In early September, smallmouth bass anglers throughout New York breathe a collective sigh of relief. More than a few rub their hands together in gleeful anticipation. The cause of all their emoting is Labor Day weekend -- and the mass exodus of summer campers and tourists that follows immediately thereafter.

Before the holiday, fishermen on most lakes had to yield the depths to careening watercraft and surrender shorelines to splashing kids and dock-lounging parents. By the end of this weekend, however, most of the summer folks will head for home.

That leaves plenty of elbowroom for anglers to catch big smallmouths in lakes and rivers from shore or boat.

The timing couldn't be better! These shorter days and cooler temperatures of late summer and early autumn seem to prompt smallmouths to eat and eat and eat!

The following are some of the best places in the state where fishermen can toss their lures to hungry bronzebacks this month:

LAKE ERIE
These days, Lake Erie is the yardstick by which all New York smallmouth fisheries are measured. That's because Erie has produced the last five state records for the species, including the reigning champion -- an 8-pound, 4-ounce monster boated back in 1995 by Pennsylvania angler Andrew Kartesz.

Like most truly giant smallmouths, Kartesz's title-taker was an egg-laden hen. And like the previous four record-setters, it was caught during Lake Erie's early-May to mid-June "trophy season."

In view of the lake's track record for trophies, it's only natural for anglers to swarm to Lake Erie's ports in spring. But its fall fishing is also phenomenal.

If you've never caught a smallmouth of 5 or 6 pounds, this month could be the right time -- and Lake Erie's eastern basin the right place.

Though Kartesz's record fish has held its crown for 13 years and doesn't appear likely to be toppled any time soon, the average bass on Lake Erie are adding inches and ounces at a rapid pace.

They owe their chunky frames to the round gobies that now make up a huge share of their diet.

Those gobies are stunted, perch-sized pests. Less than a decade ago, they hitchhiked their way to North America from Europe in the ballast tanks of ocean-going freighters. Since then, they've spread eastward through Erie and on into Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

As far as fisheries biologists can tell, their one redeeming grace is the seemingly endless supply of calories they provide to smallmouths and other game fish.

When you visit Lake Erie, be sure to bring some goby-imitating lures. But don't try the real thing -- the use of gobies or their transport from one body of water to another is illegal.

Traveling anglers can launch their boats at numerous Lake Erie ports, including the public marinas in Barcelona, Dunkirk and Sturgeon Point -- all of which lie off Route 5 in Chautauqua County.

For information on motels and other amenities, call the county Visitors Bureau at (716) 753-4304.