bulletbob

launch ramp at the state park open?.... bob

Personally, I just don't think the numbers are there anymore.. Just haven't been seeing fish on the machine past couple years. Years ago, no matter where I went on Keuka, my machine was lit up like a Christmas tree. Now I see blank screens every trip... Unless the fish just aren't holding in the same areas they used to... I dunno.....

any fish being caught at taughannock park? From the shoreline??.. i realize this winter fishery is not "hot".. usually its really slow, but if you put the hours, or days... weeks,...lol, you might get a laker ,brown ,or LL on a Rooster tail, Little Cleo, or bucktail of some sort.. I no longer get to Ithaca very much since I retired, and really have NO idea if its even worth a shot.. Years past, the best time even in mid winter with ice cold water was from first light until maybe 8 am.... If the fish were around, that was the time you might get a hit.. i also realize 99% of the fish in Cayuga are "on the bait", and this time of year that usually means deep, mid lake.. REAL deep!.. Always a few stragglers around the surface/shoreline though even in the dead of winter.. Anyone been there and seen anything at all past few weeks??.. Not looking for anything specific, just maybe, "yeah saw one caught," had a follow on a spoon", etc... thanks,,,, bob

"Dogs"= Spiny Dogfish..https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiny_dogfish When they come around in big numbers, they are a pain in the ass to say the least!

Guff,... NH is "groundfish " territory.. Various types of hake, haddock, Cod, Pollock... Try these guys... http://www.eastmansdocks.com/

I fish several times a a year in salt water.. Either on party boats for bottom fish such as sea bass, hake, porgies, flounder, blackfish[tautog] etc, or on my own 18 foot boat for fluke, bluefish, stripers etc.. Depends on whats around, time of year etc.. Mostly at the NJ shore.. I usually go alone as most people don't want to take the 225 mile ride each way, or don't want to spend the money.. anyway, i thought perhaps there might be a few guys that live/fish in the finger lakes region that would enjoy these ocean/bay trips now and then... Party boats fares are about $70 including pool, plus whatever gas we use to get there and back, or if I take my boat, its gas, ramp fee and bait.. Probably a $50-60 bill each to trailer a boat down.. Thats usually a May -Nov type thing.. Party boats do sail all year btw, if you are tough enough to fish on the ocean in 20 degree weather... In any case, I am just seeing if anyone in the area would like to do some salt water fishing.. The fish are bigger, stronger and WAY better to eat than what we have up here... Thats why Wegmans gets $20 for a whole 1 1/2 pound Sea Bass, with the head, fins,gills still on!... I don't stay down there, I leave candor around 1 am, get there around 5 or 6 am,, fish and then come home.. Its a long tiring day, but its a lot of fun, and some of the very best eating fish you can imagine.. Just putting it out there.. PM me with interest, and we can talk about it... bob

Hope I can get out there once more before we get into another brutal winter.. I would love to try the north end around the state park.. Haven't fished there in years. Thanks to all that shared, and helping me realize i was simply being lazy, and not expanding my search for active fish. I won't make that mistake again... I hope.. I have 3 boats, but can't get to them as the area in my yard where they are is oozy soft DEEP mud, and my 4 wd pickup sinks down to the axles, and just spins all the tires, when I make the attempt.. I believe I need to rethink my "boat storage area"... duh.. Oh well,, maybe I can get one of them out of the mud before July hits.... bob

It would seem to me they would have to go where thier food is most readily available -wherever that is.. Food is foremost.. Just look at the Finger Lakes.. Lakers by nature area bottom fish.. salmon, rainbows and browns are stream fish.. Smallmouth bass are a fish of rock bottom streams.. Pike are weed dwellers.. Yet ALL of these fish are turned into open water fish at times in the fingers -- they might be 75 feet down over 150 fow, because thats where the bait is.. We have all caught bass while laker jigging near bait, FAR from the rocks/ sparse weeds/docks/structure they should be relating to by nature.. Some of us have caught Pike as well while laker fishing, with the closest weed 1/2 miles away,,, Why?.. They were relating to their primary food source. usually sawbellies in the large Finger Lakes... Food WILL trump habitat and temperature preferences, at least some of the time... bob

Actually I feel better knowing I was just fishing the wrong area.. I need to STOP assuming fish will always be in the same spots I always used to catch them. Can't catch fish that aren't where you are fishing... bob

Never thought about the fact that they may have moved due to the spawn.. I know they spawn a lot later at Keuka than they do on Cayuga.. In Cayuga most of the fish move away from the north and south ends of the lake and go to areas between Myers and Sheldrake, with a majority near the park. I suppose they might move in keuka during the spawn as well ,... I dunno, either that or I just suck at fishing.. Just NEVER saw such empty screens as long as I have been jigging lakers , at least 20 years. Not even 1 chaser today... Our friend Copperliner has told me the area he did well at, and it was nowhere near where i was... Maybe next time... bob

Was out today from 6:15 am till 11:30, jigging near the Bluffs. All depths from about 80 to 150 FOW. Never had a touch, and saw almost NO fish at all.. A stray scratch on the FF screen every 20 minutes or so... Keuka was for years my absolute best "go to" lake for lakers.. Nowadays, I can't even get a hit there .. haven't caught more than one or two on any given day last few years.. It must be me, as other guys are getting a lot of lake trout in Keuka.. i simply am having trouble understanding how I have gone from always catching a ton of lakers there, to seeing none at all on the screen and not getting even a hit.. Saw no bait either.... I have not launched from the south end of the lake, and its been years since I have launched at the state park in branchport.. Any ideas??.. Am i just fishing the wrong area by staying within a few miles of the Bluffs?... I used to see incredible screens all around that area, now i am waiting for a half hour to find one suspended mark, and for all i know, I am dropping the jig down on a carp or something... I also see very few boats there anymore as well.. There were couple guys in close to the shoreline either bass or perch fishing, but I was all alone fishing for lakers on a gorgeous 70 degree day... never saw another boat jigging deep around the Bluffs today. Getting really discouraged about fishing Keuka these days, as I simply can't figure out why all of a sudden, i started getting skunk after skunk , fishing the same techniques, lures and areas I used to catch dozens of fish at... Sorry for the rant, but I am really perplexed after jigging over 5 hours without even a hit.. I was going to go to Cayuga which is less than 1/2 the distance, but historically, Keuka was always hotter for me this time of year for lake trout so I took the ride,,,.. Not looking for spots or anything.. just let me know if the Bluffs are the wrong place to fish Keuka these days.. Any help would be appreciated... bob

Can't comment on trolling at night, but I would tend to doubt it.. I can say for certain however that lakers DO hit jigging spoons painted with flourescent paint.. The kind you have to shine a light on.. Paint a few heavy jigging spoons with it.. Get a good strong flashlight on it for 15 seconds or so and send it down to your marks.. they WILL hit at night.. However its a big pain in the butt.. You must reflash the lure every time you bring it up as light effect doesn't last long at all.. I would bet a cyalume stick on a jigging spoon would draw hits as well, and last longer.. The question is .. "why bother?... Just go early in the AM, get your lakers, and leave early... bob

Guff.. You mentioned "perch minnows"... Are you talking about generic small minnows the size that would be used for perch fishing , or actual baby perch?... I have been having awful fishing for about the past 2 years on Keuka, and really don't know what the problem is.. Years ago, if I caught 3 or 4 I was ashamed to report because everyone else was catching 20 or more... I had a few 30 fish days there in the past.. Now I get skunked regularly.. Last time there in May I never even had a hit.. I couldn't even feel that bad, because I talked to several other boats and no one had more than one... Something bad has happened in that lake in the past several years, or I simply don't know how to fish it anymore.. I used to hammer lakers in the fall there.. Might try again in October/November before I write it off.. Like Hermit I spend more time fishing for Walleyes these days, but still love Keuka laker fishing, and hope it comes back strong. bob