bluecordfishermen 
20 JUNE 2020 First Day of Bass in New York State.
Opening day for Black Bass (North East Term for Large Mouth and Small Mouth Bass) was 20 June. First weekend off after a 2 week COVID quarantine. The kayak was loaded and it was 45 minutes before BMNT (Before Morning Nautical Twilight). All was ready but the fuse to the fuel pump was corroded and the truck did not start. After trouble shooting and locating the problem, I was on the road but the delay but me on the water at 8:08 AM.
Of all the Lakes in the region, Moon Lake could rank the best for kayak fishing. Many key features are a relatively close paddle. There are a large variety of game fish that feed on a huge population of panfish. So many panfish that its difficult to compete with these small sunfish as a potential strike. This produces a lot of big, healthy fish.
Moon Lake is the address for a large number of summer homes and fishing cabins on the shore line. However given the number of cabins, the traffic on the water was unexpectedly light. There is a HP limit on boats and that makes the lake really great for kayaks, john boats and bass boats.
Moon Lake is a productive warmwater lake. Northern pike are very abundant with fish up to 29 inches reported. Tiger muskellunge do well in Moon Lake. Tigers up to 40 inches have been reported. Like many very productive waters, gamefish may be challenging to catch in this lake because natural food, in the form of smaller prey fish, is very abundant. Moon Lake was stocked with tiger muskellunge and walleye, as of 2012.
The hand launch area cuts through 20 yards or so of Lilly pads. The launch point is blocked to trailers by large rocks but they can’t block dedicated fishermen who man handle some pretty large john boats into the lake over the rocks. From the launch point, the key features are the island across the main channel and the three coves. The cove to the west has plenty of cover where the closer you go to the far west the thicker the vegetation. The middle cove is deeper on the east shore and the west shore is only about 2-4 feet. The Island creates a channel between its south bank and the steep ridge. All options are good.
Once you get off County Road 22, the roads are not marked. Your google maps will not work and before you know it you are on the way to Red Lake.
Theresa NY is the closest village and is the way point on many lakes in this area. Proceed to County Road 22 until you see the DEC Boat Launch sign at Moon Lake Road and work your way around the North of Moon Lake. Do not take Webster Trace. If you lose cell coverage, recommend having a compass to keep your bearings.
The Results
I started at 8 AM and took a lunch break to get replacement parts for the truck. I returned to be on the water at 5:30 PM and kept fishing until just short of dark.
A great fish story: Biggest catch (#6) was take on a rappella 2 inch popper. After a great fight with two boat loads of swimmers as spectators, I got him in the kayak. He was hooked on the tongue and it took some work to free him. At that point, he was too much fish to hold and handle my iphone for a picture. I elected to get him back in the water as soon as I could.
While waiting on my turn at the boat launch, I caught a nice Northern Pike and a bass that fought like a much larger fish. The population of panfish yield healthy sport fishing. That is a lot of Pike to have in the Kayak between your legs.
If you are looking for a used boat, a nice older gentlemen is looking to sell his. The details are found on the lawn chair by the launch and he is more than happy to work the crowd for a buyer. Based on my discussion with him, I am certain its in great condition because of his labors to take care of his prize possession.