen them take along the family also including Carol, Ben, and Alex for a pair of trips on the pontoon boat.  Both days were nice summer days with decent weather.  They fished with a combo of live bait and Keitech Baits on their outings mixing it up both shallow and deep with their offerings.  They were awesome family outings which included a shore lunch on one of the islands of Lake Wallenpaupack on the second outing which consisted of fried panfish that were caught on the first adventure and some side dishes to boot.  They also did some swimming and had plenty of great conversations and tales to tell.  They would catch a variety of panfish, smallmouth bass, and pickerel during their excursions.  We were glad to have Jay and his family out with us again yet again and we look forward to hosting for many adventures for years to come.