Sk8man

Thanks Jim and like we used to say as kids "Takes one to know one"

Just a minor clarification Ray.....I was fishing before you were born That is 70 years of fishing as of July 3rd of this year All in all we're both dinosaurs I still remember the first fish I caught as well as the date....a 12 inch smallmouth caught at the Seneca Lake Yacht Club bay near the entrance to the Seneca River (on a crab) with my dad July 3rd 1949. I can still picture that fish and the day itself in my mind after all these years and thousands of other fish. It is an example of how important that first exposure to fishing is for kids especially when with their dad or mom etc. and something for the parents out there to think about

Sorry if I over complicated things for you Ray I'm basically a long time fisherman rather than an outdoor writer per se. I know I get into detail often (and may even get mired in it sometimes) but my main purpose for postings is aimed at helping out people that are either unfamiliar with the Finger Lakes or inexperienced fishing for trout and salmon(or both). After about 70 years of doing this stuff I figured it may be worthwhile trying to give back a little to the sport since many or most of the old timers had the approach of "Hey I had to learn this stuff by myself so I'm not spoon feeding anyone" and I had to acquire most of whatever I know at this point by trial and error or the mutual experience sharing with buddies so the learning curve has been pretty steep. I agree that things out here on Canandaigua have changed radically since I first started fishing the lake itself in about 1967 after fishing the creek before that. There are some big Lake Trout in the lake still but they are not as readily available as in the past or in as great numbers. The bait situation is also different. In the past at the south end in particular back in the 70's and 80's there would be huge pods of bait the size of a football field horizontally and extending over a hundred feet vertically from bottom to surface in the Spring. I haven't seen this or anything close to it for many years. There used to be huge pods of rainbow smelt in the lake and in the creeks in the Spring...they are now pretty much gone.... I have collected data for the DEC Angler Diary cooperators for a long time and on the most recent report one or two fishermen accounted for most of the laker data. I spoke with one of them an old timer in his eighties who uses mostly Seth Green rigs and jerks copper and he agreed with this view and noted that you really have to know the lake very well these days to be real successful. When you combine this with the fact that many of the guys now fishing the lakes are using downriggers, wire rigs, planer boards etc. spending much time fishing "suspended" and not necessarily "bottom fishing" or stillfishing with bait etc. the catch probabilities change and not for the better as far as Lakers go but it does more effectively target rainbows. Most people don't fish specifically for browns here and although an occasional brown is caught trolling it is not necessarily the best way to catch them. They are heavily nocturnal and the big ones are found in closer to shore than most trollers go in the early hours and retreat to deeper water and nearer bottom as the light grows strong. When properly targeted using the right stuff in the right way they can be fairly effectively caught on a more consistent basis. Sorry for being long winded but I figured it as an opportunity to explain things a bit clearer (hopefully).

Good point there. This website contains some of the best information you'll find anywhere on salmon and trout fishing. A lot of the information focuses on equipment and technology advancements that aid people in being successful fishing. People now heavily rely on technology in general to solve problems and "enhance" their lives and the Internet and smartphones have created a great learning environment, but it also has drawbacks especially for inexperienced novices viewing information and assuming that the technology solves everything and can make them an "instant expert". When reading some of the posts on here it becomes pretty obvious that what is often missing is the actual experience fishing and learning to fish by learning the habits and differences among species the many different techniques and methods employed to catch fish. There seems to be an expectation that the learning curve can be totally eliminated by the purchase or use of some electronic device or piece of equipment or vicarious information....no time or effort needed....problem solved. The purchase of the latest greatest technology or lure paint scheme or newly developed line is suggested to be the solution to not catching fish. To the person looking at the information here who has not spent the actual time learning to acquire the basics of fishing I would suggest you are making a huge mistake assuming that any of these aids is "essential" or "needed" to catch fish. Spend time experimenting without reliance on the technology and view the devices as aids or additions to your fishing arsenal and truly appreciate the basic experience of figuring out the fish and their behavior. In the long run you will become a much better fisherperson and will not be subject to "panic" when the technology breaks down out there. I do own a Fishhawk X4D and a decent fishfinder w/GPS and love them both but if they break down I'm not screwed out there either without them.

OR #8 Spros

I believe that has been the policy since the 1970's as the beach opens up....

Amen.

North end docks aren't in yet Cdga just checked.

As of a few days ago docks weren't in at the north end of Canandaigua just the handicapped dock available. Not sure about south end yet.

10-12 lb good quality fluoro (e.g. not Vanish if you want to keep your tackle) on riggers, toplines etc. You can go heavier on the stuff that is run deeper or bottom oriented stuff.

I think you can take that info to the bank You won't be sorry.

A respectful discussion of different opinions and perspectives never hurts anyone and a thread of this nature can benefit everyone if they have an open mind, tolerance for differences, and an openness to new information. This is the place to do it. Hopefully we will all learn a little from it in the process. Regardless of opinion or whether trib or troller we are all in this together and hopefully for the betterment of the sport.