pswiatek

It also helps if you have some ability to "stop" the boat over your lakers on the bottom... We use a small electric trolling motor,which gives us time to get the jigs to the bottom in the area of the trout you see on your finder. Chances are if you are locating fish at 70' you should be cruising to look for others at that depth...Once last year we found trout at 73', and only caught them at 73' the whole day...nothing at 70 nothing at 78...only 73....it was amazing to me how they would find a depth and stay there....hunting for them is half the fun... A few years ago we took a day to go out with John from the angling zone ... on Cayuga. He is not just a charter captain... he is there to teach you how to catch fish in the finger lakes, and you will learn a lot from him giving you the confidence you need to land some fish. It is amazing how big the finger lakes can feel when you are out there on the water! IT takes patience..every time you go out you learn something. When you start getting them into the boat, it makes it worth it. This time of year I have also done well with sutton spoons fishing off of the tributaries...casting or trolling fairly close to shore...Keep at it!

I have one thought if you want to catch some trout. The fish on the bottom are lakers, and running a lure may not work as well as getting some big live minnows to the bottom... hooking them with an english hook is a good idea, although ice fishing with a small #16 treble also works well... or trying to jig a rubber minnow with a 3/4 oz or 1 oz white jig head. Also check out THe Finger Lakes Angling Zone. A day out on one of the lakes with John is worth the $!

I have been fishing the finger lakes in my 16 foot boat for awhile and have always been a bit intimidated by Lake Ontario. I'd like to try and get out once this Fall out of Rochester/Irondequoit Bay. Any tips for a first timer out on Lake Ontario? I'd like to catch a trout or salmon.