bulletbob

 I am just not a "tourney" kind of guy,, never was...

 No  problem with those that like them, except during a spawn, or  any time fish  are easy pickings say in salt water during seasonal migrations when the fish are closely bunched and vulnerable..

  as Frank Woolner, a great outdoor writer once wrote decades ago-
 

 "Fishing should be a contemplative sport, not a competitive one"

Those words struck me many years ago, and I always remembered them...

 Yeah, measure and release or not, 150 guys in yaks harassing spawning  bass is NOT good... Thats just bad meat in my opinion..   Leave the damn things alone, they get too much pressure from tourneys all season these days as it is.. Do they REALLY need even more pressure during the spawn?...

I moved here in 1991, and even then the runs were subsiding from what they had been... I doubt there are many smelt even left on cayuga... They were already in decline pretty badly when the mussels and then the gobies arrived, but those two  invasive  beasts sealed the deal.... bob

 I don't think a tiny barrel swivel a yard  from the streamer would hurt if  the streamer twisting   is an issue,,

What are you guys using for weight?

good to know.. I kind of figured that would be the case...   Yeah not much chance of keeping a big salmon hooked on a #14 sabiki hook, but it must have been a blast while it lasted!

1 hour ago, Speedy said:

Thanks for the tip.. I was told soak them in Jack Daniels, next day throw away the fish and drink the marinade. LOL  I'm a little afraid to keep any Lake Trout. Ever try any?

 Lakers are ok. Some are quite good, others are really strong even when  iced down, and cleaned quickly.. I usually take one,very rarely two.

 Browns are better, Rainbows I have kept from cayuga have ranged from  totally inedible  to extremely good..I like salmon the best of all the salmonids. They all need to be kept cold, cleaned well, all dark meat trimmed with a good sharp blade, and personally, I don't like them frozen.. The flavor seems to degrade pretty quickly.. As stated. I would never clean them with skin and dark meat intact.. It will certainly ruin the entire fillet  in a short time. Some people  can endure fish thats extremely strong and rancid and still enjoy it. I am not one of those people.. I don't mind a strong fish such as Bluefish or Mackerel from the ocean, but they must be very fresh.. any dark fleshed, oily fish must be eaten fresh, they just don't freeze well at all, and I include Finger Lakes trout in with those... Others might disagree, and thats ok, but I don't even try to freeze them.. they get rancid really  fast when frozen..

 Usually when a fish gets nasty and fishy in a freezer, they stay that way.. Time to soak them in milk, salt water etc, is  usually before you freeze them.. Also it sounds like you froze the fish intact just gutted, headed, etc... The skin and the fat underneath is NASTY and if you freeze a trout in thet manner, good luck getting them to taste sweet.. I never freeze trout personally, they  get nasty easier than say Perch or other   panfish..  I never thought any of the trout out of the Finger Lakes were all that great eating anyway, they tend to be strong and oily compared to  holdover trout from clean water streams ..  A diet of little greasy, fatty sawbellies tends to make FL trout   strong tasting... If you must freeze good size trout, I would   freeze JUST the skinned fillets, and use a vacuum sealer, and they won't be quite as fishy.. Good luck with the rainbows you already have, but if they were mine, they'd probably become fertilizer.. I have had no luck sweetening up "freezer fouled" fish with any cooking method.... bob

I was wondering if anyone has had any luck  catching sawbellies on sabiki rigs in deeper water say 40-50 feet down  over deeper water.. I know they hit the sabiki rigs  when they are spawning near shore, but out in mid lake i see schools of them acres across  and was wondering if they  would hit the rigs in those places.. I don't troll, and I'd like the option of throwing a live sawbelly down 30 or 40 feet while jigging.. I don't like buying them as they are a pain to keep alive once it gets warm out.

Catching a few here and there  on an "as needed" basis makes more sense to me, than buying a dozen for $15 and watching 9 of them drop dead in an hour or two.. Never tried a sabiki in deeper "offshore" water, and am wondering if they work.... bob

 I used to like  it and take a couple trips there each year camping,,, i have no more use for it and will spend my money elsewhere.. They don't seem to need it.

 Familiar with the area.. There is a little park in Ithaca    called East Shore Park... You can fish there as long as there is open water... You can park there as well, and can walk north for miles along the railroad tracks and find plenty of  spots to fish from shore.. Its not "fast" fishing by any means.. a LOT of skunk time, but you never know when a big Landlock, Brown, Laker, Rainbow, or huge Pike will grab your lure and head for the hills,, I have caught some monumental fish there, but you need to put the time and effort it.. I have always liked BIG 1 oz Roostertail spinners, they have been   pretty reliable for me, but spoons such as Cleos and similar are good too,, Weighted Rebels or  Rapalas  are also good, but during high winds often you just won't get the distance.. Lots of guys fish all winter at Taughannock Park as well, and again, there are some big fish caught, and it can happen any time, but  there is a lot of dead time between hits.. Sometimes days on end.. Best bet there, is a big lively sawbelly, under a big slip  bobber, and a pretty long cast.. Guys catch fish there, but its windy, freezing cold in mid winter, and  while you may catch the fish of a lifetime, be prepared to put the time in.. You earn every good fish  you catch from the shore in Cayuga in winter.. I used to do it, and got some great fish, but at 68 now, it has a lost a lot of the appeal it once had.... bob

 This time of year there are always fish to be found from Sheldrake south.. I personally do better on the east side of the lake,  but there's plenty of room for argument  to that opinion.. If I were going I would head to the power plant and stay  between it and a few miles north of it on the east side.. Always some  fish there post spawn... , I would start looking in 50-70 fow...bob

 Gotta  remember-This IS NY after all, and outdoorsmen voting against their best interests is common, so yes, if members here want the leftists in power, by all means, keep the status quo in this very liberal,  very restrictive, rabid anti Second Amendment state, and vote for the radical socialists to stay in power.. Many of us up here will counter, but don't worry, the leftist elites and welfare "gimmes"  in NYC will most likely save the day, and  keep us all  under socialist control... Same as it ever was....

 PM me.. I know a spot where catching 100  in a day is not a problem.. Not many real big one's this year, but still great fun on light tackle.. About 45 minutes from T burg, and its yak friendly... You will be fishing rocks and I would use nothing more that 1/4 oz jigs.. Bring a LOT of them..... bob

On 10/23/2022 at 8:36 PM, Lily 2 said:

I had 2 charters this weekend on cayuga totaling well over 30 fish between the 2 days. Having a fish finder that can give you good information is a must. Also being able to recognize your down speed is most important. I have seen it in recent times where .3 or .5 mph can make all the difference with having a stellar day and having a super slow day. If your marking fish and they aren't bitting something is off with your spread. Keep changing things up until you find what the fish want.

Sent from my SM-G781U using Lake Ontario United mobile app
 

 The OP was discussing jigging, not trolling.. 

"Thanks again and the 50 pound flat head would be a real experience for sure".

 They have been confirmed by the NYS DEC Fisheries Lab in the Susquehanna River..
 Talked to the biologist the other day about the river survey they just completed.. I will post more about it soon.. She had pictures of several smaller/to small mid size ones taken in the river near Sayre, and said they were  100%  certain Flatheads, and not mistaken channel cats.. Problem is they are NOT garbage eaters like channels cats, they are ferocious, active, voracious predators of other fish, and will eat Walleyes and  SMB by the millions.. hopefully they eat Carp, Suckers, Fallfish , Chubs more than they eat gamefish, but to me they are NOT a welcome presence.. Not that simple to catch either, you need big live bait, not  cut bait like channels cats... bob

 Plenty of good fishing in Pa.  right now. Walleyes, SMB, Tigers,Flatheads in the rivers, Stripers in some of the  big impoundments, along with walleyes and Bass.. yeah, you guys don't have the trout and salmon trolling, but we don't have stripers or 50 pound flatheads...

 Personally,  I look more for bait when Laker fishing than for  individual fish.. I have had days when I caught  several fish  staring at  a blank screen, and other times when it was lit up like a Christmas Tree, and never got a sniff... you must remember how lakers are.. they are much more bottom oriented than other salmonids.. A laker a few inches off bottom, might not even show up on the screen...  Browns/Salmon/Rainbows, are more likely to be higher up at the level of the bait pods, following them around and picking them off..Yes lakers do that too of course, but just remember this rule- There are ALWAYS lakers  on bottom, around areas  where there is bait.. Even when trollers are catching them suspended say 50 feet down, some are always on bottom, otherwise us jig guys would catch very few, yet sometimes we do as well as the trollers[maybe even better at times] with lakers... Now the "silvers" that everyone on this forum talks about  and desire, they are less likely to be caught with jigs, simply because the areas they are in are more open, and they will be anywhere from the surface to the depths... Yes lakers do that as well, but all year long  winter and summer,there are ALWAYS some to be caught on bottom .. Rainbows/Salmon/Browns are stream fish that can live in lakes, but are NOT natural there,  and they don't  typically relate  to bottom structure.. lakers are lake fish, and do relate naturally  to  bottom structure more than the others.. Find what they eat[sawbellies] on good bottom, and you'll find lakers... If I were going this week, I would  likely head to AES from the plant itself to a few miles north and start early AM in about 50-60 feet, looking for scattered bait, and see whats around/under  it... Remember, typically if there's bait around, there are usually lakers under them, even if you don't see them on the screen... Myers, and the Park  can also be good this time of year.. Around the  park is always tougher for me because of the steep drops and very unpredictable depths.. You can be fishing in 50 feet, and a wind shift will  find you in 200 feet in 30 seconds... Myers  point, as well as a mile or two north or south will hold lakers as well.. Contrary to popular belief, lakers spawn there as well, and there are always some there  in the fall and winter... Long point, and Sheldrake as well.. let us know how you make out... this time of year I am out in the river fishing for smb and walleyes, and wait a bit until all the lakers are done spawning...

 Lakers are spawning right now in Cayuga.. However they can still be caught when you find them bunched up... Those that are pre spawn, or actively spawning are not eating, but will often hit jigs anyway, maybe out of anger, or seeing the lure near their eggs,, not sure... Also, they start spawning in Cayuga in early sept, so I imagine a percentage of them are already spawned out and are feeding again... Hot spots??... I dunno, anywhere you can find them I suppose, but I will tell you this.. The DEC nets them every year for their eggs and milt which they use to stock many other lakes in the state.. They are always netting  around Taughannock point and up a mile or two south of the point, and down a mile or two south of it, so we know the lakers congregate there this time of year,,, Who knows how many have spawned and gone either north or south by this time?.. I would just try where you have caught them in the past, and see what happens.. Water depths vary, but I know they will go pretty deep during the spawn, I have caught them full of eggs in 100 FOW, but have also caught them full of eggs or milt in shallow water.... Its certainly worth a shot, the weather is supposed to be really nice and who knows how many more chances  you might get this fall ?     bob

On 9/28/2022 at 4:12 PM, Never Ends said:

There are no Perch on Seneca! #Deadlake

 

 Can't comment on Seneca, but I can say for certain that Cayuga, Keuka, and Skaneateles will give up some perch right now.. I would start  outside weed lines, pockets between the weeds, in say 20 feet maybe a bit more or less, depending on the day.. You will also catch big rock bass,  big sunnies[if you use worms], and some LMB, and SMB as well, and in Cayuga and Keuka perhaps  some big pickerel also..

 I had a similar boat, built by a company called CMF.. It was ok, stout little hull, but certainly nothing special.. Looks like it will be a  pretty hard riding hull in a chop, but roomy and  quite stable  when still fishing or drifting as mine was.. It all depends on how much it is, and what you plan to use it for... if you plan on running fast on big rough lakes forget it, its the wrong hull.. Perch fishing, still or drift fishing, casting, a lot of slow trolling, why not?- looks like a nice roomy open hull... If its solid with a good floor and transom, its   fine  for running around in a river or lake setting... These boats were cheaply made by several companies using the same designs, and possible the same molds, using a chopper gun, NOT hand laid glass.. The hull is fine for general use, and will be easy to repair and maintain same as any other fiberglass boat.. If its priced right and suits your needs, grab it, if not there are a million other boats out there that will suit you needs.... bob

12 hours ago, Bozeman Bob said:

Snake oil salesmen . Been putting boats / engines away for over 50 years and have not  fogged and or oiled the cylinders . Never had a issue , engine is only sitting for 6 months and oil resin is on the cylinder walls from normal use .Gas stabilizer takes care of the EFI system. 

correct... Those cyls  will never rust, they are always"oiled", and first thing you do when you start the engine in spring is add more oil with the gas.. I have fogged a few times over the years, but when I don't I lose no sleep over it...

23 hours ago, fisherman21 said:

I bet a bass shiner would work just fine 

Maybe, but there is a reason they still sell sawbellies despite the fact that they die if you look at them the wrong way, and other baitfish are much hardier.. They simply work better for trout... Not saying a trout or salmon won't hit a shiner, but i can't begin to tell you how many times i have seen big trout or salmon  caught by shore fishermen using sawbellies while guys using shiners or fatheads never got a sniff... By the same token I have personally witnessed a huge  Brown caught on a tiny little fathead better suited to catching 7 inch perch... Sawbellies are  what Cayuga trout and salmon eat the most of , they are used to following big schools of them, and they  are simply the best live  bait for trout in the lakes where sawbellies are the predominant food source... bob

 A minnow?? Depends on what you mean by a minnow..   a fathead or shiner?... maybe but I have my doubts... Those are not what trout are used to eating when roaming deep water... They key on sawbellies this time of year... If you get some live sawbellies and send one down, yes, they will get hit no question if its in the zone and if the fish are eating.

  Does  the 4.3  start and  run well?... Is the outdrive functional and in decent shape?.... If so, why  do anything at all?... the OMC engine  is a plain old 4.3 GM motor at heart,  slightly  modified for mari;ne use of course, but parts are readily available and not expensive .. A rebuilt OMC 4.3  engine with a 2 year warranty is available for $2,700 shipped.. The Cobra outdrive itself has a few different variations, but for the foreseeable future  parts should not be a problem,, I even saw a totally rebuilt  unit from a dealer for 2K$ on ebay.. Used ones in good shape seem to be common and very  reasonably priced ... Yes the Merc is more common, and considered more desirable, but  unless both the engine and outdrive are shot why  replace everything?  First thing I would do before I spent a nickel "upgrading" is finding out exactly what I was dealing with concerning the condition of the engine and outdrive already installed.

The GM 4.3 was actually a VERY good very reliable engine used in pickups, SUV's for many years.

oh and by the way,The Merc 4.3 and the OMC 4.3 are the same engine at heart, a plain old  4.3 chevy.  

Find out whats good before you do anything, and then consider simply replacing bad components after that...  Both the OMC  4.3 engine  and the Cobra outdrives are  readily available rebuilt and suprisingly cheap...