bulletbob
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Everything posted by bulletbob
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There was a time when I kept any keeper walleye, years back.. I just don't need to any more.. kids are gone, wife doesn't eat fish... 1 maybe 2 smaller fish is plenty... The river isn't accesabile in a lot of spots, and doesn't get overfished for much of its length, and there are plenty of fish/ so I am not trying to be noble.. its just that, the fish aren't everywhere, and the big ones are the breeders, and are more valuable alive than dead... Next time I go I'll keep a small one to fry up.. Thats plenty for me... bob
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I hit the river down at Cannon Hole in Barton.. Not as many walleyes down there as there are at Sluggo's stomping grounds, but I get some pretty good size ones every year, just casting from shore.. Got a VERY good one saturday morning very early before the bright sun came up over the trees.. She was about 27-28 inches, and as big around as a football. I mean shoulders like a big Carp.. Probably close to 7 pounds if I had to take a guess... I thought hard about taking her home, but you know, that big old breeder is worth a lot more in the river than she is cut up into chunks, and placed on a hard roll with some lettuce, tomatoes, mayo and a slice of cheese.. if it was 17 or 18 inches, I would have kept it... From now on I plan on returning most really large fish.. There just aren't enough of them, and I simply don't need them as food... Kept a monster smallie I caught at Keuka a month ago, and I still feel awful about it... Never again.. It was really nice to see a walleye that size again.. Been a while for me. Hit a really ugly GULP purplish minnow thing on a jig head bounced along the rocks... bob
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They will go shallow during the spawn, but here in NY they are typically deep water fish.. They spawn in shallow ice water in mid winter... they like it VERY cold... Colder than almost any freshwater fish.. They are closely related to salt water Cod , Haddock, Pollack and Hakes which are all great eating.. In Lake superior they have been found as deep as 1000 feet! I have read that burbot has the taste and texture of lobster, so yeah I would cook it and give it a try... bob
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Keuka is a great laker fishery, but you can have dead days as well.. Over the years, I have a had a few skunks, and a few 1 or 2 fish days.. Like anywhere else, there are days when you'll see fish stacked up everywhere on your FF , and they will hit nothing.. Other days they shut off by 9 am after you catch a few.. once in a while its lights out all day, sore arms, but thats not an every day occurance.. Lots and lots of lakers there, very good to very excellent fishing, but there are no guarantees.. I have had some tough days on that lake as well as some very good ones....
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I sent a reply to the PM, but it seems as though you might not have gotten it.. $36 shipped to your door -USPS Please respond to my regular email, as I don't get on the LOU forum every day.. [email protected]
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Never used,brand new... My son bought it for me thinking it was a salt water reel for deep water fishing for Cod ,Tilefish etc... He didn't realize it was a fresh water trolling reel for big trout ,salmon, walleyes, etc.. anyway, its brand new, never used, and has all the original stuff in the box, reel clamp, oil etc... first $40 takes it away.. bob 607-659-5334
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Very nice thing you guys did, helping those folks out, and ending your fishing in the process.. I have done the same several times, and would hope most fishermen would as well, but I Have personally seen guys in a big boat keep fishing and not move to help 2 guys in a sinking 14 footer in heavy wind and waves.. You fellas did the right thing! We ALL need to realize at some times, our fishing trips become insignificant, and we need to be good neighbors.. it is VERY scarey indeed to be "dead in the water".. Been there done that, but somehow, always got back on our own.. My luck WILL run out someday, Law of averages... Nice job!... bob
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Pros are coming to Cayuga in 2014
bulletbob replied to Yankee Troller's topic in Finger Lakes Discussion
Not impressed at all.. I don't think Cayuga needs the pressure personally... Might just be me, but I caught a LOT more fish there at one time than I do now.. Warm and cold water species... Last time the "big tour" was here years ago, guys were screaming about the piles of dead bass near the weigh station.. Lots of bass die after spending the day getting slammed around in a live well of a boat hitting waves at 70 mph.. Just my opinion for whatever its worth... bob -
With all due respect... Its a 14 foot aluminum boat, and its painted white outside... Its older but solid.. Not really that much to see in a low res picture.. Its also DIRT cheap.. If it doesn't sell now, it will sell in the spring.... I am not going to take pictures of a boat that I am practically giving away....
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I just have no use for it.. Its old but is in decent shape.. Freshly painted an ugly white, and has a brand new transom that will take up to a 25 or so.. This boat will be great with as low as a 9.9..... Not one leak anywhere.. I bought it to use as a car topper, but its just too big... I will need a 10 or 12 footer for that... Some dents here and there, but its solid and ready to go.. Has a good set of oars too. I bought it from a man that used it with oars on a small pond on his farm. It has no paperwork, and i cannot find any manufacturer or ID numbers on it... Not a problem. I called the DMV and they said to register it as home made.. Has full foam floatation under the seats, so its newer than 1972,, Great price, I just want it out of the yard.. Bring a pickup or trailer, and take it home.. First $150 FIRM takes it.. If you can find a solid 14 foot aluminum boat cheaper, you really need to grab it.. 607-659-5334 bob
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I dunno,,, It sounds like an awful lot of work to fish something like that... Trolling meat rigs is bad enough, but hanging them at staggered depths under giant bobbers??...ugh.. I guess I just don't need the fish that bad.. I'll stick to jigging....bob
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Don't get an I/O.. They are headaches when they get old, believe me.. people are always ditching I/O boats when the get $8,000-10,000 repair estimates to replace the engine and/or final drive.. The same size boat with an O/B could be repowered with a good used OB for $1,000 depending on engine size.. Your best value would be a good OB fiberglass boat around 16 feet.. They can be found dirt cheap especially in the fall.. Seriously, you can find some pretty nice older glass boats for $1,000 or even less in the fall... If you are looking for a really good boat for laker jigging/bait fishing on Keuka, PM me or email me.. I have a 15 foot glass boat w/ a 30 hp that I am looking to sell, CHEAP.. Its a very stable, wide open boat with a solid floor and transom.. Its a Boston Whaler style tri hull, and it will laugh ay anything Keuka can throw against it.. Its got more open space than lots of 17 footer I have seen..Its old but very solid, and I use it on Keuka all the time. If you like we can take a ride before you buy, and did I mention REALLY CHEAP??.. I just bought a old 14 foot aluminum boat and will be using that more and more as I have less time to fish than I used to.. In any case, I would look at older glass hulls if price is the issue as they run a lot cheaper. Glass is also much better when the wind is howling due south or due north straight up or down Keuka which it is much of the time.. Light aluminum hulls are great in calm water, but they blow along pretty fast in the wind
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12-14 foot.. NOT looking for an expensive boat, just something to use in the river thats light... I have an old side console 15 foot skiff, looks similar to an old Boston Whaler, Built by CMF, a boat builder from S Carolina in the 70's,, Tri hull, lots of storage, solidly built, VERY wide, very stable, great for jigging or bait fishing the Finger Lakes or big rivers.. A nice solid old boat with a good running 30 HP johnson and a foot operated Minn Kota up front.. Its old and vintage looking, and could use some clean up, but its my go to boat, and has always been reliable, super stable and never ever gets a drop of water in the bilge unless its raining or big waves splash into the boat.. transom and floor are hard as a rock... One man launches/retrieves in seconds.. Solid trailer as well... Will trade straight up for a small aluminum of equal value, or will sell for $700... Color fishfinder comes off unless you want to negotiate a deal... Also looking to buy a small aluminum boat if I can't trade for one.. Bob 607-659-5334
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Vertical jigging was and is the norm.. however, these fish are seeing a LOT more jigs hopping up and down for the past 10 years or so.. They no longer respond as they did when very few guys were using jigs. If you aren't getting hit and are marking fish, try racing and I do mean RACING your lure straight up from bottom.. You can't possibly move the lure fast enough to take it away from a laker.. past few years I have caught more lakers on fast retrieves than I have with conventional "yo yo" jigging techniques.. Some days it doesn't make a difference.. Often it does however... bob
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The Garmin 500 C is $250 on ebay, and they are great units.. I have had a Garmin color unit for years, and they are simply terrific.. The Garmin is extremely powerful.. They are 500 watts RMS.. If you check power specs you will see the are double the power of most units in their price range... Power wins out over just about any other feature on a fish finder.. Power is where the sensitivity and ability to get a good return comes from.. lots of pixels looks nice, but power is the key... Garmin typically makes the most powerful color units in he under $300 range.. Check out online reviews before you purchase anything.... bob
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Itrs very simple.. The natural balance" of the Finger Lakes is all messed up by historical standards... Sawbellies are not native.. They are in the lakes, and have been for decades, and in several of them are by far the dominant food source... Food is the first order of business for fish.. any fish.. most species will leave preferred temp, and habitat for abudant food.. By design,smallmouths are stream fish that grub through rocks for bugs, crabs and sculpins.. In the fingers, they are fish eaters, at least many of them.. Some will go "out of character" and become open water dwellers following schools of bait, picking off stragglers.. Same with LMB and Pike.. Both of those fish are weed/structure oriented ambush artists.. However, in the fingers they will suspend and follow the easy food source... Name the fish.. Walleyes, Browns ,Rainbow, Salmon, even cats and bullheads... In normal situations these fish are not open water fish you would expect to find 50 feet down over 125 in a lake.. However, if there is a lot of food there, many will go out of preferred temp and habitat zones to utilize it. The smb I catch in the creeks and rivers look the same as the ones in the big lakes, but act in a tottaly different manner.. its all about where the most food is, and how easy it is to catch it... bob
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Good advice from those that know!.. I catch fish on Keuka with all types of jigs, including plain old large white Mr Twisters on a 1 oz head[Get the jig heads from Hermit,they are priced right, and are of superior quality].. However, some days a 1 oz jigging spoon can't be beat.. I cut 1 of the barbs off the large treble... Much easier to unhook fish without killing them, and still much better hookup rate than a single... SHARPEN YOUR HOOKS!!!! always, even when brand new,, Also, on Keuka, I start fishing at very first light.. Earlier is better when laker jigging, especially on Keuka.. 7 am till about 10 am is prime time.. Some days they shut off later in the morning.. One more thing I have found and our friend Hermit has noticed the same thing.. The lakers don't always hit a standard jigging motion on slower days.. I think its because they are seeing it a lot the past several years.. I could be wrong.. I have been having better luck dropping the jig to the bottom, reeling it maybe 20-30 feet up at a decent clip, and then dropping it down and repeating, I intersperse this with standard jigging motion.. On Keuka, They will hit anywhere from right on the bottom in 150 feet, or will slam it a foot under the boat after following it all the way from bottom.. In Keuka there is NO dead zone.. Those fish can be anywhere at any depth , especially this time of year.. Keep hitting it, and you'll clean up before long, I promise... bob
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This happened on Cayuga about 5 years ago as well. The entire lake was covered with bass, sunnies, rock bass by the millions, bullheads, suckers, Pike,Pickerel, Carp etc... Massive piles of fish washed up on the south point of Taughannock Park, stacked up so deep they brought a bucket loader in to clear the piles of rotting stinking fish.. I called the DEC, and they said it was "temperature related spawning stress".. bullcrap... Since that week years ago, I have yet to catch a good size rock bass in cayuga.. They had just about disappeared... Same thing with Smallmouth in the very south end of the lake.. i would catch dozens in a few hours, BIG ones, standing on the same damn rock.. Now I catch one or two a year... I posted about it on another forum, and was hammered for being an alarmist, being negative, there's nothing wrong with the lake etc.. I have been here for 22 years, and over the last 7 or so, have seen big die offs of Pike, Bass, Rock Bass, Suckers etc... There IS a problem, and I think the DEC is aware of it, but won't discuss it... bob
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Jigging for Lakers on Cayuga Lake
bulletbob replied to SHADE OF GRAY's topic in Tackle and Techniques
This time of year they will be deep.. Probaby over 150 feet, but you might find them shallower in some areas.. In a few months they come in shallower, and I have caught them in May in less than 40 feet.. Catching the lakers is easy.. Just use a heavy jigging spoon of at least an ounce, or a plastic bait of some sort on a 1 oz or better jig head...Flukes, minnow bodies, Gulp, tubes, even curly tails will all catch.. I like white, white and black, white and chartreuse, chartreuse, white and silver,pearl, etc.. Light colors work best for me.. You can drift or use an electric motor to hold the boat in "fishy areas".. Drop the lure to the bottom, jig it, reel in 20 feet up and drop again... It takes time to figure out the action they want on any given day.. In my opinion, the lakers are wising up, and I catch less just bouncing bottom than I did years ago.. These days, most of the fish I catch are on faster retrieves, racing the lure up from the bottom maybe 20-30 feet, and then dropping it down and repeating.... Really, catching the fish isn't hard... I used to catch a ton of them on painted wheel weights off a car, with hooks attached.. The biggest challenge is finding the fish.. You NEED a good fish finder that will read schools of bait and individual fish.. If you have cheap $69 unit on the boat, throw it away, and get something decent.. The best basic bottom line advice I can give you is this... Find schools of bait with your fish finder, and look for fish marks around them.. lets say you spot bait 70 feet down in 100 feet of water,, If you see a few marks under that bait ball, its a good chance they are lakers,, fish around those readings and hang on.. btw, lakers can be all over the bottom, and you won't read even one on the finder... They are often RIGHT on the bottom, and your ff can't even pick them up.. Watch for bait, suspended fish, and other boats jigging.. Keep a wide berth, but its a good bet if you see other guys jigging, you are in the zone... If you would like to go some time, I would be happy to show you the ropes... .. Better yet, call this guy... http://www.fingerlakesanglingzone.com/ His name is John Gaulke He will put you on lakers better than anyone else, show you the tackle and techniques you need to be successful in all the Finger Lakes. bob -
Sorry haven't been aroud much.. I talked to my friend, they have been certified, and will be up and running end of march as previously stated... I think they will be selling red worms and night crawlers as well.. I will get a phone # ASAP, .....bob
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Some friends are having the NYS DEC come up to thier farm this monday 3/4/13 to have 150 baitfish removed from their ponds for certification... They are planning on selling live bait starting early this sping... They will be accessible at any time with a phone call,.. In other words, lets say you want to start fishing at 4 am.. You can call them the night before and your bait will be ready, they will be there.. From what I hear they will be there at about 5 am most days in season, and will be on call any time during the year if you need bait.. This is NOT a "tackle shop".. Live minnows only ...Its a running farm with loaded bait ponds they want to utilize... I will post more specifics as I get them, but I told them there will be some interest, because they plan on selling bait at any time with just a "heads up" call, and will be netting bait before anyone else is even out of bed.. I will give more details when I have them. If all goes well with the state certification,, I plan on having them contact LOU to advertise... They are within 5 minutes of Taughannock Park...bob





