stinger

Rollie,........hold your cursor on Sylvan Troller's name. A box will open up and in the lower left you'll see "send message" . Click that and your ready to PM.

_{Ya, I hear you on the hope they make it.......... Also hope the lamprey's don't take a liking to them like they did the trout.}  

I fished last Sunday both sides around Long Point area. The fish I'm catching are getting progressively smaller  . Went 14 for 16 with a mini slam. Couldn't get a legal salmon.  Fished 40' down to 100'. Didn't try the upper water table. Surface temp stayed in the 64's everywhere I went. Weeds are about gone and fleas are minimal. Really didn't have much of a pattern going.

Not sure which is better. My ability to spell or to fish. From the looks of my log book it's neck & neck 

. ....By the way no biggies on Cayuga, but id tell ya there's a pickerel issue over there, holy cow.

Hope golbies are their favorite snack 

Good reading. Thanks.

A picture to go along with your book report.

We are having good catches of lamprey eels lately on Cayuga. The only tackle you need is a set of downriggers and weights. Dragging a real fish isn't necessary but may increase your numbers. They will hit 12 lb.  sharks also, black or silver.  Best action is 60' to 100' down over 100' to 200' bottom.  

The B.A.S.S. boys better hurry while the pickings are still good. I hate to be pessimistic but between the golby's and the eels the Cayuga fishery is getting hammered.

Fished again Saturday and the catch rate for lamprey eels is starting to rival my salmonid catch. I had 8 eel attachments on my rigger balls weights

The quality of the fishing on Cayuga has definitely decreased. I'm catching fewer & fewer older fish. The 12" to 20" fish are becoming the norm and the tournaments are being won by fish that would have never been on the board two years ago.

These attachments started last year and are becoming more common....

To compare the size of the lamprey, the cannon ball   weight in the pictures is a 12 lb'er.

 ...OK, cleaned it up a little so Gill-T won't be tempted.

This article was in todays Binghamton Press.....  

Invasive fish found in Cayuga Lake

Round Goby taking over spawning sites, harming native fish
 

By Andrew Casler

[email protected]

ITHACA — Fish in Cayuga Lake have a new competitor, and that could mean a tougher time for anglers looking to catch sport fish. The round goby (pronounced Go-bee), an invasive fish species from Eurasia, has been found near Taughannock Falls State Park, according to DEC spokeswoman Lori Severino. The fish have also been found in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and many of their tributaries; the St. Lawrence River; the western section of the barge canal; the Seneca and Oswego rivers; and Onondaga Lake. They’re suspected, but not yet confirmed, in Oneida Lake, Severino said.

Gobies may prey on eggs of lake trout, sculpin and darters, according to www.nyis.info. The fish are also well-developed for feeding in murky waters, which may provide a competitive advantage over native species in Cayuga Lake. The gobies take over prime, nearshore spawning sites and aggressively prevent use by native species. They are prolific breeders, too, reproducing every 20 days during the spawning season. Long-term impacts of the fish are expected to include declines in native species populations, according to www.nyis.info.

Severino said it’s not yet clear how many gobies are in the lake, but one recreational diver estimated that he saw two to four gobies per square meter in an area near Taughannock Falls State Park.

“The source is believed to be reliable, and if this is correct, then a substantial population has established throughout the lake,†she said via e-mail.

Randy Jackson, senior research associate at the Cornell University Biological Field Station, said the fish have natural predators in the United States, such as bass, walleye and double crested cormorants.

Still, he said the predators have not done an effective job of controlling the goby. Jackson added that goby prey on invasive zebra and quagga mussels.

Birds and fish that eat gobies can also get bioaccumulation of toxins because gobies feed on zebra mussels, which can carry toxins, according to www.nyis.info.

Gobies grow to be about 6 to 8 inches, and the bottom-dwelling fish aren’t typically eaten by fishermen.

“They are likely to be edible, but we are not aware of them being utilized for food,†Severino said.

Gobies are an immediate problem for anglers. The fish are proficient bait thieves, and they’re considered a nuisance because they bite on bait typically used for panfish.

“The biggest concern for anglers is that when gobies get to high density, the prey fish will have plenty of food to eat, and it might be harder to catch fish,†Jackson said. The round goby, a native of freshwater and marine waters of Eurasia — particularly the Black and Caspian seas and the Sea of Azov — was first seen in the Great Lakes Basin in 1990.

They likely entered the Great Lakes through the ballast water discharged from trans-Atlantic cargo ships, Severino said.

“They have been expanding their range ever since,†she said.

The fish have moved eastward through the barge canal, and they likely came into Cayuga Lake from the Seneca River, Severino said.

In July 2012, underwater cameraman David Brown told The Ithaca Journal that he had filmed goby in the Cayuga-Seneca Canal while working with the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith colleges.

The round goby’s spread to all waters connected to the Great Lakes is likely, Severino said.

She added that the use and possession of gobies as bait is prohibited, and the DEC asks anglers to follow state baitfish regulations.

“There is no known way to control goby populations at this time,†Severino said.
 

...." It took me awhile to post on it but we wanted to make sure we got to test the line with the Finger Lakes fleas, which seem to be much worse than the Lake O fleas. I know I'm sold on it so far. Sean"

Thanks Sean for the tip. Ordered some Friday from Amazon and got yesterday. Will give it try this weekend. If it works as good as you say I'll have about 2,000 yds of 20lb Flea Flicker left on a bulk spool taking up space on the shelf.

Just to back up what bulletbob says.

A couple pics of bass I caught trolling for trout. These fish were all suspended over 100' +  bottom in the 65' range. As you can see in the second picture when they are on the feed they are not shy and not alone.

^{Manuals will be fine if you only fish a couple times a year otherwise get one electric for now and a dipsy' or two. You can add another electric next year.}

_{It was more exciting with the 2 line rule. At least the DEC officer would stop and check me out several times a year.}  

_{Sunday he just slowed down about 50 yds away, waved and left. Didn't even say, " good to see you again this year".}  

Fished the Long Point-north area Sat and was disappointed in what I produced. Caught lakers, salmon & 1 rainbow. Low numbers and no quality. Kept one small laker. Bow was just legal and still swimming. The salmon were the 16-17" ers. Like you the core was a waist of time. 

Finished my bag of cookies and went home.

Slim pickings for me also  . Most that I'm getting are 80' to 110' down over 90' to 150' bottom. Spoons & flies depending on what they are in the mood for  .

Pretzel Rods &  Polar Seltzers in the afternoon.

In the morning with coffee it has to be .......

I use the master lock version posted in a thread above. It rattles at times while trolling but not too bad.

 

Spike

I used a plastic wire tie to snub it up. Works good,...no rattle

• ...and a Happy Easter to you & yours Capt. Vince.

I have a merc. 9.9 and the thumb screws that clamp the engine to the mount has holes for a lock to go threw.  I used one of these master locks on it but also threw bolted the engine on the mount to slow the theft down. The thumb screws are some sort of cast material and a hammer could break them pretty easy.

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-1523D-Set-Your-Own-Combination/dp/B0009V1WMU

Food for thought,..........if your leader is stronger than your main line what do you think will break first?

My dipsey/dodger leader is about 6' - 30lb Fire Line Smoke for years. Nicks & kinks are not a issue with it.

I do use a snubber on my wire setups. I've had the hook pull out with or without the snubber but prefer the snubber to lighten up the shock on terminal connections.

Couldn't help myself on this one Trorun.

I don't think one could find a better boat for trolling in the 19' class than this boat. Maybe similiar but not better.  OK,  I'm biased a little.

That is more than a fair price for the boat without the fishing equipment.

This boat is easy to reconfigure and will take on any weather on the lake that you'll get caught in.

Good luck with the sale. I'm sure you are sorry to have to get rid of it, especially at 26K.

Ditto what Lineman says.

No beating Matt. We all have our limits and can justify just about anything. Our wifes can attest to that .

Spoon asked about the 585 so that's the info he is getting. Not sure whats happening with the Lowrance units.

I use the 620 because of space limits. It's a good unit, and so are a lot of others out there.

The Furano 585 is now 7 year old technology. Electronics change immensely over a few years, The new technology kicks butt against the old technology.

Spoondraggin

The new Furuno technology is now in the model 587. Same unit but on steroids and the price is the same if you do a little shopping. Go to Furuno's web site and check it out.

http://www.furuno.com/special/en/fcv627/index.html