panfisher

Ahh....."FAKE NEWS"...!       

Me too....Nice vid! Guys seemed a little lax on hitting those releases when they hit!     But with the fish hitting like that and staying secure.......no problemo!  (Bet you couldn't work the kings or steelies  that!) 

All "cookie cutter" 'cept for that nice laker in pic 3!   Is it remembered what that guy fell for?.

   Man! That pic has made me hungry!! Nice haul (as usual....!) 

Walleyes don't disrupt. They have been quietly existing all around the lake for many hundreds of years. I and others have caught big beautiful 'eyes while targeting salmonids, particularly in spring, trolling close to shore. And most know of the eastern lake and bays such as Irondequoit and Sodus and of course the Bay of Quinte. But the salmonids rule....even over the beautiful smallies. Truth is the various species populations locally and regionally are always going up and down for various reasons. Many of which are, on a smaller time scale, created by ourselves, as well as the greater natural environment. Anyway, we are blessed to be able to go to so many places not far away and catch so many beautiful and often tasty types of fish! 

Locoman's "pauger" sounds closest. I'd guess maybe a perch/walleye cross. Supposedly sauger in NYS are only in the Lake Champlain watershed. The reflection in the eye suggests a walleye unless just flash reflection, but the body shape and fin colors are all yellow perch. I'd bet a rare YP walleye cross. What waters did it come from....? 

 Eexcellente!! Glad it was found and returned.....rather then stolen! Have heard enough of that kind of stuff. Great news and thanks for posting at LOU!! 

Looks like it's ice growing season!

Exxxxelllent!! And those small trout, where plentiful, make for a very tasty 5 fish limit. And only every now and then (years between such meals) so as to not deplete the population! A great romantic and easily prepared meal for two with whatever sides. I believe in C&R, as well as mindful, grateful, respectful of the population, harvest.

Some people I know take a fatalistic approach to the changing fishing and water conditions. Everything has it's ups and downs regardless of what we do. I believe we can better observe, research and come to grips towards a positive future (soon future) for our living and personal environments if we put our noses to the grindstone and work at it. There are issues environmentally that we can manage, as long as we work with our environment and respect it as our lifeblood. This is not "pie in the sky" or politically "liberal" thinking. Just my belief. You (we) can make it if you (we) try....

Very nice! But.... what happened to it's head in the second pic? Kinda gross looking. Sweet snag anyhow! 

I've said it before. Panfishing with a flyrod and poppers for them amongst lily pads is the best!  What works even better are small sponge or foam rubber ants with rubber band legs. And you can always get nice large mouths in with them. Mendon Ponds are a personal fav. We once nailed what was a school of smallies  at the south end of Canandaigua in the pads there with the normal gills and largemouths. What a blast that was! And as far as flavor is concerned. I'll say sunnies (not their kissing cousins crappies and rockies) are sweeter in flavor than the nearly perfect perch, though the flesh seems somewhat more delicate than perch. They are all good. Often late at night or very early in the morning well before sunup in the summer (calm weather) the sunnies will be surface feeding on emergent bugs in the middle of open water away from any pads, and any small to tiny topwater offering, blind cast in the open to no place in special will murder them.

Sounds like you had a real fisherman's day! Nice weather? It's over-rated! Fish love the rain wind and murk....And the smaller size mean more for the future!! 

Caught my first white bass in Irondequoit bay. On small spoons and spinners. They run in schools and hit and play much like smallies, with the same vigor if not power. Definitely fun to get into them. Have found them (stumbled on them actually) working near shore near drop offs near woody structure like trees or limbs of fallen trees. Like crappies but much more fight!

You can find native brookies in several tiny creeks and streams around the countryside. And Lucky13 is absolutely right about asking landowners for permission. One place that is not necessary to ask (have not been there in a while so it might have changed) is Mill creek in Perkinsville. Have stood at the large pool and watched small silvery brookies leaping up the waterfall under the road like salmon, in the fall. There are also browns there. A very large fish in these waters might be 10-12 inches. Most are way smaller. But they are beautiful and tasty too. You might try Flint creek near Potter. It is surprising where these fish still thrive. Mostly people, often children, who live right near these creeks know of the trout there. Don't be afraid to investigate and ask around (bars,local shops,etc.) to find some of these "not a hundred miles away" gems.

NNNniiiiicce!! And those look like nice sized bullhead. Perhaps that bite will still be on to let the grandkids in on the action this year.

Those fat and wide bars on that last perch pic made me double take!   

By the way, world record for pickerel is 9lbs. 6oz. Biggest I caught was a hefty beautiful and hard fighting 4lbs. and at 32in. and broad bodied I thought it would weigh more.

Wow. multiple 7lb pickerel in one outing is extraordinary anywhere in the east where picks live. If u caught them in lake o embayments, they must be chowing down on gobies like other fish. And big as that, even bigger pike and musky might be chowing on them (the big picks) in the main lake and/or SLR. Bigger esox will move into accessible big waters for food and comfort.

floatfisher.....I say this a lot...Were you fishing the Barge Canal? Looks like it!

......looks like the barge canal to me......just a guess....

I am guessing that area has a good catfish bite after a storm...

Lol BSmaster....Lo freakin L!!

I use led mast lights and DOT reflecting tape on the inline boards....just as easy to fish at night as day....I will say I've never had any luck with spoons glow or not on walleye at night...try bomber long a blue prism jointed...it works very well at night on everything here on Otisco that's on bait and I know it works for trout

Justin Okrepki

NYSDEC licensed guide #7324

otiscolakeguideservice.com

(607)-349-1750

I've caught 'eyes at night trolling slim or long, slim profiled spoons. Usually single hooked or even weedless spoons. Swedish  pimples are ones that have worked

Reminds me of that fat old Californian "Dotty" largemouth. Now y'all can see that smallies largemouths, spotteds etc. are indeed in the sunfish family.... Give 'em enough gobies and their family colors come through!!

Any decent pike hookups at Seneca yet Maineflier?