Grady95

I took one out of Sodus last year. It was the biggest and baddest looking fish I have ever pulled through a hole in the ice. I brought it home, showed it to my wife and off it went strait to the taxidermist. It is now a part of our collection of mounts in the office room of the house. Large pike have a place out of the water IMHO. I hope that every pike that is caught, especially the big ones either get eaten, mounted or released. I don't do well seeing dead fish left out on the ice. Please guys, enjoy that thrill of hauling the big ones through the hole, maybe take a picture, go ahead and add it to your creel, but have a plan for these fish before you catch them. Responsible harvesting just makes sense. We benefit at home from the bounty, the sport benefits by showing the public, especially the non-fishing public that we do more than pay lip service to our rhetoric and we manage our catch with care. That big pike last year was on the ice for at least two hours while I continued to fish. I was surprised to be approached by several non-fishermen who were just out cross country skiing or walking who wanted to see the fish and talk about it. I felt good telling them that the fish was being kept for a trophy mount, and they in turn told me they felt good not just seeing "some guy out there just leaving dead fish all over the ice." Ultimately, we are the keepers of our sport. Make it your commitment this season to show the public, especially the anti's that we are truly the sportsmen we claim to be. Our sport will benefit from this. Thanks from a fellow fisherman. Good luck this season. Stay Sharp, Be Safe Grady

For your inflatable use a coffee can and cement. Bury an eye hook or whatever you have in the barn in the cement to tie to. That would be a good size. I fish that same area. Let me know sometime when you go. I live pretty close to the bay and could run over and dunk a boat. Of course, this is all AFTER I find Bambi with the bow. Good Luck Grady

I carry two anchors when I fish Seneca lake for perch. You are right about needing to get in position and then try and hold the boat still. Getting the hook in and then keeping the boat from swaying around the anchor rope is a real key down there. I do the same out on the Bay and just like you are talking about. I usually fish on the west side of the bay and usually try to set the anchor in the shallows and let enough line out to drift the boat over the edge. The prevailing wind is from the west so this is not too hard to do. Once I feel I am where I want to be, I'll drop a big clunker over to stabilize the boat. I make those second anchors out of buckets and concrete. They just find the bottom and pin the boat into position. Seems to work. Thanks for the report. Sounds like time to get out there again. Wonder if those crappie are getting so big for eating gobies. Did you cut any open to see what they were eating? Grady

Yes, I also see good size bucks inside the fence, but they are the normal kind of brown deer we have everywhere. If there are holes in the fence as someone suggested, I'm wondering why I have never seen a white deer outside. Do they get out on their own ever? Grady

We'll soon see whether there is a residual effect from this summer's blooms. This is the time that most folks pull their docks out on Honeoye Lake. If we see a bunch of people getting sick from being in the water, that should telling at least. My buddy was told last week that as long as he did not actually eat the organs in the fish that they were safe to eat I guess my position right now is that the authorities are not trying to be deceptive intentionally, but rather that they just really don't know for certain what the answers to these questions are. I don't know anyone personally at the Health Department, but I do know several DEC guys, and they are honest, sincere and concerned people who really do care. I'd hate to be in their boots right now. I would just like to know if I can safely eat these fish. The fishing this time of year is great in Honeoye and I traditionally load the freezer up for the winter now. Grady

Now that's funny!! I have no idea what made them white. Like the idea someone had of some food plots in there though. Grady

My uncle was stationed there for a time during WW2. The park, as it is now was indeed a military facility. We are talking about the land on the west side of the road where the current Sampson State Park is now. Yes, there is a museum commemorating this. The Seneca Army Depot is the land north of and on the east side of the road from there. It is bounded by cyclone fence and there is a herd of albino deer that have lived inside that fence for a very long time. The area is strictly off limits to hunters. It is believed that a great deal of nuclear weapon grade materials were stored there during the cold war, and some believe there is still a stockpile there. Not to say there are nukes there, but the components to assemble them. I have no idea whether this is accurate anymore, but the depot has a colorful past! Enjoy the deer. They are something to see. We are not allowed to hunt them. I don't know if anyone is. Grady

A few weeks ago, there was quite a buzz about the poisonous effect of blue green algae in the lake and how there were numerous warnings from DEC and the Health Dept regarding water quality, fishing, and public safety. Since that flurry of information, this topic has gone dark. No one is discussing it, but a lot of us use that lake. I certainly do and I am concerned. I have no information to share with you. Does anyone have any idea what the current status of Honeoye Lake is, especially as it relates to catching and eating fish? Does anyone know if that toxin will still be dissolved in the water in the winter making the lake a health concern for icefishermen? Could use some good info here if anyone has it. Thanks, Grady

Good luck Jim. If I go, I'll give you a call. Grady

Found a mixed bag of nice ones and dinks Saturday. The pattern was that they were sitting either right on the ledges or just on the drop offs. Had my wife in the boat so it was not a real serious effort, but the bite on that pattern was steady. Lots of white perch mixed in. Threw everything back but could have made a meal out of some of the better ones. I think it's just starting to get interesting. Will be out again in the next few days. 1/16 oz jigs with small Berkley minnows or just bits of worm were doin' it. Good Luck Grady

"they dont have any problem blowing by you at full speed 50yds away. arrgghh." You see Mark, they are allowed to do that 'cause they are REAL fishermen. Wish I had a glitter boat so I could be a real fisherman too.

Small jigs with power minnows in tight to shore all over the place to the east of Rochester. You have to cull through until you find schools of larger fish, but they are there in abundance. Makes a nice hour or two trip and you can usually come home with a nice fish fry. The power minnows get them and help cut down on the number of gobies. Use anything like live bait and you'll just be spending all day catching gobies. Good Luck. They're out there! Grady

OK, Mark your log, ready the boat and the gear. You fish enough to take something away from any time you spend on the water. Nice thing is, while lots of other guys will be just getting their seasons started, you will be in position and ready to hammer them. Boat ran good - check Tackle all ready and proven - check Electronics all in order - check All you need now is fish. That will come soon enough. Thank God you're not the guy getting towed! Best of Luck, Grady

One of my brothers is notorious for going overboard just about every year up on the river. If not him, then at least one of his rods. Last year, I took an old Zebco rod, glued styrofoam packing peanuts all over it and presented it to him at the campfire. Can't fish with it, but at least it floats! Doesn't matter, he can't fish anyway. He's also one of these guys that hangs over the gunwales when you're coming in to dock the boat so he can grab the dock, thinking this is helpful. I think I have docked a boat about fifty thousand times. Still, he wants to help. Two years ago, as I was bringing the big Grady in at Wellesley, he leaned over and just disappeared over the edge. I'm now just about in the slip, and he's down in the water somewhere between the boat and the dock. That was a little scary. I could not see him, and did not know if he might have hit his head or something and was laying in the water. Fortunately, he was OK, but boy, you do have to give extra guidance to some passengers on your boat. You're a good sport Captain. Sometimes, we just have to do this stuff. Glad you and your crew made it back to tell the tale. Stay Sharp, Be Safe Grady

Chamber of Commerce launch at the north end will do ya'. I drop a big Grady White in there with no trouble. Sampson Park is another good spot on the east side about 10 miles down Grady

I don't exactly know where to post this, so Moderators, feel free to move it if this is an inappropriate place. My brother is moving to Bloomfield and Fish Creek runs right through the property. Looking at the creek, it appears capable of supporting fish. Looks like a trout stream where he is. We are trying to get any information that anyone has about this water There must be someone here that either lives on Fish Creek or grew up near it. Could you share any knowledge? We'd appreciate it very much. Thanks Grady

Do you have a boat? This is just about the time when the panfish bite over on Honeoye should be getting going. Very few fishermen are going to post here that they are "really into the fish" so don't expect that. This is the right time of year though, the conditions are good and one would expect that there will soon be a bonanza of crappies and nice bluegills. Very same small green ice jigs you used in hardwater will get them under a bobber in shallow water. It's usually better first and last light. Try white grubs like waxworms and spikes and also try fatheads. Move quietly! These schools are up in shallow water and will bug out quick if startled. Remember, the crappies have to be 9". They do check your fish there from time to time. Good Luck, Grady

That's what you get for fishing with Viagra! Grady

Yes the perch are still active. Seneca Lake doesn't just give them up though so no guarantees you'll get into them. Search back through the old posts and find info about where to go and what to use. Good luck to you. If you find them, believe me, it's worth all the effort! Grady

Call Ros and Larry at Roy's Marina. She usually has access to them, but they do get sold out. The number is 315 789-3094. Also, the guy that owns Honeoye Lake Bait shop has been carrying them. Don't have the number offhand. Grady

Start Diggin' Grady

"Good luck fishing boys I will work on my tanlines and bikini pics to add here for ya..... Woody." Get me a bucket! Grady

I fixed my problem this way. Went to my "favorites" and deleted the bookmark for Iceshanty. Then I typed in their address in my browser and went to their main page, scrolled to the NY page, got on, logged back in with my name, etc. then bookmarked that. Now I have no problem getting on. I think you just need to give your computer an updated bookmark. Hope this helps. Stay Sharp, Be Safe Grady

Rayo, Look up "Roy's Marina" on your search engine. This is on the west side of Seneca Lake about 3 miles from the north end. There is no place to fish from shore there, but they do have various baits and they have been the port of call for many of the great legends of Seneca Lake fishing history. There are some very knowledgable, nice people there who may be able to get you pointed in the right direction. The owner is named Larry and his wife is Ros. They know what they are doing and what they are talking about. Suggest you include them in your search for information. Good Luck, Grady

Did the bay yesterday for a couple hours before sunset looking for a perch bite. Worked the little bays and ended up over by the bouys fishing 8-15'. Tried fatheads, various white grubs and jigs. Can't say it was much like what steinea286 did. He hit it when it was hot, I hit it when it was dead. No remarkable fish, no big creel number. It was pretty dull out there! Same was true with the other boats I spoke to. One guy did manage to boat a nice northern he caught on a fathead with a little perch rod. Watching him do that was the highlight of the evening! Nice night on the water, but the fishing was not what a lot of you probably were hoping to read. There are days like that on I Bay though. Keep at them and hopefully someone is going to post a bonanza here soon! Good Luck to Ya'll Grady