panfisher

Good link BSmaster. Now, not walleye, but panfish (sunnies) I've seen..... Any info on slow moving weak sunfish with what looks like fuzzy mold or moss growing out of it? Obviously the fish is sick, but what is it....?

Xellent!..And the snow adds drama....

Now that's what it's all about......Really uncomfortable and rough conditions, strong and experienced dedication, and awesome award. Looks like an extra good catch to me! .....Nnniiiiiiicee!!      

Ignorant....and fun....and good tasting....the great starter gamefish. And the ones that continue to give a good time......any time (imho)!  

Drat!... Those sneaky Massachusens.....used to be one myself. No wonder they gave up most of New York....They try to act as if nothing is happening at all.....All the way to the bank! 

All great info. I like using floating original Rapalas in the smaller,3-5 sizes, near (almost on!) shore. They are difficult to cast, but the eyes love em. Works great on Honoeye this time of year.......The flatraps cast way better though and they seem to like those too.....

WWhaaat?!!? I'm not sure what to make of that shot!   Good deal for you, the fish, AND the baits found!   I've caught fish with lures attached, but never with 2 like that.....Nice!

Many memories of fishing (mostly snagging rip-rap!) near the Sagamore Bridge on the way to further adventures on the Cape as a kid. Tried again a couple more times there as a college student in bean town, but not much luck...a couple of baby blues. But didn't care much as it was not really serious fishing. I need to go there for them seriously....MTpockets.....NNnniiiiiiice!! I can't decide which is better in that "We crush um pic"....the fish or the face on the guy hoistin' him   !

I think one of the points they were making is that the other varieties of carp (silver and big head) would definitely be able to adapt and breed in the Great Lakes (despite the colder water temps, differences in habitat etc.). and that grass carp may not be as benign as we may think in terms of the habitat.

Yes, definitely . If you read up on grass carp, they seem to be challenging and easy to spook when going for them. But the way the bigs and silvers eat the phytoplankton up as adults is a problematic ecosystem issue with possible harm to things like perch and any other young water animals. And who the hell needs flying crazy fish every time a motorboat goes through....though I could see them useful when it comes to those annoying (to me when fishing) jet skiers! They are like mosquitoes to me.....    (but fun to ride )!

justintracytrolling..........Stripers.....! Where have you been striper fishing? Freshwater or salt....or both?

All carp species are from the Eurasian continent....grass carp an be found in the Rochester area. They are a better challenge for fishing and are more like the common carp, koi, and goldfish. They do not pose the threat that bighead and silvers do. Make no mistake about it....those latter two species need to GO.....! Thanx for the story.....

....wow.... .....OK.... It's cool.... .................

Although I don't do any hunting anymore (I might get back to it), I really do appreciate the perseverance you showed in ringing out any and all possibilities and giving all of the time to claiming the kill. Great story  ... and I hope everyone who reads it can take your story with them in practice in the field....Your stamina has grown to match that of the whitetail's....... And that buck will only improve it at the table..... !

All of the warmer water fishes can be found in the canal. Even an occasional muskie. There are some very nice pike, as the waterway cuts through many natural swampy lowland watersheds which have ancient native pike populations, including White Swamp in Monroe county, Montezuma Swamp (and much of the Wayne county area) and the Mohawk River, just to name a couple of places. With all of the rivers and streams and waters which offer their fish to the canal, I would not be surprised if an occasional brown trout or two finds its way there. Plenty of carp, catfish.....well U get the idea. As far as targeting the various species, it is not like the usual flowage or "puddle". It is essentially a sort of thruway with plenty of rest stops and entrances/exits (and even a few attractions... ) along the way....for the fish and wildlife. No wonder interstate 90 and the east-west rail lines closely parallel it. Man made for utility, it is uniform and straightforward in nature. Excepting the intersected waterways and widened areas, it is a 15ft deep concrete/stone sluice way. Water levels are controlled by the locks for navigation. Generally flat on the bottom with sides that slope up about 35-45 degrees or so on each side. Where the canal goes through towns and cities, and at the locks, and in areas where certain other waterways bisect, there are flat concrete 90 degree walls. The great majority of the way is tightly bordered by overhanging trees and shrubs of varying types. There are docks along plenty of the shoreline from homesteads and cottages along either side. Some are nice, some are rickety. All are good fish attractors. Also there are many areas where brooks and small creeks flow into it. Some of these points are underwater level tubes. Some are concrete above ground sluices. These are particularly attractive to 'eyes and smallies which hang around them for their cooler flows. The flat walls are great places for laregemouths and sunnies. And there are many areas along the way that have cattail and other tall emergent grasses, as well as pads and other emergents. Also, the many wooden posts with nav markers along the way, plus concrete walled bridge abutments offer further target points. Water is easily flowing from east to west all of the time, with further currents mixing from incoming flows. There is, really, so much structure, natural and directly man made.....what self respecting warmer water type fish would not enjoy it.....   ? The biggest drawback, if u might call it that, is that it is not expansive in its scope as far as your eye is concerned. Being an average of about maybe 75ft in width (it varies; precise facts are online), it is not the kind of place where you can fan out into as far as the eye can see. There is plenty of that around at other waters. One might even get a little claustrophobic if they were not "finding the places". But in a nice small boat the fishing can be good and exploring for them fruitful and fun. Oh, I forgot to mention the various other canals and old aqueducts that connect, with their added structure. It is really a different and unique opportunity that just adds to the great variety of fishing opportunities at this piece of earth called New York....

The Erie Canal (barge canal) gets its fish residents from waters that it connects with all along its 363 miles. From Lake Erie to the Hudson River there are many rivers, creeks, streams, ponds and lakes which the canal bisects, including some of the Finger Lakes via of connecting canals. Fish that are naturally moving in these various waters will pick up on the canal when it is flooded every spring, starting, I believe, from lake Erie eastward..(?) It is drained every fall using the locks. But because of the many bisecting waterways and some aforementioned wide water areas which form "lakes" as part of the canal itself, fish can find their way to safe waters at the time of draw down. Since it was originally opened in the early 1800's, me thinks fish have been gravitating to it with regularity for many many generations. Fish are affected by the same "build it and they will come" attitude as we are. I imagine its a rite of spring now for many of the piscatorial denizens in the region, plus any wayward and wandering newbies that find themselves in it.....and find it likeable ....

Nniiiiice! Looks like a nice jumbo perch up top, too.....Where in the river did U get those?.....Details....? ?....

Say. Back to the original topic; world record Tiger musky in Idaho..... Did anybody notice how really kind of small Little Payette Lake is? 1400 acres max. Who said big fish can't be found in small waters..... ...

Yeah, I don't often see reports, even in the panfish section, from carp fishing fans in this forum. I know they are out there. I used to be one in my youth. Going out and grappling with bruising carp with 15lb line, bell or some kind of sinker at the end with 3 hooks tied in about 8-10 in apart up from it. Bait with canned corn (great to eat when U got the munchies, too ), doughballs from a fresh loaf of bread, or even a lb. of bacon (small pieces..it used to be cheap!) from the package store on the way to the lakes. I'm referring to local lakes and ponds down on Long Island where I used to live as a child. A state park had several of the best fishing waters on the island, just about a casual 20-25min walk from my home. Big largemouth bass, jumbo perch, fat pumpkinseeds, really big pickerel and nice carp (regular, leather and mirror). And through a wetland area that, in the bustle of NYC suburbs, really made you feel you were around the Okefenokee or the Everglades without too much imagination. Setting the rods down against a stick or just laid on the shore. What was even neater was the occasional carp that might drag your rig straight into the drink if you were un-attentive! You gotta go in and try to find it by kicking around blindly in the muddy leaf littered bottom muck in the hopes of not losing your stuff! Happened to me once and I was able to retrieve it and haul in a nice 7-8 lb-er! Hey Chad.....how's about a "Those other fish" section like what used to be in In Fisherman magazine. That was always the first subject I'd read (and not nearly long enough).... .? A good friend of mine hauled in a grand 35lb carp in Seneca lake just about five or six years ago while going for lakers.....Awesome!

Great story and fish....   Looks as if your persistence and playing in the right place paid off!!

OK.... I did a little homework; here's some skinny if you want to get some info...from the DEC.....Lots of goodies here. Note the Honeoye Lake status as of 10/14/13. I'd say based on that and other info about blue green algae it should be safe to eat (the fish)......but that's your call. I'd say read it all. Click on the several links to learn even more....Also it could be a good idea to sign up for more updates (free) on stuff DEC gives info on, near the bottom of the page. Tons of stuff they can e-mail 2 U......U pay them (taxes, fees), why not ? And for even more, Wikipedia "blue-green algae" or "cyanobacteria" for more in depth info. These guys gave us the oxygen we breathe. And plant life got their abilities to make food from the sun from them (cyanobacteria). Perhaps, with deforestation for wood and agriculture, this is one of nature's ways of increasing oxygen levels for us air breathers...... .....just a thought. Here's the DEC link......

<http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/83310.html>      

1 nice day....1fish....2hrs....Not bad!.......Hope he made a good meal for ya...

Rolmops......I'm glad you clarified which Zebco outfit U had....I'm relieved it was not one of those pink kiddie deals... ..! Really, I do like those Zebco #33 reels. I have had them in the past. Although I have noticed that since they have been made in China, they do not have the same polished shiny luster as they were when made here in the good ole USA.... I had a beautiful one mounted to a nice black with gold guides and off-set reel seat tightening ring..it was sweet and worked great for many different situations a regular spinning or level wind would not be the best for. It was ripped off of my front porch by "friends" (who needs enemies?). The newer ones just don't look that good to me. Your low surface pressure which makes bugs struggle on the water is an informative bit that does explain sunny feeding habits....probably trout too......

Rolmops....fly fishing for the first time.....? Ssswwweeeeet! But, on Honeoye? With one of those little kiddie (pink) zebco spincast outfits....??? ( ) You know, flyrodding with popping bugs, rubber floating ants or whatnot, or dry flies, is absolutely one of the TOP ways to indulge in panfish and bass! Years ago. while on Deep pond in Mendon Ponds park, in a small 12ft homemade johnboat (excellent!). I, too, was stripping in a nice jumbo bluegill on a popper when I saw what was at least a 10-12lb. pike (I have caught them this large and seen bigger and know what they look like) came dashing out of an emergent weed bed and slammed the hapless sunny. What a thrill to see; it was underwater about 15ft away from me...! It let go after about a 1 to 2 min fight to leave me with a scarred up large bluegill, which went on the stringer. Now, get yourself a low priced (or whatever u want to spend) fly outfit with double or forward taper flyline and have at it. Lots of fun, as you can attest to.....          Sk8man....man, that doesn't sound too good. But at least Rolmops can attest that the fishing itself ain't bad. Maybe with folks not hammering the lake, the fishing might just be pretty good as temps drop......

Has anyone done anything good on Honeoeye over the last few weeks? I know fishing for the 'eyes gets better as the water cools down now. The weeds make fishing tough, but they are beginning to die back somewhat too. Anything there.....panfish, bass whatever....? Have seen nothing posted, and that, for me, would make me want to investigate there.....

i know the white sturgeon in the pacific jump and these sturgeon jump when not hooked my buddys pulled and dogged to the bottom I gotta imagine when they get over 100 pounds it has to be a decent fight even if they just try to hug bottom.  i'm just glade the DEC continues to work these kind of restoration projects as well as the gamefish stockings it will only serve to improve the overall health of the waters a diverse eco system is a resilant ecosystem

Very well said.....