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Earlyriser... I have been fishing Cayuga with jigs for years , and I don't do that great in the evening.. Maybe its just me, but evening just isn't near as productive for jigging lakers... at least for me on cayuga. I can't say why, but i feel that the fish just aren't actively feeding for whatever reason.. You will see them, but they don't hit well.. thats NOT to say they can't be caught, they can.. However, I catch usually catch one or none, Maybe a hit , and a swing and a miss. Couple years ago I got 2 one evening and considered it a good deal. Try the same exact spots you fished, using the same techniques and lures you used some morning at the crack of dawn until maybe 9:30 or 10... I would bet money you will have a very different outcome if you pick the right day... Don't feel bad about the wind..\ Every trip for me this year with NO exceptions has been a white cap blow out.. Even just fishing for panfish. Its been a tough year for me as far as wind is concerned, and that goes for seneca this year as well.... bob

First off, let me say I don't really troll. The rare times I do, its just 2 flatlines off the stern in shallow water in the spring in Cayuga Lake. I catch a few here and there but am low tech and not very good. I have no interest in deep water trolling whatsoever. I usually stop the boat when I get a fish on using light tackle. Really not much of a troller at all. Anyway, I was just at I Bay.. Took a group of kids to Sea Breeze on my school bus. I had 6 hours to kill, and brought a rod and worms to see if I could get anything to bite.. Mid day 85 degree heat, shore bound, I wasn't expecting much. Caught a few very small sunnies, and a skinny perch. Fished at the outlet jetty. I saw that I bay is a very sheltered body of water, and that my 15 foot/30 hp rig would be fine there. I have no need to find Bass panfish, Pike, Walleyes, Muskies there as I can get them much closer to home in the Fingers or the Susquehanna River. { I live in Candor NY]. My question is this.. Since a lot of big Salmonids pass through the bay, is it possible to take these large Salmon and Steelheads using very basic tolling techniques ?? As I stated, maybe just some long flatlines with Rapala, Rebels, Bombers etc?.. I catch the various FL Salmonids that way when I flatline in spring or fall, although its not something I do very often. My take is pitiful compared to the real trollers that are set up to do it right, but I usually catch a few. I guess the notion of of possibly catching some really big Salmon or Steelheads interests me. Is there any time of year when those fish are readily available and catchable for a guy like me thats not very trolling savvy? Or is it strictly a deep water game year round , requiring the proper boat, trolling gear and good local knowledge??.. Not asking for "hotspots", just general information, and if its even worth the 2 1/2 hours drive in the fall or spring to give it a try... bob

Guys.. These jig heads are the best I have ever seen for lake trout jigging, Honestly, nothing comes close. Alec I still have one or two left from the old days.. I would like to hook up before long and buy 8 or 10 of them... I work in Ithaca and we can hook up one day when you are in town.. bob

The area around the park [ west side of the lake], both north and south of the park has very rugged, uneven, irregular bottom, with lots of steep drop offs, big peaks and deep valleys.. You can be in 60 feet of water and within 1 minute if the wind is blowing be in 10 feet or 250 feet. Keep that in mind if its windy unless you have a good bow mounted trolling motor, or a way to stay in the productive depth areas [70-120 feet].. The east side of the lake for at least a mile or two north and south of the power plant has a more even, more predictable bottom contour, and to me is easier to fish in the wind. The wind is usually blowing due north or due south on Cayuga In other words, you either blow up the lake or down if its windy, and it usually is... The east side of the lake has much more uniform bottom, and IMHO is a better choice for extended drifting in the wind as you can stay in the zone much easier. If you find some fish in say 90 feet, you can drift in that zone for a good while unless the wind is really raging.. If you can keep your boat stable in the wind, either side of the lake holds fish.. If you don't have an electric motor, the wind can make it very tough to jig efficiently.. There are some extremely rare days where your boat will hardly move, but DON'T bet your life on it.. Every single trip I have made this year , I have encountered extremely strong winds, and raging white caps.. Every time out since the spring. I go when I can, I can't pick my days. You can catch a lot of nice lakers jigging.. Look for bait and fish from 60 to 100 feet, jigging in the neighborhood of the bait balls. You'll do ok.. Just be aware of that wind... bob

I have found trebles tear too many lakers up.. Too many get all 3 hooks, and start bleeding badly.. A good compromise is cutting one of the 3 points off on the treble.. You will have a much increased hook up rate over a single hook, and the release is almost as easy as a single.. I too lose a lot of lakers on tubes with a single hook, but it doesn't bother me as i don't need to take home maybe 1 laker anyway, as I am the only one that eats them...Some days I find jigging spoons work as well as plastics and I prefer them.. Other days the plastics are way better... Typically, if I am getting hits, chases, swing and a miss, I go to a double hook jigging spoon.. I prefer them these days, as i just seem to have a better hook up ratio with them... Past few years the Shorty Hopkins has gotten me a lot of lakers...bob

Geneus.. I think you are mistaking my post for a knock against trolling.. I assure you it is NOT.. Trolling is far and away the most efficient method of fishing large deep lakes like the Fingers and Great Lakes.. there is no comparison... Day in and out, a good troller will outfish any other fisherman of equaL talent... I troll myself, usually in the spring, and caught an 8 pound landlock earlier this year while flatlining, my best fish so far this year... That being said, when you find the fish jigging is easily as productive for lakers as trolling is, due to the nature of the fish... They are bottom oriented by nature. and congregate around bait in the Finger Lakes... Hermit or Guff can tell you stories I am sure, where at the launch ramp upon asking the trollers how they did, thier numbers caught jigging were a lot higher.. it has happened to me several times.. Other times when the fish are scattered, trolling is FAR more productive.. Depends on the day, the fish etc... My all time best brown, an 11 pounder was caught jigging in Seneca 2 years ago.. I will say this.. Jigging is a lake trout proposition by and large in the Finger Lakes.. Yes you will occassionally get a brown salmon or rainbow, but over the years, better than 95% of the Salmonids I have caught on jigs have been lakers, so if you want "silver fish", stick to trolling... I too like the surroundings and sometimes would rather just "veg out" instead of moving a jig, but as you stated, catching fish is the key.. Most trollers spend a LOT of money on boat, gear, and these days especially, on gas.. So if a couple guys go out and catch 10 lakers trolling, yes they had a very good day. Howver, a good jigger gets those same numbers regularly with a cheap rod and reel, a handful of cheap jigs, and a 14 foot tin boat and 10 horse motor.. It really comes down to what you like.. Personally I don't like deep trolling, but I am in a very small minority... I also readily admit that the trollers on these pages probably catch 10X the fish I do. However, there are a few guys that put their trolling gear in storage, or sold it once they got into the deep jigging thing..... Its just another way of catching fish is all... bob

Lots of great information from guys that know... Most of us that have been jigging a long time have had days where we caught lots of good fish from blank screens, and had bad fishing when we were marking a ton of fish... Don't always let the screen dictate where you fish,, As you gain experience and get into some lakers you will compile a bunch of "go to" areas.. One thing I didn't see mentioned that many laker fisherman do, trollers and jiggers alike is look for bait as oppossed to looking for fish... Typically, if you find good concentrations of bait not far off bottom there will be lakers close by, and the bait balls are much easier to spot than individual pods of fish. I look for bait first... This time of year, if I see bait lets say 60 feet down in 75-FOW, I start fishing not far from the bait.. There will be lakers around, even if your screen doesn't show them... btw, thanks to Chad for getting me back on LOU... I have been trying for over a year to log in, and been unable to, despite jumping through hoops, new passwords, username ,everything.. I look forward to some good discussions.. Glad to see a lot of the "jigging crowd" here as well... This is a trolling board more or less, but I bet some of them will "come over to the dark side" the first time they start hooking into big lakers with a one hande bass rod, instead of heavy trolling gear. bob

Very nice loaded Sylvan 18 footer .. I bought it last fall for $2300, and have since developed a debilitating condition.. Never used it, and need the money for medical treatment.. Strong running early 90's 90 HP Evinrude, in very good clean condition. It has 2 downriggers, Fish finder, VHF radio, with whip antenna, stereo, livewells, bow mounted foot controlled electric trolling motor, canvas cover, other canvas for the interior, lots of swivel seating that pops out for more room, Spare kicker bracket, very good refurbished trailer with new paint, brand new VERY expensive slider bunks, new dolly, good tires and good trailer mounted spare. Floor and transom are solid.. Good carpeting.. Everything works, No known issues with this rig.. I just can no longer keep it as I will not be able take it out, and need to fund some very expensive medical treatment... Come have a look and make an offer... bob 607-659-5334

Yes, WELL aware of the OMC VRO system.. This one is intact, and the seller said its been 100% trouble free, but its coming off anyway.. I DON'T trust the VRO! I have heard this story from a lot of guys- saying the wire dipseys outfish the riggers every time.. I really don't want to get into wire however... Big heavy rods and wire to catch 2-4 pound fish??... Doesn't thrill me.. I wouldn't mind dipseys on mono or good braid, which might work until June or so, until the thermocline sets up solid. At least with thin braid I could use reasonable tackle I would think.. I have to think it over. I am most interested in basic set up of the riggers, and what to do as far as release equipment, ball weight-[found 2 in the boat] spoon colors to get started, line test etc... bob

I appreciate the reply! If I have to go through all kinds of expense and intense learning curves, I'll just sell the downriggers, as I just am not all that crazy about trolling of any type.. I just want to be able to catch a few fish in the Finger Lakes when I see them suspended at 25,50, 75 feet, and they won't hit jigs or when jigging is tough, say during windy days and such... I suppose I am way behind the times, but lots and lots of trout were caught using meat rigs with 50 lb test and 32 ounces of lead.. Won't active trout hit plain old trolled spoons and stick baits anymore?? I used to catch them spring and fall flatlining. Do they shy away from Rapalas and spoons when suspended deep these days?... Water too clear? Do I really need to get all new "state of the art" stuff and get totally involved in this ? It seems like it may be more trouble than its worth bob

Never liked it that much, prefer jigging/casting.. However, I also realize that trolling IS the best and most consistent method of catching large trout and salmon in the Fingers, no question. Jigging lakers is fun, and there are times when I have outfished the guys trolling, but its not the norm, and browns, salmon and bows are hard to come by when jigging. They are relegated to a rare "bonus fish" when jigging. Anyway, I just bought a 1985 Sylvan 18' with real nice condition 90 HP Evinrude.. Lots of nice gear came with the rig including a VHF radio, CD/stereo radio, new fish finder, real nice bow mount foot control trolling motor, and 2 manual downriggers.. The riggers don't look "top of the line", but are not those little $99 toys either.. btw, Any real advantages with electric riggers over manuals? I see just the riggers themselves and the mounted bases.. Haven't checked, there may be balls and such, I don't know... If there is no more rigger "stuff" , what will I need to get started?.. I can get some rigger lures as I have none, but do have a lot of stickbaits and some spoons that can get me started.. I have no conception of all the fly/ dodger type things I have been reading about so I need simplicity at first. Any thoughts as to how to get started?... I have never even used a downrigger.. Made up a meat rig rod once but it was a horrid unwieldy mess that I gave up on in short order. I hate the fact that at 56 and a lifetime of fishing I am such a tenderfoot , knowing NOTHING and having to ask for help in rigger fishing... anyway, I know there are a lot of very good rigger fisherman here, and I couldn't have come to a better place for help... I hope some of you would be kind enough to share some of your knowledge... bob [email protected]

16 to 19 feet in decent shape...set up for fishing... can spend up to 3 K or so,, Let me know what you have.. [email protected]

I have always jigged lakers on Seneca and Cayuga since moving here in 91.. the technique is identical to what I used in fishing NJ salt water for fluke, stripers,weakfish and blues... It was a very natural transition for me to make. Here's a quick how to... You NEED a good fishfinder.. If its a cheapie, ditch it and get a decent one... You can get something that will work well for $150. I start at 60-70 feet on cayuga or Seneca. Find schools of bait that are fairly deep. Usually the lakers won't be far away, but not every bait school has lakers, and lakers are often on bottom nowhere near the bait...In summer sometime the fish are close to 100 feet, but early morning around 70 is a good starting point.. Get some 1 oz jig heads, and a variety of good size twister tails, paddle tails. flukes etc.. Plastic baits that are bass sized. White is a great color, natural shad color is good, chartreuse, and combinations of these colors as well. 1 0z saltwater metal bluefish jigs work great as well..AVA 007 or similar.. 1 to 1/2 ounce Hopkins or Kastmasters are fantastic as well. Some of my best lakers, and an 11 pound brown have hit wheel weights that I paint white, and put hooks in!.. They are as good as a $4.00 jigging spoon! Drop your jig right to bottom, and bounce it, jig it, reel up fast. reel up slow,,, Some days the fish hit all retrieves, sometimes slow jigging is better, some days they will only hit it reeling at light speed up from the bottom.. Vary speeds and jigging methods until you hit the right combination.You can watch all the action including your jig, and the fish racing for it on your FF. Trolling is the best method for catching trout on the Finger Lakes, but on many days I have outfished trollers on Lakers.. It all depends on the day.. If the lakers are on bait 150 down over 225, trolling is the best method... by far. If the lakers are on bottom in 100 feet or less, jigging is just as productive. I have had plenty of mornings of 10 fish boated while jigging. You will lose as many or more than you boat, its just the way it goes with jigging. The BEST thing about jigging is you need no riggers, no wire, no meat stick, no flashers, no dipseys, none of that stuff. Just a good stiff one or two handed rod that you would use for bass.. NO noodle rods!!!... 10-12 pound low stretch line and a 1 oz jig is all you need .. Spinning or casting tackle works fine. Very often once they get the hang of jigging lakers, some longtime trollers never troll again for lakers.. They keep the trolling gear for the other salmonids. Jigging can be every bit as productive as trolling for lakers, depending on conditions... If you want salmon, browns and rainbows, keep trolling... You will catch a brown here and there on the jigs , even a rare salmon, but good sized bows are rare on the deep jigs.. I have seen a few, but don't bet any money. You will catch probably 30 lakers to every brown ,salmon or bow. PM or email me if you want a few specific locations that are productive for me. bob

This unit is not working properly.. It powers up, all functions work perfectly, screen looks great, simulator is perfect. but it doesn't read bottom. It acts like a bad transducer, so I bought a brand new Garmin transducer, but its still doesn't work.. The wire could be bad, or the unit could be I guess. Its also possible I bought a bad replacement transducer I suppose. I got aggravated,returned the transducer, and bought a black and white Lowrance to replace this Garmin.. These are really great units with high power[300 watts RMS] and great graphics and resolution. The head unit can be replaced by Garmin for $99 as a trade. This unit is in good cosmetic shape, comes with original box in great shape, manual, mount, transducer, cover,wire harness , and has the brand new never used Garmin speed transducer still in the box... I never bothered installing it. This speed sensor sells everywhere for $41 on its own... Its possible the problem may be as simple as a corroded pin in the harness, but I bought a replacement, and don't want to fool with this unit.. Take it away, lots of good Garmin parts if nothing else.. $25 bob 607-659-5334

Yes it works perfectly... 5 forward 5 reverse speeds.. Tiller control- Its old looking and ugly, but hey its 10 bucks! I turned the control head around to use it on the bow, and for $10, it stays as is... First $10 takes it out of here! bob 607-659-5334

The fish ID is junk, seriously, ditch it.. it is totally bogus. You 50Hz screen seems to show a trace going into a baitball... I have seen it before..Looks like a laker or other fish, picking a straggler off. Otherwise, its a business as usual screen, baitballs with a few predators nearby

I just bought a new Lowrance Mark 5 X to replace the Garmin 250C that crapped out... After reading a lot one various websites about the reliability of the various brands of fishfinders, I fear I may have made a mistake.. I bought the Lowrance because the resolution was superior to the Bumminbird and garmin units in the same price range... However. I have been reading scores of horror stories about reliability and customer service [ or lack of] withy Lowrance.. Most people think Humminbird is a more reliable unit with far superior customer service... The Lowrance Mark 5X was only $10 more, had double the pixels, and looked far better than the Humminbird 550, but I would take superior reliability over a more refined looking screen any day.. RMS power is the same, so both will show fish and bait.. I have NOT taken the Lowrance out of its blister pack as yet, and can take it back for the Humminbird... any thoughts on this?? bob

Mike.. Keuka is the wrong place to go for big lakers... You are right near Seneca, try that... I have done better on Seneca for lakers over the years than I have on Cayuga my "home" lake.... Seneca Lakers are not quite the size on average as Cayuga, but they are more abundant, more aggressive and IMHO easier to catch with consistency than Cayuga. Others will disagree, but I like Seneca better personally... The size of the lakers there is much better than Keuka thats for sure... bob

Personally, I think the Susquehanna River is your best bet for big channel cats,, They are more concentrated and easier to catch than in the big lakes... Guys can catch a dozen in a few hours on a good night... Use big live or dead minnows or dead sawbellies , cut up suckers or chubs ... that sort of thing... Several access points on the river .. from shore or by small boat... Fish in the dark or don't bother... I have caught 10 pounders but they get a lot bigger..bob

Very solid Glastron 15 1/2 foot boat that just needs a floor.. Old rotted floor has been removed.. Just needs a few sheets of pressure treated plywood and some resin... It can be done in a weekend. Teleflex Steering cable frozen also... May be able to be freed up.. Boat was in storage for many years The hull is in excellent condition. Wash and wax it and it will look terrific!.. This is a walk through windshield, tri hull style boat and will make a great fishing boat, stable and solid in the wind. I have a title for the boat.. Tee Nee trailer is in solid shape, but has some surface rust, and will need paint, and tires... Good spare tire on trailer.. I towed the boat 35 miles on the highway, but the tires are really old and weather checked, and should be replaced.. I have no title or registration for the trailer. All serial numbers are still on trailer tag, so it can be registered that way... Trailer has nice "walk on" feature... The rubber rollers look good but they have been sitting for years.... This is a nice project for someone that can lay plywood, and maybe firm up a few stringers with some glass and resin... This is a project, but really the hull is in great shape, and can be fixed cheaply.. I just don't have the time or interest..bob 607-659-5334

Merc 650 from mid 70's... Looks good, starts instantly, runs strong. idles nicely.. Pumps water well...This motor has been in storage MANY years, and should be looked over by a someone familiar with outboards to make sure all is well.. It runs and shifts smoothly, controls work great, but the rubber water pump impeller, thermostat etc, should be checked before regular use as the motor was in storage for many years... Prop has a big piece out of one of the blades... It caused no problem in the past ..... come hear it run... $300 firm or will trade for small 2-3 HP outboard. bob 607-659-5334..

No need to use any bait... Look in water from 50-100 feet deep.. If you see a few marks at mid depth to bottom, they are most likely lakers... Use 3/4 to 1 oz jigs.. Jig heads with white twister or fluke tails are fine.. Silver or white jigging spoons also work great.. I have caught tons of lakers on a 1 oz car wheel weight with holes and hooks and painted white.. They are not too particular.... Drop jig to bottom.. bounce on and off bottom for 30 seconds, reel up, drop down.. Vary speeds etc... One day they will only hit right on bottom, other days they will hit when it is speeding toward the surface, some days both, some days neither... If you would like a guide, John Gaulke is very good...bob

Found a BIG Walleye in May at the south end of Cayuga fresh dead with the exact same marks.. kinda like lamprey, but not,,,, I reported it to the DEC along with the multiple hundreds of dead SMB, Rockies,Bluegills,Bullheads, Suckers,Pike and Crayfish I witnessed during April and May, but the DEC basically said, "" we are looking into it""... and that was the end of it... If I report it on the forums, I am called an alarmist,troublemaker, crybaby. etc, etc, but its been like this the last 2 springs, and the adult SMB, Pike and Rockbass are pretty much gone from the south end of the lake, so something is up.. I hope the DEC lets us know whats up.... real soon.... bob