Reel Doc

Yesterday afternoon the storm cells split North and South of Dean's so once the radar cleared I hit the water with my new fishing partner. At 7 weeks old I wasn't sure how it would go but she's completely unfazed being on the water. Even took her first swim once we landed and loaded out the boat. Ran lines from Sheldrake running North in the middle. Had a fun battle with a good legal salmon hitting a super slim glow frog on a rigger down 60 . A few skippies then some Lakers on flasher/fly off a dipsey and a final over 26" on a bloody death down 90. A fun and busy couple hours on the water!

Behind a dipsey try a Dreamweaver spin doctor attractor in white or green/white pattern and pair it with A-tom-ick flies in green/white patterns. That will set you up to catch lake trout.

Thanks for making us all part of your vacation! Glad the weather cooperated as did some fish. Safe travels home!!

If you are on Cayuga that flasher fly should be a lake trout magnet if you hit the right depth, 80-100 down on a dipsey over deep water has worked well for me lately

Does your spread include a dipsey or copper with a flasher/fly? Been really hot recently

Sounds like you had a great tourney. Saw a bunch of boats launching from Dean's and out on the water yesterday morning. SO....... Where are the pictures of the winning box and biggest fish??

I was out of Dean's this morning lines in at 6:30 out at 9. Ran down by Sheldrake and set up a South troll as Northwest wind was pushing that way. Worked the middle over 300+ fow. Loads of marks 50-110 down, same as last week. Last week mostly lake trout but a couple salmon including 1 nice one hit spoons and flies but today mainly a fly bite. Couldn't keep the dipsey rod in the water as kept firing with lake trout. #2 setting 200 down carrying a flasher + hammer fly. Downriggers were quiet until 8 when a couple small salmon hit a cheater off a rigger set down 80 and then a 29"+ lake trout hit the same cheater. That was the big fish of the morning but several others over 28" and all solid fish with many that are starting to swell in the midsection with roe. The thermocline in the middle has been great since early July but mostly lake trout and majority of salmon have been small. I would love to hear from others who may be finding more silvers.

Sounds like you had a good day. When are you fishing Cayuga and where are you planning to launch from?

I'm betting we passed each other about 8 this morning as I started South of Sheldrake at 6:30 and worked North. Only saw one other boat out there it sported Red trim, yours?? Fishing continues to be great and the highlight today was a solid landlocked grabbing a cheater and delivering a super aerial show!

I'm all for less chemical treatment. Hopefully the trapping continues to control numbers. Lampreys probably don't have any natural predators

That's a brute!!!

Sounds like the low silver numbers are down at the South end too....I was thinking needed to take a run below Sheldrake to up the odds but maybe I'll save fuel for now and wait until September when everything shifts South.

Fished out of Dean's this morning working the middle of the lake. No fleas to speak of, small amounts of weeds. A South breeze had everything moving, never came across a significant weed pod. Lake trout very active from 60-100 feet down loving everything green in spoons or flies. I'm still struggling to find solid silvers. Skippies to barely legal salmon hitting cheaters and spoons at 40-50 down but no solid fish. I'm jealous of Lyk2fish results on Owasco!!

Beautiful fish! I bet that big one gave you a show coming in!

Reading about the history of the lamprey invasion of the Great Lakes is saddening. Once the Welland canal was built to bypass Niagara Falls they moved into all the Great Lakes and destroyed the high quality fishing for trout and salmon for most of the early and mid 1900s. Human manipulation of nature certainly has its ups and downs.

When did the DEC treat the streams last?

Thanks for your report. It seems larger landlocks are tough to find this Summer

Yes, and you should be able to fish it the same way for the next month with great results so a good reason to visit again!! Somewhere around the first of September the spawning fish start to head south towards Taughannock and other inflows. Hope your hands are healing. Better have them 100% for Kansas.

Nice to hit the water as first time out since the 4th. South wind so started a little above Sheldrake and put the wind at my back for the solo trip. Worked over deep water in the center of the lake Steady pick of lake trout in the 20-24" size plus a few smaller ones. Found a couple barely legal salmon which is an improvement from the skippies I've been finding over the past month. Green was the favored color this morning. The majority of fish wanted spoons vs flies. Hottest depth was 60-70 down though the 200 copper took a solid lake trout and a salmon. 80-90 feet down also produced fish. One of the larger Lakers had a recent large lamprey mark, the first I've seen on a fish this year. Hopefully the lampreys will continue to be a rarity. Great morning to get out on the water!

Still the same for you but they moved the machine from the upper parking lot to the lower drive by the launch

Good point. Does anyone, DEC included, know the status of successful natural reproduction in Cayuga lake? Last I knew a mineral imbalance was such that essentially no lake trout could reproduce in Cayuga. If that is true, then harvest rate control is not a factor unless a tremendous number of fishermen suddenly deplete the numbers. Restocking rates are equivalent or above current catch rates. Otherwise the fishery would suffer. I would sooner wonder the status of the landlocked program as very few reports of legal sized catches this year and I feel like despite my best efforts most skippies I catch do not survive after release.

Yes but, the fight of one nice King can equal several Lakers......