ifishy

We are looking to put the downriggers away for the season and try our luck for some bass thinking about making the drive to ft niagara I saw a post that said creek rd bait is closed I called but answer anyone know for sure and does anyone know of another shop anywhere on the way from Rochester? I would think there would be one in lewiston but can't seem to find one for sure

3 hours ago, Sk8man said:

There are plenty of folks including "lurkers" that may benefit from the info anyway given the large audience so the energy isn't exactly wasted I guess

I actually find it an interesting thread and have no intention of chartering or even guiding sometimes its already to much work or pressure taking buddies out but always fun to talk fishing

On 7/30/2023 at 12:25 PM, dickey said:

Got mine from fine tune welding on Facebook. Amazing products with great prices. Check him out! 

I also have a set from here they are a quality item and excellent price can get different mouting options as well

the steel head are still suffering from that large die off several years back there are not a lot of fish in the lake more than 6 years old  but with the cleaner water fish have to swim faster and farthur when feeding so there is some slimming in profile as well.  this is really visable in steal head.   for the brown there are still some pigs out there and they feed heavy on goby at times  iI cant say there is as many as there was 5 or 6 years ago but the brown population in the lake is very heavy and with big fish at the top end for sure.   its possible that there may be other tecniques that would better target those large ones in the current lake conditions and trolling just does not get as many of the slobs but that is pure speculation

Chinook daemon spawn once and die period they can mature early or wait an extra year there is always some variety in the age they spawn at that is normal variation meaning one catastrophic weather event wont make a population go extinct (hopefully)  fore lake o when they started the majority ran the river when they were 3.5 yeas old so 3 full summers of growth over the years a growing percentage is maturing and spawning at 2.5 so one less summer of growth it might be that our hatcheries are less accessible to larger fish it might be that the areas that have natural reproduction are more accessible to smaller younger fish it may be that larger fish are targeted successfully by steam fisherman it could be that an extra year in the lake makes them more likely to be caught and kept it is probably a combination of those and other factors

with kings size is also partly a function of age.  over the years a larger and larger percentage of Lake O fish are running at 2 years old instead of 3 and very few are holding out that extra year.  the fact is that likely has its advantages in Lake O which is why its become more prevalent.  the kings here now have been both artificially and naturally selected for better survival in lake Ontario under current conditions.  the fact that we have notable if inconsistent natural reproduction speaks to that.   new genetics would likely be far less advantageous and to get them established in the population would be significantly harder in time and cost than just adding some new eggs and any introductions would likely be gone within a couple generations.   The fact is that lake Ontario is not the same as it used to be it is a changing and evolving ecosystem and it may not be able to have as many 30+lb fish.  We also tend to have selective memory.   40lb fish happened but it was not an every year occurrence.  

Good hatches of alewives do not mean good year classes if recruitment is low.  so if we had 3 large year classes as of this year than this years stockers would be the first to have access to that there whole life so we would see the size increase 2 years from now.   the fact is the numbers in the lake of 2 year olds seems to be really high this year and is likely caused by good recruitment of natural fish due to increased bait abundance.  

The DEC has done a good job of using real data and science to manage the fishery and they have taken input from stake holders on what outcomes to target.  Its easy to say things like they are small make them bigger but thats not how it works.   

I do think there could be some merit in running a multi year experiment to selectively pull older/larger fish for crossing and than tagging the young to see if they start to have a disproportionate representation in derbys or creates a small sub set of the population that goes 3 and even 4 years in the lake.  It could be done on a small scale within the current stocking strategy and provide the data needed to determine if its worthwhile to try on a larger scale.  

Sk8man nailed it some of my local creeks have washed out higher than I have ever Seen recently and those flows can ball up all sorts of crap worth checking out as it can pull bait In but not worth working hard good areas to work with aggressive tactics to find the "spot on the spot"  a washed out creek dumping debris for a day can create miles of this set up

Used bugg spray today tried and true the number of flies was just crazy out of sodus

For fish or for food? I use a 60qt (I think) for fish on derby days it's the right size for lake o 

Inside #5 with weight in first hole outside #4  with weight in 3rd hole all wire divers I also use a longer heavier rod on the outside it runs well

These days fish are often more boat shy stick with 2 riggers with the smaller boat (my opinion) there is a lot of really good info about rigging on this site when I got back I to trolling g this site cut years off the learning curve and I still pick up great tips and info here

Gambler is right we are at the north end of the range for shad. There is always someone winter kill it actual an important feeding time for catfish. That said a mild winter can cause a population boom which leads to a larger kill I'm later years if it all or mostly shad it's a good thing its normal cycle and means the lake could produce that much life in the fist place

Consider what your goal is long lines catch fish but the longer the harder catch and release becomes. Long junk lines tend to be increased work and decreased fun. My boat only runs them for derbies.  The 4 diver set up is good advice for sure I will say this though with a smaller aluminum when I run 4 divers I do not do cheater on the down riggers I find with kings the extra lure is almost guaranteed to get into a diver line and almost always around one and into the other  so 4 dipseys no cheater 2 dipseys cheater is okay. I use a 1 and 3 setting with a size 5 chinook inside and a size 4 for the high diver.  Also weighted steel is much more user-friendly than copper so that's my recomendation

It's not necessary to see them on your sonar but the more blow back the more they are in the way of other lines and netting its really about comfort 

We're your marks east or west gonna be that way tomorrow but haven't been on the lake In a couple weeks nice to have a starting point last time I fished there was 3 years ago and I blew my engine haven had a chance with the new boat yet

Haven't been there in two weeks back than best screens were 30 50 fow west of pultneyvill tried all the way out to 150 with nothing went shallow and went 1 for 2 I the last hour with a big drop back steely. It's old info but weather has been relatively stable I would Starr shallow and slowly work out till I saw marks that area has always been feast or famine for me but we did hit some 2 year old kings out of sodus already this year so good sign for an early set up

ive been starting to really miss that lake but every time i plan to go there either something comes up or in my head i hear the screaming drag of a king on a dipsey in my head.

Better get it this year if the schedule works out  next year I'm claiming it in a triumphet return 

These discussions can be fun there are a lot of knowledgeable experienced people on this site with varied backgrounds Yankee and gambler are two that know there fishing deserve to be listened to and considered thoughtfully even if you don't agree and consider who starred this thread love seeing comments from the biologist we rely on To keep the lake healthy

You can get stock biminis online for less but if you go custom and are willing to pay I recommend a wrap around of some sort stock Biminis come in many heights and lengths so can get whatever size you need that way sport tops or enclosures are a lot harder to find so if paying for custom worth getting the full set up

The derby itself can be a lot of fun and the lake is accessible to boats of all sizes this derby was part of me getting back into trout and salmon trolling on my first boat (14 footer) I fished it 8 straight years and unfortunately in 2018 ad a rough experience (life issues not the derby fault) that combined with a tough fishing year pushed me away I am now looking to get back in just unfortunately busy this weekend this year I always used to think I was only an ok fisherman based on internet reports but I have 3 of those plaques on the wall and mostly good memory's from seneca

9 hours ago, Yankee Troller said:

 

This bloater experiment has been going on for a few years now. Has anyone ever seen one in stomach contents? You can't make fish eat these when they've been conditioned to hunt down what's been there. These do not help the Salmon fishery in any way.  Which I'll say again, draws the most money/attention to this fishery.

 

You want to experiment with a species? Figure out how to make the Coho fishery better/more consistent. I haven't met an angler who doesn't love that fishery when we have good years of it.

The bloater experiment is relatively small stocking primarily on the east half of the lake I wouldn't expect to them be common on the west end in fish that primarily move west to east through the season if the do establish it might create a situation where more kings winter to the east and we more often have good spring king fishing to get valid data it has to go at least a couple full life cycles I would much rather see money spent o. This than on Atlantics which will never be more than a minor bonus fishery

2 hours ago, GAMBLER said:

Bloater are native to the Great Lakes.  The feds are all about restoring native species.  Restoring native species should be a high priority IF the species are highly successful and it doesn't disrupt the multi-million dollar fishery.   Bloater could be a positive for the fishery.  Without experimenting, they will not know.  Lakers could key in on them and put less pressure on alewife.  We all know a diverse diet is healthier for ALL the species in Lake Ontario.  It can't hurt to experiment.  I would rather see them dump money into a Bloater experiment than expanding the Atlantic program.  

Very well said I agree that experimenting to see if an additional preyfish can be reestablished could prove beneficial both directly and indirectly to the fishery

Out of the sun when not in use goes a long way but I'm curious to see what other feedback comes for this always good to know ways to take care of the gear

this year i have been experimenting with the offshore board with a walker bullet release on the front.  I took the snaps off and used the wire eye to attach it to the board.  easy to set easy to release and  so far is working better than the sams pro did for me.  thinking about trying it on the mag boards for the heavier lines.