bulletbob

Understood.. Thats similar to fishing the Finger Lakes for ""silvers""..[I despise that term].. Suspended fish, usually mid depths, typically near bait thats moving, or near preferred temp. The perfect scenario for trolling, or for jigging with high end scopes and spot lock that let you see individual fish, stay on them, and watch how the fish reacts.. I get it.. Thats the reason why I still consider it a good day catching a laker or two, and the rare "silver", while guys with the live scopes and spot lock are jigging 40 lakers a day, and catching rainbows, browns, landlocks with them... Trolling has always been the best way to catch a lot of suspended fish, and some things don't change much... bob

If the fish are in that thick and that aggressive, I can't understand the need to troll with downriggers or use wire line dipseys , lead core etc and the necessary heavy tackle.. Why doesn't anyone use one handed bass tackle and say a jig and minnow or jig and worm, or heavy jigging spoons, or my personally favorite for lake trout jigging, a 1 oz blade bait.. Its all trolling all the time at Lake Erie it seems, but with those types of numbers, it would seem that jigging might also be a good option for guys that are not all that big on trolling.. Or how about a bottom rig drifted with a big minnow through the lips ,or whole nightcrawler for those that would rather fish with bait and not jig.. I guess I just don't understand all trolling all the time when there are that many Walleyes out there... bob

Jigging, using a blade bait.. My grandson's first ever. A Laker was on his bucket list but we are not really set up for "proper" jigging these days[top of the line FF ,Spot Lock etc].. However, we got a few just at daybreak, me first with a 4 lb rainbow, then his 4lb Laker, then me with an estimated 5 lb Laker[released], and then he lost another laker on top,,Not hot action, it seldom is for us on these giant lakes, but it showed him you can catch nice fish with simple methods, you just need some patience and some luck with lake conditions.. For decades I fished alone on the Fingers, but these days I have a regular partner that NEVER complains when its slow or the weather is bad.. he simply wants to be out there with me..

what did you catch him on?... from what I have read, they don't hit lures much, and are not even readily caught on cut bait.. Supposedly, they greatly prefer live bait.. Others have told me they hit cut bait just fine, and my grandson caught his on a jig, and guys I know have also caught them on jigs. just wondering...

No they have been in Maryland, Pa, and NJ for years in the susquehanna. it was going to happen sooner or later.. Problem is they eat everything, andf the last thing that river needs is another big eating machine.. River already has a huge population of channel cats, Muskies, and the Flatheads out eat both of those... The walleye and SMB populations were already stressed, and something that gets huge and can eat lots of them can't be a good thing.. Walleyes especially are way down in population.. at one time it was nothing to catch 10-20 small sub 10 inch walleyes in an hour,, They were everywhere, and you could not get away from them sometimes, rushing to your lure before the big ones.. Then over a few years, we noticed that the smaller juvenile walleyes that drove us crazy were gone, and mature fish became less abundant each year, until last year, ALL year, our catch for the entire year was 3 fish.. This year to date we have caught one... Something has stressed the population badly. of both SMB and Walleyes.. Flatheads can't be helping..bob

as I stated in the heading of my post, its a Flathead Catfish...

They were confirmed a year ago maybe 2 through an angler photo as being present in the NY section of the susquehanna, but I was hoping it was an anomaly.. Its not, we caught one on a jig around Barton/Tioga a few days ago.. Not real big, maybe 3 pounds, but these things are bad news, they eat everything, and the last thing needed in that river is another species that is basically an eating machine that grows plenty big enough to eat gamefish such as bass and the already badly depleted walleye.. Ugly SOB- Kind of like a huge flattened out Bullhead with a bigger mouth, wider head, more "toadlike" appearance, and a very mottled brown and greenish black color... Just another in a long line of unwanted, unneeded ,destructive species that somehow just appeared where they don't belong...bob

Thats my fishing strategy these days..Same goes for my fishing partner who is with me each and every trip.. 3-4 hour quick trips, Ice cream or fast food burgers after... Gone are the 4 am wakeups, looking for game fish only, latest and greatest lures and techniques, color sonar, spot lock, run and gun... We are enjoying it more and more, and our results have been pretty consistent.. At the beginning or end of each trip, I get and arm around my waist and a head on my shoulder and a gentle loving voice saying, "thanks for taking me papa", or sometimes, "well it wasn't the best trip, but that doesn't matter,we had fun and we're together".. Pretty wise young man, for a boy that just hit 13..btw, look at the size of that bullhead he caught [me holding it for the pic] damn thing was almost 2 feet long.. The Bluegill?.. 3 of them at 9 1/2 to 10 inches, all at 8 /10 of a pound.. They fight like hell.. Carp was 3 feet and as big around as a football, pic doesn't come close to doing it justice.. Walleyes caught last November from shore in Susquehanna River, on small plastics, something we only do in fall in the river.. Most of the time, its worm and bobber, or worm and small sinkers on bottom, and for us, the fishing is better than ever...

Understood, but in my opinion, a trout derby in a stream where they are spawning, and where there are fresh redds is not the best way to get kids to love fishing.. I always did that with a little spincast rod, some worms and bobbers, and the kids would catch big sunnies, perch, rock bass, and quite a few LM and SM bass.. again, just my opinion.. I say let the fish procreate, and leave their eggs intact.. too many feet in that stream... bob

yeah, I am not a fisherman thats into fishing tournaments at all,, Just not my bag..However, I know lots of guys live for them.. Personal taste and all that.... however, a tournament in a natal stream where rainbow trout are spawning??..not my idea of sound fisheries planning/management. Whatever, its a local tradition, I get it... That creek gets hit hard on opening day... Might be better rainbow trout fishing in Canandaigua if the stream wasn't so mobbed first week of the season.. Just never been a fan of pressuring any game fish when they are spawning.

so, are there actually tournaments for trout that are spawning in the feeder creeks?.. Is that a thing???

susquehanna walleyes MY 12 yo grandson loves fishing with me, and I take him as often as I possibly can, as I am not getting around well these days. We have been bank fishing the susquehanna here in NY, and doing pretty well on SMB this fall.. Good numbers of fish on jigs, but size has been really lacking past few years and a 13 incher now is a real good one.. he has desperately wanted to catch a Walleye, but they have been decimated in the NY section of the river, and down into Pa. as well.. I had not caught a single one past 2 years in dozens of trips, and neither has anyone else. So last week while fishing for SMB, my young partner starts screaming he has a Pike.. I go running on the precarious rocks to help, about 50 yards or so, and he is flipping out,, Its a pretty good Walleye-22 inches 3 1/2 pounds.. A huge thrill for him as its his first keeper walleye ever.. Only fish we took home that day.. So of course, now he wants to go again, and despite being in a lot of pain I take him again this past saturday.. Again, we pick a few smaller SMB to about 12 inches, but no great shakes.. Water is getting cold up here, and the bass are shutting down. Just before we are ready to leave he hangs a serious fish, right next to me.. a BIG walleye. Again,screaming,laughing, jumping up and down, pictures etc.. Not 5 minutes later I get a big fish on as well, another big Walleye.. He seems just as that his old papa caught one, as he was catching his own, laughing,jumping,etc,Anyway, we did take them both home with us.. Yes the population is down in the river, and we both know that.. I just didn't have the heart to not let him take the fish he had been dreaming about catching for the past few years,,his was 25 inches, 6 pounds, mine was 24 and 5.. They didn't go to waste,, He , myself, his sister and parents all ate and enjoyed them.. I felt really awful that they were both big females loaded with eggs,, Now that he has caught 2 this year, I will release any we catch at least for the next few years... They are not the first fish I took home and felt bad about it... I dunno, maybe someone can relate.. Seeing those fish he had wanted so badly to catch, I took fish I would normally let go.. I typically don't take anything home except sunnies/perch/rock bass these days, and it was nice to have some big fish to eat for a change, but still seeing those big roe sacs, and knowing I could have helped out a badly depleted population if only by a fish or two . My grandson knows that now that he has caught a couple Walleyes, that they will be released from here on,at least for a while... Strange situation- Feeling happy my grandson caught and actually got to eat Walleyes that he's been talking about catching and eating for years, and then feeling awful that they were loaded with eggs that would have been dropped and fertilized in 3 or 4 months...

ok, understood.. "Fishy" is a relative term. I used to eat a lot of saltwater fish like Bluefish, and they were strong but I still liked them.. On the other hand, I am not crazy about lake trout as they seem strong and muddy at the same time.. There are no White perch in my part of the state[Tioga County], and I was wondering why you would eat sunnies and not white perch.. Since they are closely related to Striped bass, I can imagine they would be stronger than other panfish ,as Stripers can be pretty strong.. Thanks for the clarification!... bob

question..You took the Bluegills to eat, and so do I, they are arguably the best eating fish in fresh water with only yellow perch as a rival. Wondering why you didn't take any of the White Perch?.. they are great eating as well, and very popular as a food fish just about everywhere else they exist, but are not eaten here in NY state for some reason.. Where they too small to keep maybe?

I know, stuff like that happens.. The biggest muskie I ever caught was on a 1/8 oz Crappie jig... However. thats not really the norm, and I think we all know that..

that is fantastic yearly growth for pike and Walleyes, anywhere...bob

I read Esox growth and habitat studies that stated under optimum conditions, pike would grow to a foot the first year,then growth would slow down considerably the following years, and that 30 inches in 8 years is considered very good growth. With that in mind, 20 inches growth in 4 years seems quite good. We all see those videos of guys catching 15-25 pound Pike cast after cast. but remember those are fishing videos usually taken in remote fly in lakes that are mostly catch and release or trophy lakes in Northern Canada.. Its just not reality here, due to pressure.. I would bet that all the Finger Lakes are capable of monster sized fish if they went unfished or very sparingly fished for 10 years, especially the lakes that have alewives.. I am no expert of course, but I don't think habitat or food supply is the usual cause of smaller fish in any fresh water lake,river or stream.. I think its the fact that too many fish get caught and eaten before they can grow to a large size...bob

Any really big Esox is the same.. The really big trophies are out there, but the reason they are trophies is because they are scarce at that size, and of course everyone wants them.. If the only fish you want to catch are the really big ones, use big lures or baits that smaller fish won't hit, and just put in the time.. a LOT of time... Ever heard this expression?- Big Fish,Big Bait.. I have revised it a little- Big Fish,Big Bait, Big Wait..... bob

Might be a "big Pike lake, but a lot depends on how many "big Pike" are taken out.. In any lake ,even a big one, you can only take so many large old fish out before the majority of the fish get smaller. According to my research, under optimal conditions a Pike takes 8 years to reach 30 inches, which is NOT a big Pike. Those 40 inchers are probably at least 10 years old, or more. There is a reason we don't see 30 pound Lake Trout in our area.. The conditions and food supply would support them, but they simply are caught and eaten before they can reach that size. The Finger Lakes are highly pressured these days compared to years ago. Yes you used to catch a lot of really big Pike, understood. However so are a lot of other guys, and some eat them, or hang them on a wall. The salmon trollers on L Ontario used to catch 30 pound fish regularly. and a 15 pounder is considered a good one, despite plenty of food, and good water conditions.. The reason for this?... In my opinion, its simply pressure. More and better equipped fishermen takinbg a lot of fish before they can get really big... Sometimes the simplest answers make the most sense. bob

Yeah, I'll go along with that.. I have caught some nice pike in my day. but its not like remote Canadian lakes that are full of giant pike.. I have caught a few that were 36 inches or better, not that many,same with Muskies, but I dunno, I don't see a lot caught that go much beyond that . Most are much smaller... bob

Can't comment specifically on Conesus, but can say i have witnessed similar issues in the past in several waters, where for some reason, the fish seemed smaller than what one has gotten used to over the years. Could be pressure, could be environmental, could be a change in the forage base.. all sorts of things. Decade after decade I fish the susquehanna river in fall for SMB.. It was nothing to catch 25-30 in just a few hours, and almost every fish was 13 inches or better, and some much bigger.. Then about 2 years ago, it became hard to catch any much over about 11 inches with most under 10 inches, and very very few that were 12 or over.. No apparent reason for it, and it was the same last fall as well,, plenty of fish, but all much smaller than what i was used to catching for 30 years every fall.. I have seen similar situations in lakes and in salt water as well.. I think these things occur due to a change in the forage base personally, but I am certainly NO expert, and would like to know what others think, and have experienced personally.... bob