bulletbob

 Very different deal, I agree...  Wish hemlock was closer, it looks  like a terrific lake... Cayuga is way over developed these days , inundated with McMansions, cabins, yacht clubs,parks, camps,businesses, farms, etc...

 I agree with much of what you wrote, but as I said, there are always Bass in shallow water  say  I dunno, maybe 4 to 8 feet  not far from shore.. IF, there is shade, cover, and food.. In cayuga the years when I fish in the depth of summer, I catch BIG LMB  mid day, under and close to docks with live bait.. Not small bass at all..  big healthy ones.. They won't touch a lure, at least not for me, but live bait or even a big nightcrawler always gets them.. go 5 feet away from the dock and forget it.. Nothing there.. They are under the docks, or around holes in weed beds in the shade say under a large  tree near the bank...  Shade is very important mid summer... They will dart out from the shade  a few feet to grab something, but thats where they sit,, Right under the structure providing the shade and cover... bob

 Used to love Sampson... No longer go there.. It has been absolutely ruined  by  whoever/whatever  runs it these days....

 Lots of gas stations have them... Should be no problem finding them on the way.. just ask,  some don't display them... In the Deans Cove area, if you are using worms/bobbers, you are going to catch mostly gobies these days if there is stony/pebbly bottom around.. They are ferocious, I actually gave up trying to do that fishing In cayuga , maybe you  will have better luck,  but in some places, you don't see anything else close to shore  if fishing with worms...

 its everywhere.. there are huge  cabin cruisers on autopilot going full throttle in some places, guys not even looking at what might be ahead, too busy drinking beer, and guys running flat out in heavy fog because they have radar, side scan etc...  I haven't had my boat out on a weekend in decades.. If I take my boat out, its  typically  on a weekday from sept to may.. once the yahoos are out there, i'm AWOL...

3 hours ago, SWATMedic said:

couldn't agree more....spent a lot of time of both lakes, Cayuga has far better fishing and less boats.

Might be interesting to see  how the Fulton Chain Lakes fish say after October or something.. When the tourists are gone it might be a lot better... Still probably wouldn't match what we have in  central NY,, Not worth the drive to me...

Yeah I would take the Finger  Lakes over the Fulton Chain any day.. For all types of fishing.. That IS a nice Pike  in your picture though!    That area has just become way too "touristy" for my  taste.. better fishing  close to home IMHO....

 Yet this very site is packed full of fishermen that live and breathe fishing  tournaments of all types, and participate in every one they can with great  anticipation.. Get hundreds of  very good fishermen out there for days at a time, all  hooking  and handling a ton of fish, and you get lots and lots of dead fish.. pretty simple really.  I would  hope some of the "competitive fishermen" out there might re think their love to compete for a very vulnerable resource .  The fish  simply have few and fewer places to hide in the modern age of ultra high tech everything and are as fragile as ever.......

Yeah, not cool calling people nasty names.. Look, some guys do well on lakes when others don't- its really that simple... Me personally, I don't troll,  but  I do jig a lot, and like to bait fish as well.. To me, Seneca is a pathetic shadow of what it was at one time... there was a long period of time when I fished Seneca over Cayuga simply because i caught more and bigger fish there.. Last few years I don't even bother.. The water looks bad compared to what it looked like at one time, with sickly looking algae and slime  near shore.. I used to catch  wonderful  big panfish  from the shore there all summer,, No longer... last few years trying  i didn't even get a bite.. Nowadays I fish Cayuga for Salmonids and  Skaneateles for panfish and Bass.  I think the wineries, huge farms, and rampant development in some places has hurt all the Finger Lakes.. Too much organic material going in is my very uneducated guess... I am just seeing weeds and  gloppy l looking algae in places it had never been...  Still, some guys are happy with the fishing and doing very well, so  who is to say if any lake is "dead"... if guys are tearing it up  fishing on a lake, its certainly not dead. right?

 I know where you are coming from, I fished salt all my life... I have tried teasers when jigging lakers and it just never seemed to help much... Can't say why.but fresh water fish don't react the way salt water fish do... Fresh water fish of all species are less aggressive and more "spooky" than saltwater fish.. Salt water fish hit a teaser often more than the main jig, and sometimes you'll even get doubles..   It doesn't really  work the same way with fresh water fish.. Last time out, I was watching my jig sink toward bottom on the sonar,, and I would jig it once or twice, and there were fish everywhere flying around it, but simply would not hit it, or I would get a  quick little bump and thats it... If those were blues/stripers/weaks/fluke/sea bass/or any other salt water predator, they would  smash it, not swarm around it and then take off.. From my experience. the teaser on a jig in fresh water seems to spook the fish more than entice them to hit/.. Others may disagree and have had better luck... Its just never worked for me in fresh the way it does in salt, so much so that I gave up trying. long ago.... bob

 Er umm.. If Alewives are such a bad food  source for Atlantics, why do they  do so well in Cayuga???. Thats  about all they eat there..They get big and look healthy.

. Or are we talking strictly the  effect on reproduction of Atlantics which I understand...bob

https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/88077.html
 

 Not sure this helps much... If I were going  there I would run smaller lures than you might on cayuga.. I do know the fish there don't typically run as large as  in the FL.. I have been there, and remember the water being highly colored by tannin, and with a sand  bottom inshore.  i don't remember much  in the way of weeds, rocks, structure, but its been a long time... There is some deep water in the main basin of the lake... I am sure others have fished it more extensively  than I have, and can give better information... All i can say is when I was up there, I was unimpressed by the fishing compared to the Finger Lakes, but of course, I knew nothing about  how, when ,where etc... let us know how you make out, I'm very interested..  bob

 I  suppose  it depends on if you are looking for smallmouths or largemouths... I read something years ago, and it has always held true..
 

"There are ALWAYS some bass in shallow water"... I agree 100%

 However, on the Finger Lakes the opposite is true.. there are also always some bass that will follow the schools of bait that is readily available to them in some of the Finger Lakes... So in some of the big giant lakes full of  alewives, you might see bass in 50 FOW.. I have caught them there... However, they are also lurking under docks  in the bright noonday sun in mid August.. Caught them there too.. Big ones...
 

 Me  personally, if I were to be given a fortune for going out  to catch some big bass, and HAD to  catch fish, I would go to the  Northern 1/3 of Cayuga, and toss the biggest live baitfish I could find under and around the hundreds and hundreds of docks... There are always big bass there this time of year, and often won't touch a lure especially mid day... Toss a big live shiner though, and they can't resist... Been there done that... bob

 I doubt there will ever be really good walleye fishing in Skaneateles.. Yes they are there, I have never caught one, and many others haven't as well... The habitat is not right.. Its a deep cold lake without a big forage base, and I would think that rules out a lot of walleyes suspended on bait that would be a good target for trollers.. Also yes, Walleyes are predators, and might eat  small Lakers/Rainbows/Bass/perch/whatever, but the opposite is also true. A  finger size  walleye is a good  meal for  a LOT of other fish... just look at cayuga. There have been walleyes there for many decades... Try catching one... Most catches are incidental, and often the fish are large..  I have no doubt that on skinny, there are some areas that might hold catchable numbers of Walleyes, and even a few quiet guys that know when, where, how,  on what and which color the fish can be caught. However, I think a lot of the hysteria we saw  on this forum when Walleyes were confirmed in Skinny, was a huge over reaction.. Just because a fish exists in a lake doesn't mean you will ever catch one... Cayuga has White Bass, Bowfin, Eels, Walleyes, Channel cats, and probably a dozen other species  of which very few are ever seen let alone caught... I think the Walleyes in Skinny will be that type of deal- talked  about, maybe even worried about by some, but not a major player in the fishery.. The habitat and forage base isn't right. There are Pickerel in Skaneateles as well, and I have never seen one of those either.   If you want walleyes,  i would think there are much better options....bob

 Myers Point as well, on the east side of the lake... Just north of the point typically has Lakers in around 60 FOW .. Possibly a bit deeper by now, but early morning thats about where I start, and then go deeper as  the day moves on.. Last time out the lakers hit VERY early, I mean just as the sun was coming out, they were active and taking a swipe at anything, and then  I don't think I got a hit after about 7 am, although I did catch a nice Brown on top while trolling back to the ramp in bright sun... anywhere between Myers north to  Long Point and beyond on the east side of the lake holds lakers, that can be jigged from a yak...  Gotta watch  the wind.. It can go from flat to whitecaps in a matter of just a very few minutes mid lake...

54 minutes ago, Sk8man said:

Bob the spot mentioned is not even 50 feet from one side to the other, right out in the open directly next to a main highway within clear sight of anyone passing in cars. It already has way too much pressure on it. We didn't even fish it this year for that reason. Crappies like perch are very vulnerable in the Spring and there aren't all that many in there anyway anymore. The ones we have caught there in the past have been released for that reason.

 Understood.. I was just being a Richard head... NY just isn't a great state for crappies, outside of a few large productive  lakes, and the finger lakes  are not really all that well suited for them.. they exist, yes, but are in isolated pockets, and  the  times when they are catchable are fleeting.. Never really understood all the mania over Crappies  anyway... Perch are as good or better eating, easier to find and catch, and there are a LOT more of them... Same thing with big Sunnies... easy to find and catch, lots of them and one of the best fish to eat, yet  no one much fishes for them... I do... Yes I would love a lake full of big Crappies not too far from home, but not sure one exists.. the lakes i know that have Crappies  are hit HARD and it was almost impossible to catch a keeper when the size limit was 9 inches,  Now at 10 inches it IS impossible... I understand where you are coming from... bob

2 hours ago, Sk8man said:

I have no idea what folks are thinking when they give out small spots than can be fished out in a hour or so if the fish happen to be there. I like giving out useful info as the  next guy but the Internet is a double edged sword and can be very destructive of small limited fishing spots. In these cases people need to get off their butts and physically explore areas for potential spots . This type of fishing is not anything like lake trolling etc. and places can easily be ruined by too much fishing pressure on them sometimes in a single day.

 yeah, but not if  only the guys "in the know"  fish it right??.. Even if there are 50 guys "in the know"...

 said it before.. On this board, guys will tell you boat speed, lure type and color,depth the fish are holding , water temp and  depth,  lake or river in question, time of day, and exact spot when discussing Trout/salmon trolling... When the discussion is about Crappie and Perch [to a lesser extent,some guys will share perch info] you don't hear much.. good Crappie fishing is tough to come by and  with the new 10 inch minimum its even tougher, most guys that are in the know tend to clam up.

 Here in Cayuga Lake, the SMB fishing was insane as well, for years.. I can remember fishing in early summer with my young at the time kids, with worm/bobber for big fat Bluegills,Pumpkinseeds,Rock bass,Yellow perch, and huge bass would constantly hit little pieces of washed out garden worm until it was an annoyance! they were disturbing our panfishing!.. They were everywhere, and they were big those SMB.. They were even caught in dead of winter by guys shoreline casting for Trout/LL salmon.

Then one  spring day I think in 2008, I saw the entire surface of the lake covered with dead SMB, Rock Bass,Perch, Carp, Suckers, Bullheads, Pike, Pickerel, even a walleye and a White Bass... I recall the dead fish were piled so deep on the beach at Taughannock Park, a bucket loader was needed to remove them...  The lake at that time was already compromised by Zebra mussels, and then shortly thereafter the Goby disaster unfolded, and as a result I have not caught a single  SMB in Cayuga Lake in well over 10 years.. In some areas of that lake I don't even see sunfish or rock bass any longer, in spots where we used to catch them by the hundreds... I know they are still in the lake, but probably only a small percentage of what was in the lake historically... Its not discussed here, because this site  is 95% dedicated to trolling for salmonids, but between VHS, Gobies, and mussles, cayuga fish populations have been decimated in some areas.. Trout are doing fine because they are open water species and are augmented by stocking, but  may other fisheries have been hit very hard, especially at the south end of the lake..  I used to  catch so many big SMB there it was insane.. It got so bad, I simply stopped fishing for them  in cayuga...

 Fish are fish and they do what they want when they want.. Sometimes they just don't hit  period-even when conditions/weather/time/temperature are perfect... Many years ago, I caught 26 Walleye, all legal size,]orl] standing on the same rock at 3PM in the afternoon, on a very sunny, warm early September day, in maybe 5 or  6 feet of water... those Walleye had NO business being there at that time of day, in that kind of bright sun, in water that warm and shallow.. Yet there they were, and would hit ANYTHING I threw at them, large or small, instantly.. Never happened before that wonderful  day, never happened again...  I don't really understand fish, and I have been at this for over 60 years, since I was a little kid... Every single time I think I have it all figured out with ANY fish, they make a monkey out of me,,,  As the old saying goes, "thats why they call it fishing, not catching"... bob

 I would  use hardwood dowels as the  others, but have found NOTHING as strong  as plain old  JB Weld...Hard as a rock,and seals perfectly.. Paints over easily as well...

 also, they can be disgusting to eat once the water warms up,, I find them inedible in some lakes, and quite good in  others.. They are a LOT better to eat in spring than in summer in a lot of places.. \

I can't say where it is,  as it would get hammered relentlessly if word got out,but I know of a  small public lake that regularly gives up truly massive bullheads of to 3 pounds-18 to 20 inches... Not a  numbers type of pond,  never caught more than 2 or 3 in a day, usually one or none,but the ones  in there are the biggest I have ever seen in NYS.... bob

 Another tip... Use dead minnows,  dead sawbellies or cut bait from suckers ,chubs etc.  or pieces of store bought shrimp instead of worms.. The little sunnies and 4 inch perch tend not to bother those baits as much... Some places its not a problem, but in some spots the sunnies. perch, shiners, etc, etc will drive you crazy... they don't bother cut bait as much  as worms and bullheads love it...

 here's a group of guys from NJ, that don't even know Oneida  lake , and had  simply spectacular fishing.. Not sure how they did it but the pics don't lie....

https://www.njfishing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=117801

13 hours ago, ifishy said:

Not defending a bad mechanic but engine technology has come a long way. A 15 year vetern learned on engines from the late 90s and beyond so older stuff is not what there used to there is good money in working for dealers which is lots of work on newer engines and certifications on specific brands there is none of that around for Johnson now marine mechanics are in demand and there are not a lot so they can be very picky and charge a ton for labor it is upsetting but as long as they are up front I can respect that. Taking the work than not doing the repair is BS though and charging for an unfixed issue well just typing that sets off anger issues

Sent from my XT1080 using Lake Ontario United mobile app
 

 I was an ASE master auto  tech for many years.. I had to work on every conceivable oddball car or truck that came through the door.. A LOT of what I did was stuff I had never touched seen or even heard of.. You made calls, got specs, tech literature or in later years, computer files,  took your wrench in hand and did the repair.. I guess I am just getting old.... In any case, there ARE guys out there that would be happy to do the work, might just need to do some searching... bob