Robert Benner

Hello Mower: That is awesome, nice landlock! Next year you won't have to work Monday through Friday after around April, good things are coming back to us regular people as long as you believe it is coming! Splitshot if you read this I cannot make the tourney on the 19/20 do to a local barn party that happens every two years, sorry. I will be up soon and let you know when, closed on the land near Ithica last Tuesday. Rob

Hello Splitshot: I do not know the site number off hand, just look for the white boat and come say Hi, all is good. Thanx. Rob

Hello CDGN Troller: I may have an extra seat for you I am still waiting to here from one friend who may have some work issues? I am a first timer for the event and may even fish only two riggers do to the fleas? I own the Idaho boat called the Remedy and it can hold 6 with ease and troll six lines if needed. I just do not take it to seriously anymore if that is okay? I am camping at Meyers Thursday thru Sat night and my phone number is 610-507-6547. Thanx. Rob

Hello: I have caught many splake in Maine over the years, that does not quite look like one, not saying it is not, but most likely a small laker, otherwise a nice splake. Splake have more of an initial brook trout look to them, spots are also tighter and have a little more color to them, your son really looks happy either way, good job. Rob

Hello Splitshot: Thanx. for the info. I was up over the Holiday and trolled a little and only got 1 decent LL and one decent Brownie. Someone ought to put some WD 40 on RR to loosen up his rain on the trophy. I will be up in a few weeks and let you know how I did? Thanx. Rob P.S. I vote for Chowder, he has the best name out there!

Hello Splitshot: I have a site for that weekend at Meyers, do you want my wife to make some deserts or something? I am really not much of a drinker anymore, but my fishing buddy will throw some down. Can I bring anything else? The fishing seems to be slow on the lake this year, is this true? Thanx. Rob

Hello: keuka Lake has a ton of small to medium Lakers in her as well as some nice sized smallies and an occ. Brown, Salmon and Rainbow(these are native now). You can get to the Lakers and such by way of 15 lb. test lead core line trolled at a slow speed down between 4-8 colors in the Summa to get you to and below the Thermocline. Use spoons or Yozuri plugs and or Lucky Craft(my favorite) and troll in zig zags and stop and start some times also. Fish between 6-11 am. and 4-8 pm. Have fun. You could also jig or still fish sawbellies or just get a small on board downrigger, it is worth the coin. Rob

Hey Rusty: Was that the little salmon river at Meyers Point? Nice trout by the way, good to see some H2O in the creek. Rob

The LS in kueka most likely are not really there,, they all morfed to Ontario when the Lake Trout took control! If there are any they like it slightly warmer, just above the thermocline in the summa. Rob

Sorry to hear your stuck up at the other end? You could try off of the bluffs where it drops of and such, zig zag around in that area and keep changing your speeds. I have a new boat now called the Remedy and it has a throne on it for these special occasions. Good Luck, Rob

Yes Dave, do try the south end where the creek enters and over to the motel that Ralph owns, Hammondsport I think is the name? Three years ago my father and I landed a nice Salmon off of the motel on lead core and a crystal minnow yozuri 3-4" length I believe? He had to take a dump after that catch so we headed in to the motel, half an hour later we were back out at it and the old bastard had the lead core go off and battled the female brown head to head for about 15 minutes, all the while impressing the swimmers at the town beach. After that catch he had to crap again, I think he is still on the thrown as I right this now? Whenever that guy fishes around his B-Day he hits pay dirt, the rest of the year he is in a coma or such. There is a picture in the motel lobby of some kid holding a 19lb. laker taken with a worm out of that lake, now day's you need to put five fish together to get that size. Sorry to bore you here, I am working on a fishing book called Trout Tails for kids and guess I am practicing on this site? Any how good luck, by the way I most always catch the brownies between 3-4 colors out. Rob(sometimes The Remedy)

Hello Dave: The Browns are probably hiding in Lake Ontario. I have fished Keuka a lot over the past few years and have managed one 12 lb Brownie and nothing else in that species. I try like hell to get anything but those dink Lakers, seems though they have pretty much taken over the lake and food supply for that matter. Browns also spook easy and with all the summer traffic on the lake you had better get out there in the early am! I did manage a 10 lb Bow on election day last year in the lake, this only after landing about 20 or so of those famous 18-22" forked tail predators. If you want a big Brown here give the stick baits a shot and work them hard, it is very diff. to entice the older Browns, they become masters of their domain. On another note they are the hardest species of all salmonoids to get to bight on a regular basis, maybe try lead core line and streamer flies, this is how I used to bag a lot of them in Maine when I was younger and did not know as much, hah. Good Luck, Rob P.S. Try Cayuga and fish the bottom structure areas's, this can produce some good Browns

Hello Lava: I run usually only spoons and lucky craft or yozuri plugs. You cannot beat the action of a plug back 50-100' trolling fast and then turning and stopping, let is sink or float and back to speed again. This usually is how I catch my larger fish? You can have the same effect with mid to large sized spoons just keep them tighter to the ball since they will sink faster. For really large fish which spook easy , try the 4-5" lucky craft american shad pointers(floater) back about 150' or so off of a 12 lb. ball then work it, even lift the ball up and down some footage, this drives the smarter fish crazy, sometimes they hit? Nothing beats the fight of a 10 lb salmonoid on a rigger set up with the right poles and line. Good Luck, Rob Remember, always try new stuff, do not be a sheep let to slaughter

Hey Mitch: Do you think maybe this issue could be the lack of rain in the Fall and the inability of the fish to get up the creeks to spawn at that time? Everything in our world now is screwed up, my native plants bloom during the wrong seasons. Let me know if you ever catch a brown in the spring with eggs in her? Thanx. Rob

Hey Splitshot will any of these fish take a prize? Rob

Splitshot: Most likely coming up to fish on Thursday mid morning and staying until Sunday or Monday. When do you think I should contact Meyers so that I have a site reserved? Should I take a large fish out of the freezer for the Tourney, thaw it, stuff alewive down its throat , make it look new and present it at the weigh in? They have some really nice Bow's down here at Whole Foods Market, what size do I need to help my chances? Thanx. Rob

I think there could be a debate here , if the top fish was a winter brown. Sometimes you can barely tell these fish apart. I fish in Maine sometimes and some of the lakes have both landlocks and browns and you can hardly tell the difference, except during spawn. One time some guy caught what he thought was the lake record landlock, only to be denied by the state biologist. You can also look inside and note the teeth, there would be a big difference there as well as the fins, tail, and head, body shape. This is one of the special things about fishing in the Finger Lakes, the variety is awesome. Down here in PA we don't have many lakes and really none except Raystown with such variety. Splitshot, what time do you guys launch at Meyers for the tourney in July? I will be camping there and would like to help out if possible? Thanx. Rob

Hello Nice Fish: Yes that top one is a Rainbow. Look at the mouth and tail and you can see the diff. When the water is cold this fish look more like each other, as it warms their true colors show through more, much like us after the weather breaks and a few beers flow.

Hello Ray: You must be one die hard or a crazy son of a ****? Thanx..for the report, stay warm. The Remedy!

Hello Splitshot: I vote for the 18nth, less flees cooler water. Thanx. Rob

Hello Splitshot: I hope to be around this year to compete with all you local guys and your endless knowledge? I say the results from last year and it looks like a good tourney? Since I am a self health guy and eat mostly organic could you let me know if I can contribute somehow to the after party? My boat is "The Remedy" and she had some good success last year, even got a mountable Rainbow out of Keuka on election day. When would you need the entry fee and such? Thanx. Rob Benner

A lake trout chop is when you either take a steak hatchet to the flesh or as they limply thrash about and unspin as they approach the boat. Just too many of these fish in the lakes especially Kueka! On a real note salmon like the cover of chop or prop wash probably cause this throws the bait fish off of line and they become more likely to be obtained at that point? The Remedy(when she floats)

Did fish down towards Ithica on Thursday, nothing to mention though but weeds and flee's. Also worked the lake on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday with min. luck. Fish we caught were fat with lockjaw. Had better success up around power plant, lost a nice Bow and caught a 4 lb. LL and some decent Lakers and a few hangers, dinks, shakers, etc. Spoons with purple and pink did all the damage, down at varying depths all below 40' though. Lack of H2O is hurting the pre spawn feeding frenzy, the lake seems to be on hold just waiting, much like my work. The Remedy

Hello Sean: Nice fish, bet it jumped all over? Was that on a rigger and fresh for you? The Remedy