Come join
the party! All are welcome - just make sure you have your fishing license!
"Whitey," colloquially named, is really from the genus Morone
Americana. Morone Americana is actually a member of the striped bass family.
The shiny silver fish can grow up to 19.5" inches and weigh as much as
four pounds, however the ones we commonly see in the lake are more in the range
of 10" - 14". The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department considers it
an invasive species as its primary diet is yellow perch and walleye eggs and it
out-forages many other species for food. For some unknown reason they seem to
migrate to St. Albans Bay in large numbers at this time of year.
Since they are
considered invasive, there are no possession limits on the fish and people
frequently catch as many as a couple of hundred in a day, many of which are
sold to fishmongers like Ray's Seafood in Essex Junction. As there genus will
dictate they are great fighters and are quite delicious when fried or baked in
a white wine and butter sauce with a light coating of bread crumbs and a
squeeze of lemon.
Wanna'
join us? Go online at www.vtfishandwildlife.com and get yourself a license,
then drive to the St Albans Bay Access off of Lake Rd and take a hike southwest
to Hathaway Point. You'll see a crowd of people sitting near one another and
from a distance you will likely hear a staccato series of what sound like war
whoops. Rods will be raising up quickly, setting hooks on the voracious whitey,
and you'll see people laughing and cajoling over "the one that got
away." Pull up a pickle bucket and pop a hole with your auger. If you
don't have one just proceed to the nearest open hole, look around, and ask the
nearest person if they mind if you try that one. Bait your lure with a chunk of
earthworm or a few "spikes" (maggots for those not in the know) and
lower your bait down just above the bottom of the bay - about 15-20 feet near
the green buoy) and slowly start jigging - no, not the dance - the gentle up
and down motion of the ice rod. Although, be aware that if you do decide to do
the dance, it is likely that a few folks that have gotten into their adult
beverages a bit early, may come join you. Within a few minutes you should get a
hard tug on the line and when you do, set the hook quickly by raising your rod
abruptly about 1' in the air. From that point on the fight is all yours!
I grew up living in a house on a dirt road alongside a beautiful clear spring fed lake in Maine where, while I never really enjoyed ice fishing, found my summers were focused on open water fishing, canoeing and rowing with a little swimming thrown in to cool off on those hot summer days. White perch were then and remain today my favorite freshwater fish to eat. I learned to filet with white perch and found when coated with corn meal and garlic and fried in a pan they are absolutely delicious. I would easily catch enough to feed the entire family whenever I went out after them. I understand that the bass have all but taken over the fish population in that lake these days, some 30 plus years since I last fished that lake, and that saddens me, both the absence of the white perch and my absence from the lake of my youth. Bass are a lot of fun to catch, especially the big ones, but not nearly as tasty.
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