ac holmes

I caught a LL today, about 3 or 4#s that had a lot of little red pimple/blisters all over. Never saw anything like that before. Should have got a picture but put that guy back in the water quick. Anybody seen that before?

From what I hear, the fishing on Cayuga has been very good but the weeds and fleas are quite a challenge. My friends on Lake Ontario are having a bumper year. That may be the best fresh water fishery in the world. I had very little trouble with weeds on Seneca yesterday and virtually no fleas at all. The wind blows the weeds around, so with a little clever thinking about yesterday, you can usually manage the weeds. The fleas have a mind of their own. Fishing in the weeds and fleas does not interest me very much so I have been laying low lately, and taking my charter customers (if they agree) for a boat ride instead of a fishing trip (too hot anyway for trolling). If they pay for a boat ride and they get a boat ride, what's not to like? If, on the other hand, they pay for a fishing trip and spend a few hours watching me struggle with weeds and fleas and making excuses, for a few fish if we are lucky, makes the folks feel a little grumpy. I am booking trips into September and October for fishing on Seneca when the fishing is fabulous, usually, and for the hearty fisherfolk, November and December is the best of all. I am going to fish later today (sunset) is weather permits and will post this evening.

3 to 5 miles North of Watkins. I usually start out in Watkins and fish North until I find some action. Today it was pretty good around Salt Pt. but sometimes I will fish 10-12 miles North. Earlier this summer, the South end was pretty dead so I would run up to Lodi to fish (20 miles). The lake is full of fish, but there is a lot of water in Seneca Lake and those fish have tails and they do move around.

I fished alone this AM on the West side, South end and caught quite a few (10 or 12) smallish salmon. Lost one 5# fish at the net. Bite stopped around 10AM. Most were legal and I kept 2 for dinner. All spoon bite, green, orange and white "Laker Taker" from Wal Mart. I have caught a lot of fish on that particular lure, it's kinda long and slender and quite heavy, almost like a jig. All the LLs were around 60 feet down in 50-52 degree water, and I was trolling 2.5 to 2.8 mph at the ball. Some of these fish were on the downrigger and others on a 300 foot copper setup that I first fished with today. Works great...I like the idea a lot, but without 5:1 or 6:1 retrieve reel, it would be tedious, I think. No pictures...

Try connecting with this group...they may have some suggestions. http://easternbrooktrout.org/

Dry Run headwaters right, Ray? I remember at the very highest ground you could see the springs gushing out of the hillside. I flipped a log over looking for worms and found a whopper of a timber rattler, one summer's day. I have not been back there for a long time...been in CA for 25 years, but may check it out this fall. I used to get a Brookie once in awhile in the creek that runs down through Moreland into the "basin" in Montour Falls. Still some big browns in that one...I mean big, like 4 or 5 pounds. I once caught a small native Brookie in Hector Falls creek which I used to fish a lot for Browns. Cranberry Creek in Texas Hollow has still got them, but it is all posted now. I used to get a bigger thrill with finding the tiny native fish than catching other kinds of bigger trout. Catherine Creek headwaters still has a few close to the big springs near the holding point. In the fall when they spawn, the males are colored up so they look like tropical fish...what a hoot to find those fish.

Native Brook Trout's virtual extinction in this part of NYS is a sad thing. I used to know where there were a few around Watkins Glen, 40-50 years ago, but doubt they are still in those places. I once caught a 15 inch 2 pounder in Hornby NY, above Beaver Dams. The disappearance of these beautiful little fish is the measure of our disregard for the natural world, as in the example described. Too bad.

I fished with "Dangerous Dave" in my boat a full day on Sat and 1/2 day day, Sun. We fished the South end from Watkins to Peach Orchard Pt. and boated several smaller LLs and lakers...nothing of any size at all. We fished hard and effectively with spoons, wire divers, SD and flies and in desperation late today I pounded the bottom with a Pflueger #4, old style way of fishing, and took one small Laker. We found 48-52 degree water at 40-50 feet and marked many, many fish and tons of bait. The marks were almost all at the 30-60 feet level and we watched a few "streakers" take a run at in our offerings off the downriggers, but no bites. I marked a few of what I think were quite large fish, but no bites. The good news is the new boat fishes very well...the Auto Helm holds a good course with a stiff breeze on the nose and the lobster style "downeast" hull dry and indifferent to the Seneca Lake chop. Here are a few shots of TARA TOO before I fitted her out for charter fishing..

We did OK today on the S end (5 to 10 miles). 5 for 7, two fat lakers 5lb. range and 3 small, but legal LLs. All spoon bite (4 inch gold and green) on riggers down 50 Feet in cold water (48 degrees). 2 hard hits on dipsy spin Dr. / fly setup but no hook ups. Marked some bait, not much compared to a few days ago, but didn't mark any fish even though we caught a few. Wifey took some photos and I will post some later.

Penn Yan boats are terrific...no question about it. However, any moisture that enters a fiberglass box stringer with a wood core, Penn Yan boats included, cannot ever dry and will eventually cause the wood to rot. If one looks carefully at the construction of this genre boat, often the weep holes, or "limbers" are not perfectly sealed as well as other places where the "waterproof" stringer box has been compromised with fasteners, wiring, etc. I have an essentially new Eastern 27 and have some water in the bilge all the time from two stuffing boxes dripping. I know that some moisture will eventually get into the stringers and will cause the boat to loose integrity. The stringer core is quarter sawn, select, kiln dried Douglas Fir beams of the highest quality. Douglas Fir like that is tremendously strong and durable, but will rot fast if it cannot dry out. It will not be a real problem for 20 years or so, but eventually they will rot because eventually some moisture will get in, even if it is through hairline stress cracks caused by running hard in a seaway. Some boats are now being built with pressure treated wood cores, or done without any wood at all and that is an excellent idea. Everything mentioned above about stringers is even more true for transoms because of screws, bolts, scuppers, etc., etc.

Interesting article http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/lakemich/Alewife ... istory.pdf

Thanks Ray, That is a very interesting phenomenon that you describe. I am sure that those currents have a lot to do with the eco system of the lake and also a lot to do with fish feeding habits. Do you have any ideas about what causes the currents? A couple of other things that some knowledgable friends have commented on regarding the lake: 1) A fellow from England fishes with me quite a lot and he swears that the gulls will show where the bait is and the trout and salmon will often be beneath the bait, just like in the ocean. He claims that he heads for the gulls and it pays off, especially in the early AM. 2) Another friend has worked at Cargill Salt Plant for 30+ years and he explained to me that Cargill pays a fine if their effluent "warm water" is too warm regarding differential with lake temperature. A strong North wind warms the water enough so that they sometimes slow production rather than pay the fine. A strong South wind pulls cold water up from the bottom and they do not worry about differential temperature. I remember as a child that swimming was warmer with a north wind and colder with a south wind a lakeside park.. I suspect that the opposite is true on the north end.

As mentioned, I have been getting my new boat ready and discovered that speed over ground (gps) is quite different than the speed at Cannon's intellitroll probe. Trolling North today my SOG was 2.6mph or so and probe speed was 1.8-2.0mph suggesting at least .5mph current moving north, if the intelitroll is accurate. I think it is because, trolling home, moving South, the converse was true...the probe was giving me + .3-.5mph greater than SOG. I wonder if others have noticed this heavy current in Seneca?

Thanks for the info guys, As mentioned earlier, I am getting my boat sorted out and practicing how to deploy and retrieve rigs and tackle, without too much trouble. I did manage to put a Big Weenie hook into my leg and had to push it through and cut it off...better than coffee for getting your mind focused. It is certainly true that my self training has not been interrupted by many fish striking. I have some sophisticated electronics and know how to use them, and am convinced that it is true (as Sean suggests) that the "fish" have moved out of the South end of Seneca, for the summer at least. Lots and lots of bait today, and the water is 52-55 degrees at 40-50 feet (it was 42 degrees yesterday) but very few fish, that I was able to see in 5 miles of South end water, both sides. The good news is the way my new 27 footer trolls. It is a full inboard with a 5.7 Mercruser with a 9.9 Honda kicker mounted on the swim platform, remotely controlled from the helm. The RayMarine X-5 sport controls the big barn door rudder and with the 9.9 locked dead ahead I am able to use the autohelm very well down to 2 mph on the kicker. Of course the autohelm works especially well when on the big engine because the prop wash is right on the rudder. Dead idle on the big engine gives 2.8 mph in dead calm conditions (a little too fast) , but is very good for trolling into a strong head wind. here is a shot of the 27 before I got her ready for fishing...it is a great boat and I am very happy to be able to have such a nice piece of equipment...

Been fishing a little this week mostly to get everything working on my new charter boat. I will post some pictures soon and also announce the charter business named "Blue Sky Charters" which will do fishing and touring trips on Seneca. It has been quite a challenge to get the concept together but have everything in place finally, including captain's papers, drug and medical tests passed and also have proper commercial insurance, etc., etc. It is hard to catch a fish on the South end of Seneca these days, but I did get a nice clean laker 5 lbs or so today at 80 feet over 400 feet of water on a silver and chartreuse spoon. I had the probe on that rigger and the water was 42 degrees. The water is still cold down 20 feet or so and no thermocline setup yet. Lots of bait...maybe still spawning. Tough fishing right now. I had a couple from Canada come to my boat today (in front of the new hotel where they are staying) and wanted to book a trip this weekend, but I told them is was a hard time to fish, so they booked for next October. Any advice or ideas about what is going on with Seneca? I see folks are doing well on Cayuga and they are really hammering big fish on Lake Ontario also.

Hello again, My earlier suggestions did not consider your idea for raising the top. That does add a little complication but can make the top removal less touchy. Just cut it off with a sawsall, following the existing top as your guide. Bolt/screw/glue a band is 1/2 inch marine ply around the open pilot house as wide as you need for headroom plus the thickness of the roof beams. Then, drop beams (arched on the band saw or laminated to a form) into notches in the plywood (white oak, clear spruce or Douglas fir is also fine) and sheath with marine plywood and then glass, resin and paint. You might want to make the roof strong enough to support one person. Use screws and 3M 5200 and light weight, high quality lumber. Sounds like a fun project with a great results a sure thing.

I have never done that specific job, but have done a lot of boat work. I bet the boat was put together structurally, as if it was a hard top with the flybridge added/fastened/glued on. Find that joint and cut the top of with a sawsall or whatever it takes to get it seperated. It should be quite easy to smooth things up with some "bondo" and put a couple of layers of class and resin, or perhaps a skin of high grade plywood first, and then glass and resin.

I got started late this year and it looks like I've missed the best of Seneca, South end fishing. Been out twice this week on the South end...fished hard...no fish! I did mark huge balls of bait near Glenora however...I mean huge. Lots and lots of sawbellies in Seneca these days and bigger and bigger Salmon as a result. Surface temp was 57-59 because of the stiff North wind the last two days pushed all the warmer water to the South. Need a thermocline which should set up this month.

I nearly bought a SportCraft and a Penn Yan with rot in the stringers. The surveyor found a high moisture read with his meter but did not seem very concerned. In the end of it I insisted on core samples drilled out with a 1/8th inch bit and found rot and water in the wood stringer, allegedly "sealed" in a fiberglass stringer box. You cannot tell anything by looking...things can look great and actually be ready to fall apart. Too bad the builders did not use pressure treated wood or something else that did not rot. Often, kiln dried Douglas Fir is/was used for stringers in this type of boat, Penn Yan included. That super dry wood sucks up water like a sponge. If any water gets in through weep holes or other cracks or breaks, the inevitable result is rot in the stringer. It would be hard to find a boat 20 or 30 years old without bad stringers. I have looked at 10 or 12 and they were all bad. It costs about 8-10 thousand to replace stringers in a 25 footer and probably another 5 or 6 thou to replace a transom. The safety issue is the motor mounts into rotten wood. Let's say you get in a bad storm and the motor starts flopping around and the cutlass bearing gets kinked and that big old V8 keeps making RPMs and tears the bottom out.

I listen to NPR a lot for many years. "All things considered" is first rate but, unfortunately, NPR is in the tank for Barry and his group of elite, "progressive" thinkers. NPR is also a thing of the past real soon. They got too arrogant and touchy/feely with Juan William's fear of the Arabs in the airplane. I am scared ****less when I see those dudes in the airplane. Any body with a brain in their head would be afraid. Those dudes are into beheading the infidel. The higher the monkey climbs, the more he shows his ass...bye, bye NPR!

You bet! I listen to "Rushbo" every day and so do many, many millions of other concerned Americans. He is highly intelligent, courageous and very well informed. He is also far more honest than Barry! It is the most popular Talk Radio in history...why do you think it is so popular? How about FOX news? More Americans watch FOX than all of the other networks combined. What choices do we have for news and full spectrum information...Rachel Maddow? America is best governed, historically, from the center. The center in America is the "great silent majority" and Rush and Fox are their voice. The left has had it, and Barry is a one-termer. That's the good news. America will speak loudly in 2012 and clean up our government for at least a decade or two. The free press took Nixon down, and Rush, and FOX are taking Barry down. It's a good thing.

Personally, I am all for the big companies to do what must be done, and I think that reasonable concern will be taken for the environment. We (the USA) have lots on energy resources. Many feel that natural gas is the only real alternative to oil, for the next few decades. My real personal concern is the "progressive" agenda of the Obama administration. Those folks are hell bent on re-distributing the wealth and making the USA into a socialist society, and, if they can get us deeply enough in debt, it is inevitable that taxes will go way, way up in future administrations to prevent the total financial collapse of our way of life. That, I believe, is their plan and they have gone a long way toward making it a reality in 2 and 1/2 years. Don't worry about storing gas underground, but do worry very much about those who would hi-jack the country and discard the constitution. We must all get personally involved for 2012 elections and get these people, who hate America, out of Washington. I am deeply concerned about what the "progressives" have in mind. How in the hell did they gain power? How in the hell did it happen? They (the communists) have been waiting for 100 years for their chance and they will not surrender easily, but I think the real struggle has just begun over the weekend.

Hello- If you love Seneca lake; if you love the Finger Lakes; if you love clean air and fresh water, PLEASE sign this petition. If you have already signed, PLEASE ask everyone you know to sign. The Inergy corporate reps will be in Watkins Glen this Wednesday, and we would like to reach our goal of 1,000 signatures by then! Simply go to this site, scroll down to "sign the petition", and add your voice to this critical issue! http://gasfreeseneca.com/ Thank you!!!

Yes indeed, sad but true...if the gills are damaged, no matter what kind or size hook, the fish will likely die if released. I don't understand how treble hooks are better than singles at preventing this. I don't how to get the 3 tine hooks out easily. It seems to me that there is usually more twisting, pushing and pulling with the pliers to pull out the 2 or 3 tines of a small treble, than just one, single hook tine. Sometimes 1 tine will be in the top of the mouth and and 1 or 2 tines in the bottom and side. How to remove those without twisting and tearing the fish's mouth?

I am trying to be careful about killing the little LLs. I have caught 10 inch fish on a four inch spoon...those little guys are aggressive. I don't know how to "selectively" avoid catching them. I will leave that task to fishermen more skillful than myself. The one thing that I feel good about is changing all my lures to single hooks (even stickbaits) because it seems to me that when those little guys are hooked on a treble, it is much more likely that they cannot recover from the more extensive tissue damage inside their mouths and gills. I also like the single hook plan for other reasons, including less tangles in the net. For myself, it is always easier to carefully remove a single hook with minimal damage to the fish, big or small. It is however, more likely that some fish will get off a single hook, I believe.