HONEOYE LAKE
Lush weedbeds line the entire shoreline of 1,772-acre Honeoye Lake in western Ontario County. Largemouths lurk everywhere in the hydrilla and coontail. To find them, anglers need only embark from the boat launch on the lower east shore and start casting. Any nook or cranny in the jungle will hold at least one fish.

Honeoye Lake is the second smallest of the 11 Finger Lakes, topping only tiny Canadice Lake in surface acreage.

Local guide Frank Tennity, who has a cabin on the west shore, recommends focusing on areas where weeds converge with points. The major points are California Point, about 2 1/2 miles south of the village of Honeoye on the west shore and Burns Point, about 1 1/2 miles down East Lake Road. However, Tennity said the small breaks in the 10.8-mile shoreline are just as fishy as the more obvious outcroppings.

A 14- or 15-inch largemouth is about average, but Honeoye Lake is capable of giving up much bigger bass. During an Avon Anglers tourney there in June 2003, one contestant entered a tubby 7-pounder.

To find Honeoye Lake, follow the Thruway east from Rochester or west from Syracuse to the Canandaigua exit. Head south on Route 322 to U.S. Route 20 and turn right (west). About five miles west of Canandaigua, turn left onto Route 20A, which leads to the village of Honeoye.

ALLEGANY STATE PARK LAKES
Paul McKeown, who oversees the management of fish in DEC Region 9, said that Quaker and Red House lakes in Allegany State Park aren't getting their just due from western New York bass aficionados.

"There are 5- and 6-pound largemouths in those lakes," McKeown said. "And plenty of them, too."

Quaker Lake spans 270 surface acres with a maximum depth of 42 feet. It's accessible from State Park Route 3. There's a ramp where park visitors may launch cartop boats or canoes. Motors aren't permitted.

At 90 acres, Red House Lake is one-third the size of Quaker Lake, but may hold even more bass. It has a maximum depth of 20 feet, a mean depth of 7 feet and a muck and gravel bottom. There's a park boat rental concession in addition to a small ramp where cartop vessels and canoes may be launched. The lake is adjacent to State Park Route 1.

Allegany State Park is off U.S. Route 86 near Salamanca in Cattaraugus County. A free park fishing permit is available at the park police office.

CHAUTAUQUA LAKE
As a destination for lunker lovers, Chautauqua Lake rivals Lake George, Lake Erie and other major smallmouth waters. Year after year, DEC netting crews haul at least a couple of 6- or 7-pound bronzebacks aboard their research vessels.

"Smallmouth reproduction has been good there for the last several years," McKeown said.

Although it's famous for its big smallmouths, Chautauqua holds even more largemouths than smallies.

Chautauqua's weedy south basin, from the mouth of the Chadakoin River at Fluvanna north to Bemus Point, is particularly good for largemouths in the first week or two of the season. Try Burtis, Sherman's, Ashville and Hadley bays on the west shore and Arnold Bay on the east.

For June smallmouths, likely spots include the various points and drop-offs in the north basin, especially Point Chautauqua, Prendergast Point and the Big Bar, which is north of Long Point State Park on the deep edge of Warner Bay.

Chautauqua Lake covers 20,000 acres and has maximum depths of 77 feet in the north basin and 20 feet in the south basin. It can be reached by taking U.S. Route 86 to Jamestown in Chautauqua County. Boats may be launched at Long Point State Park or one of the private marinas clustered at the north and south ends of the lake.

For more information on bass fishing in New York, readers may contact the DEC Bureau of Fisheries at (518) 402-8920.

Brochures on travel and lodging alternatives are available from the I LOVE NY Tourism office at (800)-CALL-NYS.