You won't see the lakes listed on the B.A.S.S. or FLW Tour tournament schedules, or on anyone's list of dream bass-fishing destinations. But for Carl Svebek, one of the top bass fishermen in the country, the Saranac Chain of Lakes is the perfect fishing water. It was also the perfect setting for the ESPN Great Outdoor Games' bass fishing tournament last year. Svebek was one of 10 anglers in the 2000 Games. He lead after the first day but eventually fell to fifth place, a position that does not guarantee a return trip this summer.
Ice covers the lake during a good part of the year, so pressure is light.
And the fishermen who do frequent the lake often target walleyes instead of bass. Although it offered a lot of hope for last year's competitors, the expectations were tempered with a lot of worry. In fact it was so untested, the ESPN organizers didn't even know if we would catch a fish. So we didn't know what to expect. Even after the fishing proved excellent, the worries didn't end.