For the Record Books --
Just Another Perfect Day
By David Turner

OSWEGO COUNTY, NY -- ‘Just Another Perfect Day’ is the name of the boat that Captain Bob Lee has skippered for the last 14 of his 22 years as a charter captain out of Mexico, NY, but Bob would have never guessed that this last minute trip in his last year on Lake Ontario would turn out like this.

Relished by working men and women and dreaded by school children, Labor Day Weekend holds a different meaning for each of us depending on our own unique circumstances. For many years it was celebrated with parades, picnics and parties as America’s workers enjoyed a long weekend in their honor and for many it still holds that significance. For school-aged children in many parts of the country it means that the joys of summer will soon be replaced by 40-pound book-bags and hours of homework. But in marina communities along the southern and eastern shore of Lake Ontario, it suggests that the fall salmon season is just around the corner. Labor Day Weekend of 2008 is one that Captain Bob and a young mother of four from Syracuse, NY will not soon forget.

Like many families throughout America, Mike and Kristy St. Louis budget carefully each and every week of the year as they work to maintain their household, set some money aside for their children’s education and hopefully, at the end of each week, there is still a little bit left over for their vacation fund. Vacation for Mike and Kristy this year meant camping with their three boys, Kody, Kaleb and Austin at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Campground in nearby Mexico. Owned and operated by Ed and Barb Lighthall, Jellystone offers a family environment with plenty of activities for the boys. Given that this was their first time out with their newly acquired 30-foot Traillite camper, they thought that it would be the perfect spot for a relaxing week camping

Less than an hour from home and nestled along the Little Salmon River, Jellystone turned out to be just what Mike and Kristy were looking for and by their sixth day at the park, they had explored most of what the Lighthalls had to offer. The seventh day, however, was way beyond their imagination.

Chance Encounter with Charter Captain
Mike had grown up not far away in Sandy Creek and like many children in this part of Oswego County, had spent time fishing the tributaries of Lake Ontario – however, he had never enjoyed the thrill of a guided trip on the lake with one of Lake Ontario’s professional captains. Kristy, on the other hand, had only held a fishing pole once in her life. She was somewhat skeptical when Mike suggested that they scrape together enough money for a charter trip and try to land a couple of the trout or salmon that the lake is famous for.

Eventually, Kristy gave in and the logistical challenges began. Mike’s parents agreed to take the boys for a day, but finding a charter captain who had any un-booked time at this time of the year and on a moment’s notice nearly proved impossible. Frustrated after numerous calls to dozens of local captains, Mike was ready to give up when he spotted Bob Lee’s pick-up truck at a campsite nearby. With only a glimmer of hope left, he approached Bob’s truck and asked anxiously if Bob was indeed the captain of Perfect Day Charters advertised on the side and if so did he have any free time the next day.

Some say luck is just being prepared to take advantage of the next opportunity that comes along, others claim that it is nothing more than being in the right place at the right time. For Mike and Kristy, this chance encounter would prove the latter to be true. Bob explained that normally he keeps Labor Day weekend open because his kids would visit from Georgia but this year they had to cancel and he was, in fact, available the next morning. Mike’s excitement however, soon diminished as he listened to Bob explain the price and the details of a typical trip. It wouldn’t be possible for them start at 6 a.m. as they would first have to bring their boys to Sandy Creek and the price of a full day trip wasn’t really within their means, he told Bob. Feeling the emotion in Mike’s words, Bob said that he could run a short trip starting at 8 a.m., but warned that they would miss the usually productive “early bite.” That was all Mike needed to hear, he was off with Kristy to Jellystone’s office and store for a hasty purchase of fishing licenses.

Mike Lands the First Fish
Sunday, August 30 dawned early for Mike and Kristy as they rustled their boys out of bed and headed off to Mike’s parents with each mile bringing ever more excitement as they neared the dock where Bob was waiting. Bob’s day had started like many others. He arrived at the boat early and made all the necessary preparations as he waited for his customers to arrive. This particular day they arrived a few hours later than most but other than that, the day would likely be pretty routine or so Bob thought as he slowly backed his 28-foot Baha into the channel.

As they made their way out onto the lake, Bob reflected on his 22 years as a captain and tried to recall how many times he had taken folks out for their first experience with the trophy class fishing that Lake Ontario offers. With only a few weeks left before he retired from this lake and turned his focus to his home port on Lake Champlain, Bob hoped, as he did every day, that he could make this a memorable trip for his customers. His hope and Kristy’s luck were beyond what either ever imagined.

After almost two anxious hours on the lake, Mike threw chivalry out the window and grabbed the first rod that went off. A short time later he had boated a nice king salmon that Bob estimated at about 15 pounds. Bob reset the rod and they were off again hoping for Kristy to have a turn before the trip ended. Almost an hour went by before a Shakespeare Ugly Stick® rod that was on the boat when Bob purchased it 14 years earlier suddenly released from his Cannon downrigger. The 30-pound test Tri-line line screamed off the Embrassor reel as Bob handed the rod to Kristy and tried to fasten a belt around her waist that had obviously been intended for someone much larger. When Bob realized that the fish had run for a good 250 feet, he knew that Kristy was in for a fight.

Kristy Hangs On
Ten and then twenty minutes went by as Kristy fought feverishly to get the fish closer to the boat. Bob and Mike stood close by repeatedly encouraging her to hang on and land this one by herself. The muscles in her arms burned and her wrist ached as she nearly gave up more than once. Twenty-five and now 30 minutes, the fish was closer but still not near enough to visualize. Kristy was near exhaustion, then came a splash, and Bob knew they had a great fish, possibly a Coho -- as they were known to jump a bit before they gave up. Five more minutes and with more excitement than any of them had anticipated, they had a true trophy on board.

Some might have called it a day but Mike and Kristy had almost a half-hour left in their trip and it didn’t take Bob that long to find one more fish in Lake Ontario’s productive waters. But, as fishing goes, this one was not to be had and Bob pulled the rods and started the young couple back towards home.

At the dock, Bob knew that he had a beautiful fish on board and called a few of his fellow captains over for a look. While the fish had some Chinook characteristics several present felt it could be a Coho and by their dockside estimation it had the potential to be a record fish. Someone in the group recommended that they take the fish immediately to the Portly Angler Motel in Pulaski as they knew that one of their employees had been trained by the International Game Fish Association in the proper handling of record fish. While only about ten minutes away, it seemed longer than the 35 minutes she had spent bringing the fish back to the boat and neither Kristy nor Mike could believe that she might be claiming a record.

One Fish; One Glitch; Maybe Two Records
Amazement turned quickly to astonishment when the technician at the Portly Angler announced that at 34 pounds and 8 ounces this could, once certified, be a state and world record. The emotional roller coaster took yet another turn and dive when they learned that this scale had not been certified and the fish, after being carefully wrapped and frozen by Fran Mosher at Animal Art Taxidermy, had to be weighed again. Ed Lighthall quickly responded and with appropriate witnesses in tow, whisked the trophy to nearby Jellystone where a certified scale produced a new weight of 34 pounds and 6 ounces. A touch lighter but still a possible state and world record. The only remaining hurdle was to now have the fish tested by a biologist at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to see if it was a true Coho.

Everyone who fishes here knows they are out there as Oswego County waters have produced more than ten other state or world records for this and other species -- but this one was not to be as the DEC analysis came back negative. Still when it was all over this last minute trip for two first-time lake anglers, resulted in a memory that very few ever experience.

Bob Lee will retire from Lake Ontario sportfishing at the end of this season and he will take this fish, after Fran works his magic on it and enjoy much quieter days in Willsboro, NY with his wife. Mike and Kristy will return to their home in Syracuse with memories that will last a lifetime and with a promise from Bob that someday, when they are ready, their trophy will join them there. In the end it was in fact, Another Perfect Day.

David Turner is the Director of Community Development, Tourism and Planning for Oswego County, New York and is happy to provide more information about trophy fishing in Oswego County at www.visitoswegocounty.com.

New York Fishing Articles & Photos About Salmon Fishing Lake Ontario in NY.