Bill Hilts Jr.

“Fishing is off the charts! Incredible, like nothing I have ever seen,” said Karen Evarts at the Tackle Barn and Boat Doctors in Olcott, N.Y. That was a text I received from her on July 5.
“It was insane fishing on the Niagara Bar today,” said an excited John Van Hoff of North Tonawanda. “We caught 40 king salmon today!” That was a recent note from a friend who is addicted to salmon fishing.
Capt. Matt Yablonsky with Wet Net Charters in Wilson exclaimed it has been the best fishing he’s seen for this time of year that he can ever remember. “It’s been outstanding!”

We needed a break. After going through all the anguish of trying to get our house ready to sell, we were in the final phase of listing the house with a realtor. It was time for a getaway to Garden City, South Carolina. 
An invitation from my brother-in-law, Tom Calvert of Lynchburg, Va., and his wife, Kathy, was all it took to accompany them on an ocean getaway, staying in a house they rented in a gated community just a few minutes via golf cart from the ocean. Tom and I agreed that at least one fishing trip was in order.

Oswego County truly is a sportsman’s paradise in New York.
Located on the southeast corner of Lake Ontario, it is home to some of the best freshwater fishing in the country. This made it the perfect place for the annual conference of the New York State Outdoor Writers Association as we mix business with, well, business.