floatfisher

Second chance, could I ask where you get your information? Concerning this supposed stocking in Catherine and the proposed regs changes of a 1 fish limit? Just currious as I can not find anything on either. I am also a concerned fisherman that USED to fish Catherine. As you, I have not fished there in a few years just because of the "fishing" that goes on there. A couple years back a friend of mine and I went around getting signatures for a reduced limit on the streams. I am in no way taking credit for it but I would like to think that we may have helped. I wish that they would do the same for Cayuga tribs!!! As for the stocking of fish on Catherine, it is jsut too bad that it has to come to this. It is too bad that it may not stay a wild fishery!!! I think, like others, that if they could close the feeder streams like sleepers and others it could do a world of difference. But then again that is another topic....... Thanks, Mike

Well I just placed the order, I ordered the Lowrance x67c ice machine. I liked the price tag and I heard good stuff about it. For how much I get out I just couldnt justify spending much more than that right now. Plus I liked the fact that you can switch from flasher mode to regular sonar. Now I have seen ice on some ponds, I cant wait till there is safe ice on the bigger water. My kids are as excited as I am!!! Thanks for all the info!!!

I can't believe those things work on the finger lakes tribs!!!

Can you give me some info on the show?!?! Where and more specifically when???

Been reading more about the Lowrance x67c ice machine. The more I think about it, I might go that way.... Thanks for all the insight guys!!!

Thanks for the great info guys!!! I kind of liked the zoom functions you talked about with the lx5, sounds like it would definately come in handy!!! I was leaning towards that one when I started this post, but wanted to hear if anyone has had any experience with the newer hummingbirds out there and how they ranked with the vex and marcum. As for battery life, dose anyone know what one seems to last longer??? Thanks again guys!!!

Wow, thanks for that?!!?

I am going to be getting a flasher for icefishing this year and was wondering what one everyone here uses and why. I am going to be fishing shallower ponds and some of the finger lakes. I was going to just go and get a vex but then I started reading more about it and the marcum and hummingbird flashers sound nice as well. Thanks for any help!!!

Is the boat still for sale??? Would also like to see other pics. Thanks!!!

Thanks alot guys!!! I hope you are right RR as to the water but not the fish. I think we are going to start there in the morning anyway and if it is too high move some where else, maybe even go after some stockies. It is April 1 and it is tradition to hit a finger trib. Hope to see you out there some day RR. If you see a few goons sitting in a parking lot having a few beers and grilling some dogs, stop by and say hello!!!

Not looking for specifics or anything but can anyone tell me how the trib water conditions are in the Ithaca area??? It looked like they got more rain yesterday that we did here in the big flats area. Planning on hitting the Inlet and just dont want to show up and see it blown and mud!!! Also has anyone been by the fish ladder lately to see what they have counted so far??? I was there a few weeks ago and it didnt look like they had started letting fish by yet. Anyway, send a PM if you would rather, but I appreciate any help I could get!!! Thanks!!!

With out sounding like a d!ck, I am sorry I dont want to spoon feed info on these little gems on the internet!!! It is just like the bigger tribs off of the big lake they all get runs, but are TOTALLY rain deependant!!! With the exception of Keshong (I dont know if this one gets the runs, although I would suspect that it dose) all of the tribs mentioned get runs and every lake you mentioned gets runs. Your best bet is to wait for a high water event and give it a day or 2 then go check it out. Do your leg work as I and alot of others have done. I have spent many fishless days walking these tribs trying to learn all that I can. The runs in the fall are small in comparrison to the spring but it can be outstanding on a very rare occasion. Fishing in the fall on these little trickles can be a very nice way to waste a day even if the fish are not biting. They mostly all run through a very picturesque region. Also it helps if you are into other hobbies like bird watching, that seems to help me pass the time while my bobber is not dropping!!!

This run is hardly worth your time!!! There are browns that run Catherine and there are runs of LLSalmon but they are usually few and far between. While I am at it I might as well let all of the cats out of the bag at the same time and tell you that there are rainbows that run it in the fall as well. If you have actually fished the runs up north the same techniques work in the FL tribs too. Stones, glo bugs, hares ears, egg bags, worms, jigs, they all catch fish. As for "hot" spots on Catherine, come on, drive rt. 14 and start fishing. Please stay below the power station as the fish can not and will not go past there in the fall!!! Catherine is nothing more that a trickle of what it use to be since the flooding in 95 (I think that is the summer it happened) and after the bulldozers from the DEC channelized it. There are hardly any holes left in there and the roppers all know where to go for their antics. This place is spiraling downward and fast. It used to be my favorite place in the world to fish since it is so close, but not worth my time anymore. Even though it is probably the most famous of all the finderlakes tribs bringing more attention to it like this will surely bring an end to its story!!! I am truley sad to see it go

Frank is an awsome guy!!! Lots of laughs with him. I took the same major and had a great time up there and I learned alot!!! We shocked the lake as well as the creek and got some nice fish. Good times!!! My first simester I had to take a guy class, for that class we fished the Salmon River. How can you beat that!!! I played guide as I knew the river pretty well as I had already fished it for years. Another good 4 credit class was Ornithology taught by Chris White. This guy was a little mis understood but taught the class well.

JASTER, in some years this is what happens others you hit it right in the heart of the run and others the run has yet to happen. It is all weather/water dependant. This year is shapping up to be low and clear and that never is a good thing as far as for the safety of the fish, especially now that the DEC has put in place all of those high bank look out pointsalong the seemingly endless shallow water riffs. You know where I am talking about as you will see the guys walking along with their rods at the ready, not fishing mind you but hunting with their polarized glasses. I wish they would bring back the days when the DOT ran the show. At least then the crews would dig out the gravel and make a few holes for the fish to hide in!!!

This is a topic that is all to familiar for this time of year. My question to all of you that care about this wild trout fishery is, why wait until now to bring this up??? These streams are always on my mind not just a month or so before the opener!!! Last year I tried to do my part, and I have yet to hear back from the state!!! I made up a petition that was asking for a reduced limit on the finger lakes tribs to a 1 rainbow trout limit. I hung it on a few boards here at work and took the petition with me on the first and e-mailed it to a couple of friends. The only one that took me up on it was keukacatchandrelease (I think he is a member here). He got a bunch of guys to sign his on the first while fishing Catherine and he got a great response if I remember correctly (as he took care of his petition) but I didnt get as good of a response as where I fished. The water was muddy and I only saw a handful of guys. But I got quite a few sigs on the petitions I hung at work. I sent mine in but never got as much as a confermation of them recieving it?!?!? After the major flood that hit Catherine in '95 and the state decimated the stream buy bulldozing the snot out of it I sent MANY e-mails to the DEC. I used a positive tone in all of my e-mails and asked if there was any way that me and/or others could volunteer some of our time to help bring the stream back. I also asked the question as to why after they replaced some structure, such as rip-rap or digger, why they leave the stream bed totally graded flat by heavy machinery insteat of digging a hole or trench to direct the water towards the improvement??? I was told that the best thing to do was to let the stream fix itself and to go back to its natural gradiant. I was baffled by that comment as in most areas of the stream where rip-rap was put in place the water never even went near the structure. It seemed simlpe to me, all you needed to do was angle your blade to dig a deeper slot to direct the water towards the improvemen?!?! But then again who am I, right?!?! As to the volunteering of mine or others time, they basically told me the best thing to do was to join a group like TU (which I am definately not a fan of, especially the CC chapter). My thoughts on the topic are lower it to a one (1) fish limit and to close the tribsto these systems for 5 years possibally indefinatley. That alone would bring back the fishery IMHO. But the state OBVIOUSLY dose not care about this one time gem of a system. I have lots more to say but I will leave it here for now.

Way to go on the rainbows!!! Nice to hear that there are still a few around. On the other side, sorry about all of the bumps and bruises ...

Seems to me that the state is looking to ruin all of the natural repo of hte rainbows in all of the finger lakes!!! They ruined Catherine and sounds like they are doing a bang up job on Cold brook. It sounds like they are waisting money on passing bills that make no sence at all!!! I wish someone would start up a fishing forums conservation group and see if hte DEC would allow us to volunteer some of our time and help out with some of these issues and help out with the stream improvement\rehab projects. Maybe I will send a letter and see how they would feel about the subject and get the ball rolling myself. Just hope to get some followers. Thoughts....

It is quite a bit nicer up there around the Ithaca area with the lake and its tribs than it is here along the Chemung river and I see them all the time here. I have seen them fly over my house in Big Flats but the river is right there, I have actually seen immatures and adults from my house. Another good spot to see them is out behind the Press Ware Plant in Corning where Post creek empties into the river. Right now with the river being almost all but locked up you wont see them as regular as you would with the river opened up. That is why you probably saw one in your area, it is not that far by the way of flight from here to there. I am not 100% sure but I would have to believe that there is a nesting pair somewher ealong the river and for that matter there is probably more than one pair in the area.