Outdoor Adventures in Oswego County, NY: All Aboard the Lucky Dutchman

The crew on the the Lucky Dutchman, L-R: Mary Ellen Barbeau, Captain Bill VanWormer, Me and Alycia Trump.

About a month ago I was approached by Charter Boat Captain, Bill VanWormer of Lucky Dutchman Charters, to see if I would like to go on a Charter Fishing Trip on Lake Ontario. HECK YES I said, trying to hide my excitement - which became easy to do once he mentioned we had to leave the Oswego Harbor at 6 a.m. Does he not realize that I have to take pictures of myself doing these activities and they are posted on the internet for everyone to see? 6 a.m. just does not agree with me especially when cameras are involved. But I sucked it up and agreed to the adventure.

I brought along my sister, who you may remember as the “pro fisherwoman” who actually doesn’t do much fishing. I figured this would be another good chance for me to shed light on her lack of fishing ability. I also brought along my co-worker Mel who, when it comes to fishing, is the silent but deadly type.

Out of the three of us, guess who caught fish:

Alycia…

Mel…

NOT ME.

I guess I filled my one-fish-per-year quota.

I’ll give you a brief summary of how the day went. It was about 6:45am and we were heading out on the lake to catch some lake browns. We waited a couple of minutes and bam… our first bite! I jumped up and fought the sucker for about two minutes until I realized it was getting pretty easy. Either I gained 10lbs of muscle in my arms or the little guy got away (the latter of the two). No big deal, it was early, I still had a full day ahead of me and I was sure I’d be reeling them in.

Next bite: My co-fisherwomen were nice enough to let me go again. I fought this next fish for a good five minutes when I finally got him to the boat. I could see him struggling and my confidence grew! Confidence killed the cat (or was it curiosity). The fish was just about in the net when he broke free!! (Insert 4 letter word here).

I decided it was time to give the other girls a chance. It was still early and even if they both caught fish I would definitely have time to catch some.

Alycia went first. She fought a couple… and they got away (ok, so it wasn’t just me… that made me feel a little better).

Another bite and Mel stepped up to the plate, fighting hard to keep that fish on the line. She was determined to make us all look bad! She did, because she caught the first fish of the day… finally! It was a little lake steelie! I could tell our luck was about to change!

It was my turn again. I could feel the success creeping through my bones. I tried again… and failed.

Alycia fought the next fish after me… and landed one! An Atlantic Salmon - what a catch!

According to Fran Verdoliva of the NYS DEC, "that was a special fish out of Lake Ontario as they were the native salmon of the lake. This year there has been a substantial increase in the catch of Atlantic salmon in the lake and we have already seen a few in the river."

After her exciting catch, it was my turn once again with little over an hour left. I was no longer going to share. These next bites were mine!

Since you already know how the story ends I won’t bore you with the details. I didn’t land a fish - although I did fight quite a few. It just wasn’t my day to get lucky on the “Lucky Dutchman”. My sister and Mel stole the spotlight.

I can’t stress enough how much fun charter fishing is, even when you don’t catch anything (which I have proved time and time again). Just getting an awesome boat ride on beautiful Lake Ontario makes it all worth it. Throw in hanging out with friends and the adrenaline of fighting fish and you’ve got yourself a pretty good day!

If you’re interested in charter fishing on the gorgeous Lake Ontario, then you’ve come to the right place! We have a huge list of Charter Captains! Just click here to check it out! If you still can’t find what you’re looking for then give our office a call at 315-349-8322 or send me an e-mail at jtrump@oswegocounty.com.

And special thanks to Captain Bill for an awesome adventure! Read his blog post about our day here.

Bill standing on his boat, the Lucky Dutchman II.

He let me drive! Probably a big mistake. Luckily there isn't much to crash into on the water!

One of the many times I fought a fish and didn't catch it.

Alycia's turn to fight one.

Trying to come up with a strategy for catching the next fish. I couldn't come up with anything, but I did catch a sunburn.

Sisters :)

Mel & Alycia enjoying the boat ride.

Capt. Bill setting up the equipment.

My turn again.

My guess is that it was only about 10am here... and my sister was already inhaling her lunch. She probably won't be too happy with me when she realizes I posted this photo.