nomad_archer

Sounds like a no win situation for your son.

I was wondering about the pier in watkins.  I may give the pier a try on Saturday while my wife is at a wine making class. 

Thanks for the info.  Sounds like I am on the right track.  I just hope something is biting but now matter what a day of fishing is better than a day at work.

Thank you. Definitely would not have thought to stop at a place like that for bait.

I have some bass pro 3.5"-4" shad that look just like those sawbellies. I will try those with 1/2 - 1 oz jigs.

FishingTheFL how did the rod make its way into the lake.

Great I have a few egg sacks around. Also where is a good place to get bait in the area?

Great reminder with the life jacket.

Thanks

Next Thursday-Saturday my wife, 3 year old daughter and I will be making the trip up to the area to do some fishing and of course enjoy the scenery and some wine.  We will be staying in watkins and were planning on doing some shore fishing.  

 

I was thinking that we could fish taughannock falls since there is the important things for a 3 year old, a bathroom and there is a playground for after fishing.  I was planning on jigging soft plastic swim baits and putting a crawler on for the 3 year old with a bobber.  We are fishing for anything that will bite.  If I luck into a lake trout that would be great but I am not counting on that.  

 

Is this a reasonable plan? I there other access points or lakes I could or should try while we are up in the area?  Any other techniques I should try?  Really any information and knowledge would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Nomad

If the boat raffle was separate and tickets where priced right I would buy at least one for a chance.  But being from out of town and not having a boat the tournament is a no go for me as I wouldn't have a chance.

Thanks.  What dont you like a bout the motor?

19 are not common in my area. But I am still looking

Great idea to take the numbers. I will do that. I saw a 2010 16' crestliner Kodiak that has my eye right now. I want to watch the price and see if it drops at all.

I did spend the day pond fishing with my wife and daughter today. We caught a few and now my wife is boat shopping. So I am making progress.

Thank bandrus1

Thanks.  I will be at bass pro this weekend and cabelas before archery season I am sure.  I will definately take a look at what they have.  I do plan on doing some cold weather fishing.  Why is aluminum better if fishing the cold weather?

Compression test is a good place to start

I looked that up. Just about the same as on a two stroke. Should be simple enough to check.

Thank you Nautitroller.  My wife has contacted a real estate agent in the area and is receiving property listings.  We aren't looking for something on the lake as those are more than we are looking to spend.  We are looking for something a few miles from Taughannock in the Trumansburg area since that would make it a 4 hour trip from home which is reasonable for a long weekend.  

 

We have been traveling through the area en-route to visit friends in the Rochester area for the past 5 years and we have very taken advantage of the Seneca wine trail.  This last trip was the first time we stayed in the finger lakes area and we loved it.  We will probably be back again towards the end of October so my wife can take a wine making class.  

 

I have to agree the fishing is world class.  Best fishing I have had since I drove 18 hours to a lake in Quebec.  

 

One thing I can say is the region is stunningly beautiful.  I am kind of bummed that I spent 4 years attending RIT and never made it to the finger lakes.  I really missed an opportunity there.  

I consider myself fairly mechanically inclined.  I do  99% of the maintenance and repairs on my vehicles and small power equipment.  Rarely do I take things back to a mechanic or dealer. I have not problem getting into and fixing something.  If a motor would need a rebuilt, that is probably out of my league.  Basic to moderately complex repairs are something that I am able to do.  

 

Around me there are not very many marine mechanics so I am going to need to learn what to look for.  From looking around on here it seems like rot and motor issues, leaking seals, hard starting.  I am sure there are a lot more things to look for.

Since  this is a longer term purchase.  Probably out there at least a year but realistically maybe 2-3.  I  would like to spend 5k-8k but I realize that probably will not get me much more than someones old headache.  I don't know if that is a realistic budget for what I am looking for to begin with.

My problem is I don't know what the market is and what I can expect to spend on something used. So I need to spend some time looking at used. Is craigslist a good place to look around to get an idea of used price?

Info Sk8man gave is great. He is a man with plenty of wisdom and tact. That is said with all sincerity. Having the Ms. And child into the fishing bit is great!! Don't rush into your decision based on one trip. Boats are terrific source of enjoyment but also one of the biggest pain in the asses in life depending upon your attitude about them. Think hard about any boat purchase you make!! BOAT = Break out another thousand when something goes wrong usually!! Not my intention to soundnegative but just want to give a general reality before you dive in head first. Depending on your use it may be more practical to charter a few times to see where you actually are in the boating gig. Either way you will get plenty of views and advice from this site. Good luck with your decision.

I know a small bit of the pain boats are after helping my dad keep his boat running as long as I can remember. I don't remember to many trips where we didn't have the cover off of his evinrude. Even with that a boat is something I have wanted for a long time but the battle was convincing my wife that I needed a boat.

There is no rush to buy here. It will probably be a year or better until I decide. Until then I will continue to charter.

I would like to fish the larger finger lakes so it sounds like 18' min. I would like an outboard. Beyond that I have a lot I need to look into.

How old is two old and how many hours is to many hours on a motor?

So I took my wife out on Cayuga lake with a charter to jig for lakers.  She has a great experience and is hooked on fishing.  We are from south central, pa and are now looking for a shack to sleep in in the area and eventually a boat.  

 

We fished out of a crestliner fishhawk 1850.  I really like fishing out of that boat, it had great storage, plenty of room and was very stable.  But then again I was comparing to the only other boat I have fished out of which is my dads 14' row boat with a 9.9 on the back.  

 

So what I am looking for is any direction as to which brands/models/size/style would be recommended for a first boat that would do well in the finger lakes.  The boat may see some use at home in PA lakes but I believe the majority of the use would be in the finger lakes.  I do not need to get into trolling and down riggers just yet, as I really enjoyed jigging but it maybe something I pick up in the future.  I plan to use the boat as an all around fishing boat for my wife, 3 year old daughter and myself for lakers, bass, walleye or whatever is biting.  The biggest thing that I liked about the crestliner was the stability and the organization.  

 

I will be towing with a '08 V6 tacoma with a 6500lbs tow capacity and max tongue weight 650lbs.

 

I am most likely looking used as that will probably be what fits the budget by the time I am ready to buy.  Is there anything that I need to lookout for on the used market?

 

Thanks for any and all advice to help point me in the right direction and get me started on my search.

Hi Everyone,

My name is Trevor I am from South Central, PA.  I recently took my wife out fishing for the first time with carter on Cayuga lake.  We had a fantastic time jigging for lake trout and she is now hooked on fishing.  I am joining to learn a little bit more about the finger lakes.  In the future my wife wants a place on the southern end of Cayuga Lake and a boat.  I am not sure where to start with either of those but for the time being I am hanging around to learn a bit about the fisheries and the techniques.