bulletbob

Like too many other lakes in central NY, Keuka is ringed with development... All that ""progress"" is never good for any fishery anywhere.. Too many fish taken and eaten over too long a period is one problem, and habitat degradation is another.. Does anyone REALLY think all that lawn and garden fertilizer, pesticides, dog crap,Farm effluent, septic seepage from hundreds of houses, just goes away?.. No it goes into the lake.. Skaneateles is similar.. Water was as clean as Gin year round.. No weeds.. Now, there are weeds everywhere, and the lake is green.... Thats what happens when lakes are turned over to individuals for development... I don't see much hope for a better future either.... These lakes are getting over run, and although they are big, they are still sensitive...

I dunno, warm water discharges in cold climates[like ours!] usually help and not hurt the fishing, no matter where they are placed.. Personally I think algae blooms we are seeing more and more of are not caused by too much warm water,, They are caused by too much **** dumped into the lakes.. Houses with their septic systems, lawn fertilizer, dogs, cats etc, and farms are engulfing the Finger Lakes... Too many people living on the lakes, too many massive farms with millions of tons of ****, organic debris and fertilizer going in... It will never stop either because people paid big money for these "rights" .. To use the lakes as they see fit....to live on and work the surrounding land etc.. NY is making big money from these lakes... Do you REALLY think they care if the fishing suffers???? please..... bob

some nice shoulders on the Pickerel

I typically clip off one hook on any trebles I am using, regardless of lure type, or method of fishing.. Never in all my years have I noticed a decline in hookups vs. hits over trebles, and release is SO much easier, with less handling of the fish, and a lot less damage to the mouth.. I look over all my lures well and if the trebles are of good quality, I clip one point off each treble and call it good.. If the trebles are crap, I take them off and simply replace them with a better quality treble sometimes with a slightly larger size from what originally came with the lure, and clip off one point/barb... I know a lot of guys replace trebles with a single Siwash style hook, but personally I find 2 points superior to a single hook when it comes to hookup rates,, YMMV..... bob

I give credit to those that can catch any fish at all in water thats 33-34 degrees.. I was never any good at it... I still use small swimming plugs, as we did for decades, but these days it seems guys that troll with streamers catch more fish in very cold water... I have no idea where to even buy good streamers for trolling in the Finger lakes, or what patterns to use.. Maybe someone can enlighten me?... Are these run with a split shot or two to get them down a few feet?.. Are they weighted?.. I have caught fish trolling hair/marbou jigs in the past, but I am sure streamers would be a lot better... no idea how to get started.... bob

With the forecast, had to give it a try after reading some good reports.. When I got to the ramp at Taughannock, I was shocked.. Lines to get in to the ramp at daybreak, in 28 degree weather.. It was packed!... All the docks and bulkheads in the park were railed as well! The water at the ramp is really low, and I mean a foot deep, maybe 18 inches at best,- almost up to the footbridge. Guys with power tilt were ok, barely, but had to go really slow.. In my 14 footer with a 30 HP without tilt 2 stroke, I had to paddle almost to the bridge before I could go under power... Fishing was dead for me and everyone I talked to or saw... Water was 33 degrees , and the highest I recorded anywhere was 34.8... Thats a tiny tick above ice. Steady south wind with caps, bright sunny bluebird skies.. Not my favored conditions,, Bright sun, white caps and ice water.. I know some guys can clean up and have a great day in those conditions , but not me... Tons of guys fishing everywhere, in boats and from shore.. Looked like a May day when the trout are being caught everywhere... Despite the nice day, it was cold on the lake even after the sun was high.. Strong breeze across 33 degree water will do that I suppose... Most guys were using planers, did not see any boats using their downriggers.. I ran 2 flatlines, hundreds of feet back which usually works ok for me... I am not a big troller, and typically only do it when the fish are shallow, and can be caught flatlining or casting.. Anyway, it was good to get out as they say, but I think I will wait a few weeks until the south end turns on a little bit... bob

I dunno, the creeks and rivers around me are at the very tops of their banks and threatening to spill over.. Mostly due to snow melt. . Cayuga Lake is very low, I agree, but thats due to seasonal drawdown, not lack of rain... We had a LOT of snow this winter, and in many areas there is still plenty on the ground, and the ground everywhere is saturated. I wont worry about droughts just yet...

I called, emailed DEC 7 several times, left messages, but they aren't working at the office, working from home I was told, and they can't be bothered taking the time to reply.. I envy the fact that you are aware of areas that are holding fish.. I personally have no idea where to go as my section of the rive is mostly ice floes, floating masses of slush and no fishing access due to the depth of the snow, even if the river itself was clear enough to fish.. Obviously, there are some sections that still hold fish if they are getting that much pressure at this time of year..I have not seen a fisherman down here in 3 months.... bob

I moved here in 1991, and learned about the Smelt runs within the 1st year or two... Love to eat Smelt, so went and bought a net... Just as I was ready to get started I kept hearing about the great downturn in the fishery.. Went a few times, never saw anyone with more than few, and lost interest... Basically was the "you should have been here 10 years ago" type of thing... Oh well, missed out... Maybe they'll come back, but with the Goby infestation, I have my doubts..

pretty much closed out the year this past week, -couple of trips without a hit last week or so.. Not even one fish the entire fall, and caught just one fish this spring a month before the season opened-[returned to the water of course], and I think one short this spring, maybe two. That only keeper size fish was a VERY nice 28 incher. Glad some guys are still catching fish in the river, but for me, I have never seen anything like this.. Went from catching hundreds of fish every fall years ago, to not even one this fall, and I think 3 last fall. I have also not seen even one other fisherman Walleye fishing the river since early October, so others are having a similar experience to mine I would imagine.... bob