genEus

Thanks for the report. When do the weeds typically begin to subside? There's only so much tubing one can do in one summer... 

Early May up to early June, we were limiting on Keuka lakers almost every time we went out. The last 4 times we went out, caught maybe 4 or 5 fish total. What's going on? Is this typical of this time of year? Is the fish moving deeper or something, or is it just the moody weather of the last few weeks? Also, the fleas are beyond ridiculous. I don't remember them being this bad last year this early in the summer, and I thought they wouldn't be as bad on Keuka as other lakes, but WOW, time to dump the braid!

I think there IS something about lousy first light fishing after those bright moonlit nights.  What do you guys think?  Should I have gone out a bit later....say 10:30 or so?

Trolled from 5am to 9am on Keuka yesterday and caught only 3 lakers. This is the second time I tried fishing the morning after a full moon. I don't think the full moon thing is a myth! 

West Marine! how the heck do I not know that one existed in Rochester? thanks!

In a hurry I broke my bimini top eye end on one of the supports and would love to not have to buy it online and wait for it to get shipped. It's one of these things in the pic below...

Can I find a store that might have these anywhere in Rochester??

Don't feel bad. Yesterday we managed to get only 3 average size lakers between 5 to 9pm. A week prior we had 13 in the same time period, and literally just had enough time to reset one rod when another one fired... All this rain must be messing with the fishery. Don't give up on Keuka, it's awesome

I would also add that all 3 came off dipsies set at 3, 250ft out... I flat lined a 20ft diving rapala just for kicks and it took what seemed like a huge hit, but the fish unbuttoned quickly...

In response to Sk8man, we normally fish from the bluff to Gold Seal, but last weekend we went straight to Stone Point and did large circles in the center of the lake. Fished all rods with the same exact gold lure just to see if everyone we took home would be a female. Fished 3 hours with one 6lb2oz and the rest of the keepers 15" to 21" with several released under 15".  Again like I said, all females.   Next trip out, no gold just to see if it's a female thing! 

Ah. My biggest one on Keuka was 4.5 lbs. Would love to catch a 6lb+ one, figured they're mighty rare in those waters. Is there anything different one would do to try to catch the bigger ones, or is it basically a crapshoot? 

Seeing how they're $18 each new + tax, I think $16 for 2 seems pretty reasonable. They've been used only a handful of times. I'd charge you actual shipping. If I had to guess I'd say it would be around $10 but if it turned out to be less I'll give back the difference.

If you still have these, can you do better than 16 for both ? what's shipping to zip code 12831 ?

Thanks 

I use a humminbird 597 ci fishfinder .I also use downriggers. Does anyone know if the downriggers cable interferes with the fishifnder? I was thinking that i might change to braided line if that's the issue.I  lose the depth reading from time to time. I may bne in 200 fow then all of the sudden the finder reads 2'. other than that the finder works fine.

Jimmy,

I'm having the same issue with my 385ci. Read here: http://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishing-hunting/index.php/topic/36355-humminbird-385ci-loses-bottom-randomly-then-recovers/

I haven't been bothered by it enough to do anything about it. Last 4 hour trip, I only lost bottom two or 3 times for about 20-30 seconds each. It's annoying but not enough to do anything about it at this moment. If you get to the bottom of it (no pun intended), please let me know what you found.

I posted the question on another forum and a Humminbird rep said that it's an electrical interference problem. However, nothing I try to do seems to make it happen. It doesn't happen when I turn the radio on or off, when the bilge pump goes on or off, etc. It seems to be random. 

3 still available

Had the same problem with my bird when i first installed it on my boat, even took it back for a replacement, only to have the second unit do the same thing. Then bass pro told me it was interference and to wire direct to the battery, that solved the problem, it's been working great since.

This jives with what the other poster said. That sounds awesome (even if it's a pain in the rear to have to wire directly). 

Interesting, but I doubt it. I trolled from 40 to 140 FOW and this issue occurred in both deep water and shallow water. I was actually stopped at one point, while my dad was reeling in a fish, and I noticed the FF went "nuts" for about 30 seconds, then went back to normal. Someone at another forum suggested it could be caused by another electrical device turning on at the same time, causing interference. It could be my bilge pump I suppose; I'll have to check it out I'm on the lake.

Just installed, and the FF works great at trolling speeds and at high speeds, without losing bottom or showing noise, etc. However all of a sudden it will show garbage on the screen, like 0.6ft depth and lots of noise on the screen, for about 30 seconds, and then goes back to normal. This happened twice yesterday while trolling at 3mph in 100ft of water.

I know lots of people complain about losing bottom at high speeds. I don't have that problem, though...

Anyone have any ideas??

Thanks!

3 still available.

bump

I am a lot more of a novice than you but have got to say... think about the 3 items below and realize that out of a, b, and c, the least water-disturbing piece is your motor... 

a) 10-15lb downrigger ball pulled through the water at 70-120ft of depth

b) dipsy, flasher and fly pulled through the water at 70-120ft of depth

c) a propeller in the water at 1 ft of depth (~70-120ft above where the fish typically are) with the motor noise mostly above water

One thing I see nobody suggested (surprised) is using an electric trolling motor. Too bad I just sold one or it would have been perfect for your boat. A 45-55lb thrust stern mount motor on a 12' boat, especially if you're fishing alone, would probably go for 4-5 hours on a single battery. Also, there is little in this world that I would find more blissful than an early morning fishing on Hemlock or Canadice without disturbing your surroundings, with nothing but a quiet whine of an electric motor. There are tons of them being sold on Craigslist so you can get one cheaply I bet. Plus, it's extra insurance if anything happens to your main motor. 

But, in my humble opinion, I'd take the 6hp over 2hp any day. That one day when there were whitecaps on Canadice I was sure glad I had a 10hp. And, once you find that "sweet spot where all the fish are hiding" you'll be cursing yourself if you have to spend 15 minutes just getting there on a 2hp

Link to product: http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11414986&cp=4406646.4413993.4414792.4414811

These were hardly used before I upgraded to the Salty S-10 holders. One of the two is missing the top ring.

They're $40 from Down East http://www.down-east.com/website_006.htm, 

These are indestructible, really, so they are in LIKE NEW condition. I used them on my smaller boat for less than 3 months, and they were outstanding. Don't need them anymore as that boat's been replaced.

Motor still available.

Could use some decent rod holders if anyone's got extras of Cannon or Bert's ratcheting ones

Anyone know how to delete a post?

I think it also depends on how frequently you'd have to trailer the boat at current gas prices....I only get about 10 mpg when I trailer my boat....the price here on Canandaigua is at least $1100 or so to keep it on land at a marina and about $2,000 and more for a slip so that doesn't sound out of range but again it also depends on how frequently you'll fish and wear and tear on your vehicle and trailer.... Good luck.

For sure. Also gotta consider the convenience of not having to wait in line at the state launch, having E-free fuel right there at the dock, a fish cleaning station and other amenities, not having to park the boat next to the house, etc. etc. All true. //just talking myself into it.

I talked to North End marina; the lady sounded very sweet and did a good job selling the place and the amenities. I just wish it wasn't so expensive; gonna end up being $1000 for the season. I know that's pretty much the going rate but it was only $500 for a slip at the shop at the mouth of Sodus Bay and 30 minutes shorter drive. Argh. Decisions, decisions 

Can't believe it's time to think about spring and summer fishing again (although I see some braved the weather this winter anyways!  )

Can anyone recommend a dock on Keuka lake, close to the Branchport end? I figured with gas at $4/gal, towing the rig from Rochester every weekend, plus all the hassle associated with it, has got to be just about as much as a slip would cost.

Alternatively, if I could even store the boat at someone's place nearby so that I could tow it only a few miles or so, that'd be great as well. Any options like that out there? 

bump