From a competitive point of view, in other words, they were actually having too much fun, catching 50 or more chunky bronzebacks a day. The tourney winner, Tommy Biffle of Oklahoma, caught nothing but largemouths in the four-day event!

Naturally, the bass pros decided to return to the Syracuse area's favorite fishing hole as soon as possible. The Memorial, one of the major events on the B.A.S.S. tournament calendar, will begin on July 26 at Oneida Shores Park. And you can bet that Biffle and the rest of the gang are counting the days!

Meanwhile, now that Oneida's bass are fair game for catch-and-release angling from the first Saturday in May until the regular-season opener, New York residents many have even hotter action than the pros enjoyed during their 2006 stopover on the lake.

At 51,000-plus acres, Oneida is one big body of water. But in June, visiting anglers can quickly cut it down to size by focusing on the 3- to 10-foot depths where most local bass court, spawn and guard their newly hatched fry.

Since last Oct. 1, it has been legal in most waters of the state to fish between seasons for largemouths and smallmouths on a catch-and-release, artificial-lures-only basis.

In shallow, weedy water such as found around the fringes of Big Bay at the west end of the lake, it may be possible to sight-fish for lunkers with surface chuggers, plastic worms and other slow-motion baits. In contrast, fan-casting with spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits and other lures with extra flash and wiggle will let you cover lots of water and pinpoint fish concentrations in slightly deeper areas, such as the dropoffs and humps of Shackelton Shoals off Bridgeport.

Contour maps showing these and other likely early-season spots are available at many of the bait shops and marinas around the lake, or from the Department of Environmental Conservation Region 7 office in Cortland. Call them at (607) 753-3095.

Oneida Lake is about a 10-minute drive north of Syracuse, off Interstate Route 81. Exit 31, at Brewerton, leads directly to Bartell Road and the Oneida Shores (Onondaga) county park as well as the state-owned Oneida South Shore launch between Bridgeport and Lakeport.

Exit 32, at Central Square, connects to Route 49 and the north-shore public boat launches at Toad Harbor and Godfrey Point.

For information on local lodging alternatives, contact the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce at (315) 470-1800. Or try the Oswego County Tourism office at (315) 349-8322.

MEACHAM LAKE
There are so many great bass waters in the Adirondacks that it's hard to pick just one. But Meacham Lake in central Franklin County is certainly one of the region's up-and-comers.

This 1,185-acre honeyhole is just a flash in the driver's-side window for the legions of tourists who hurry past it or stop short of it in their eagerness to wet lines in such better-known destinations as Blue Mountain Lake or the Saranac chain of lakes.

Rich Preall, the DEC's Region 5 biologist who monitors Meacham Lake's fishery for the state, has had a close personal rapport with its dominant smallmouths.

He referred to Meacham Lake's bronzebacks as "colossal." And no wonder! Several years back, he caught a pair of 22-inch smallmouths in Meacham Lake while trolling for landlocked salmon (a species that's no longer present in the lake).