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Duke Dalley and his grandson, Tyler Dalley, 14, renewed a tradition on Wednesday when they set up their table at the boat launch on Harveys Lake.
At the same time at Nesbitt Park in Kingston, another tradition carried on as dozens of trucks with boats in tow pulled up to the Susquehanna River.
Bass tournament season opened last week, days after the official start of bass season on June 17, and area lakes and the river have become a bit busier.
“This is something that people count on every year. They come out of the winter grind and can’t wait to get started,” said Jim Lacomis, secretary of the Suskie Bassmasters, which runs the weekly Wednesday night tournament on the river.
Dalley’s tournament, which also runs every Wednesday but on Harveys Lake, also attracted plenty of anglers eager to hit the water to begin the summer season.
“This always feels good. We see some new faces but most are people that I know from past years,” Dalley said. “It’s like a reunion every year when this starts.”
While the camaraderie was in full swing, so was the competition. At the river, the water was high and a bit muddy, but that didn’t deter a strong turnout of 43 boats. The tournament has been running for 12 years and Lacomis was encouraged by the high turnout on Wednesday despite challenging conditions.
While the river tournament is centrally located in Nesbitt Park, Lacomis said it still draws anglers from as far away as Freeland and Red Rock.
And by the time the weigh-in began at 9 p.m., 26 anglers managed to bring in smallmouth bass. The heaviest weighed 3 pounds and plenty more topped 2 pounds, something that Lacomis said is rare to see this early in the year as the fish recently came off their spawning beds.
“They brought in fish from both above and below the launch, and the quality is definitely there,” he said.
At Harveys Lake, where both largemouth and smallmouth bass are fair game, the heaviest fish of the night topped the scales at just under 4.5 pounds. Dalley said 47 anglers turned out for opening night and he wasn’t surprised by the size of the fish brought in.
“It’s been a great spring, and it’s normal for this time of year,” he said. “Things will slow down in the middle of summer and then pick back up again. That’s how the lake works.”
Several other bass tournaments also got underway throughout the area, with the majority being held on the Susquehanna River, Harveys Lake and Lake Wallenpaupack.
Clyde Warner, supervisor for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s Northeast Region, said his office has been busy again this year issuing the required permits for bass tournaments. While most are for the river and larger bodies of water, tournaments are also held on Lake Cary, Lake Winola and Lily Lake among other places.
Last weekend, Warner said, PFBC officers checked two weigh-ins for tournaments at Lake Wallenpaupack and a lot of nice bass were caught.
“There are plenty of bass tournaments in the northeast this year,” Warner said. “Most are the same groups every year and they’re all pretty good. There aren’t a lot of issues.”
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