Reel Doc

Thats a stout fish!!

I give all who fished some props as Cayuga did not look fisherman friendly this weekend.

I think his secret weapon is in that pill vial in the lower right hand corner of that pic.....

That one looks like a dandy. Good way to close down your year. Sorry you had to battle the waves. I was feeling sorry for the tournament guys as from our house up on the hill it looked to be a bouncy ride on the water all day long.

I think your catch has mine beat by an inch or 2! I felt obligated to release it as clearly it was snagged on the top of the head!

Beautiful mix of fish

Definitely. When I had 6 teens and the dog on board a few weeks ago it was a blast. My son stayed up in the bow while the other 5 learned how to troll for the first time. They took it seriously, set the riggers and dipseys, and when the fish cooperated all but 1 managed to boat a fish. Most struggled with grip on the rods as their previous experience amounted to panfishing with push button reels! Wish I had a video when a dipsey rod fired, and one kid grabbed the reel and 2 others were hoisting up the rod for the entire reel in. It was comical to say the least, but they managed to get the fish in the net! Had to get a pic of the fella with the laker as last night it was his first lake trout catch!!

Beautiful weather so on the water Saturday and Sunday morning running solo then Sunday evening with my son and some old high school buddies. The pattern mid-lake seems to be changing a bit from the past few weeks so new challenges to search and entice some fish. Saturday had heavy boat traffic on the West side which really built up closer to Sheldrake. Slow picking primarily with spoons on the riggers. Picked up Lakers and a teen sized rainbow. Lost the fish of the day in a landlocked that was at the back of the boat until the net minder, (me), rather than net the fish, managed to knock the spoon out of his mouth with the edge of the net. This morning greeted with a beautiful sunrise and very little boat traffic. Cruised North out of Deans and dipsey action came early highlighted by the fish pictured as it fought like very few lakiers do. From hit to the net and all 200 feet in between this fish was a tiger. Expected to see a Landlocked or Brown when it finally came up behind the boat. Opposite of Saturday as 90% dipsey bite. This afternoon after swimming and wake boarding the boys wanted to fish for an hour. They went 1 for 2 and like the am, dipsey hits. Unfortunately the one who lost the fish was the only one of 6 teens who dropped a fish a few weeks back when the whole crew did a quick evening troll and managed to boat a nice mix of Lakers, landlocks and a rainbow . Nice to know the next generation knows how to give each other some lighthearted abuse for failures. All great stuff and a great weekend.

Interesting. Has there been any reports of successful reproduction in the wild on any stocked Finger lakes? It could really change the fish population in great ways.

After all the slinging on this thread about boats kissing I find it hilarious that you made those shirts! Lets all try to relax and stay safe out there!

Which lake will you fish and which type of trout are you targeting?

Looks to be shifting out of the Southwest so still hitting the East side of Seneca. If you are launching at Deans tomorrow you can adjust to conditions but typically even a strong West wind is not much of a problem, similar to Champlain I would suspect.

Cayuga was very fishable out of Deans this morning if willing to troll South to North. Some white caps but would have saved fuel trolling. This is current view from West side 4 miles North of Deans. Wind is already changing here and calls for West wind tomorrow so not a problem if fishing the West side. Might build a little ripple to the East. Tell us how you do.

Either you are short or the rainbow in that last pic is one long fish! Great pics and way to stay after it. You make it look easy with reports and photos but 1 fish per hour tells the story of the efforts you put in. Well done

You had a beautiful day to be out there. Looks like that spoon needs a paint job.

I wasnt thinking kayak fishing... your go to spot mid lake is Sheldrake point. Can launch right there and fish right around the point. Look back a month or 2 in this folder and you will see a post of a beautiful Brown caught around the point from a kayak. Let us know how you make out!

Some beauties. Have you fished mid-lake before? I have only fished the South end in Winter when the lake is down and my boat fits under the bridge at Taughannock. The bottom contour is different as you move North on the lake. Still have shelves/dropoffs but not as abrupt as the South end. Many have told me in the past you have to go South end to consistently catch silvers but not complaining about finding a few around here.

Since mid-May been on the West side most of the time running from the Silos North of Deans to a click South of Sheldrake. Some days 100-160 fow rule, other days out to 250 have been better. Are the rainbows and salmon heating up down the South end? No reports from there this Summer but if memory serves they were cooking down there last July and August

It was short, 18", but super thick at 4&3/4 pounds. The family gave me a portable scale/tape measure for Fathers Day so no more fish stories I guess.

Yes sir.....just applying what you taught me with your Intel from last summer...

Unfortunately yes. Currently having lunch in the office....rather be on the water. I do love the shirt BTW.