Keuka 7/13-14 - skunk continues

[Lively1]

Was out last night and this morning jigging and drifting on some marks, from 75 down to bottom (130 in some places).  Up the Penn Yan arm and down around Marlena - Bluff this morning.  Apart from a few pecks on the way down I got the big fat zero.  Again.

 

My new theory - the fish I'm marking are all dead.

 

Or my fishfinder is marking fish that aren't there..

[Sk8man]

OR.......aliens have eaten the fish and placed rubber ones in their place

[Steve.e]

I was trolling last weekend and got 4 60' down over 120-130 closer to west side between the two large points just north of the Olney place. Temp was about 48

Edited July 14, 2014 by Steve.e

[Lively1]

Thanks Steve.e - been marking a lot of fish at that depth also.. I will try targeting that next time out.

[Netbender]

Good Day, fleas?

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[smaltcody]

I had very few fleas yesterday

[smaltcody]

I had very few fleas yesterday

[Netbender]

Heading out the end off this week, thanks.

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[Lively1]

So here it is August and I still haven't been able catch a single lake trout jigging Keuka. Tried the evening, early AM, MarlenaBluff area and closer to home. Same setup that worked last year (2 oz jig and fluke) and an old fishfinder, isn't producing. Have seen others jigging, still fishing, and trolling.. what's working?

[On the Hook]

Lively, I am up on Keuka for the week. I have been doing ok jigging in the early AM using the same set up of a jig head and white Zoom fluke. I have marked very few bait balls in the Bluff area and have had no luck jigging off the bottom. The last couple of days we have been jigging in 40 to 80 feet using the fish finder to mark our depth. I don't think the lakers are all that deep this year as in years past. I have also done better near shore near drop-offs and in shallower water than I would normally target. I think that with the winter we had, the cool Spring, and lack of a consistent weather pattern this summer have messed up all the Finger Lakes. You have to work for every fish this year and move away from what has always work in the past because I don't think this is a normal year. 

[Netbender]

Was on Keuka last week, had luck with small spoons, high and low. 45 to 65, and 90 to 105. All over 130 or so, bluff east and bluff west. Great smoker sized LTs.

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[Netbender]

Trolling, further clarification

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[Tg8]

I'll be up on keuka 9th-16th. Lady of the lake suites. I hope we can figure them out. My trips this year my salvation was 1/4oz silver kastmasters jigged. When hooks were up high, I cast it out let it sink, twitch as it fell then slow reel, picked up a few on the bluff when I found they were suspended.

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[Netbender]

I am arriving on the 16th, would have good to say hello. Maybe some upcoming trip. They are in there. Moon phase and boat traffic is what I watch for on that lake. I troll most all the time, until the flees or weeds take over.

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[Tg8]

That's neat super hawk. I'll let u know how my research goes.

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[Sk8man]

Superhark18 - Just as a "heads up" the fleas and weeds have been pretty bad this season even coating the downrigger cables all the way up. Jigging may end up being the only practical option unless things have changed radically since my last trip Once the thermocline has formed as it has the action is usually "suspended" rather than bottom oriented and jigging becomes a slight bit trickier and more dependent on your fish finders ability to discriminate your jig depth and position of fish and sometimes they want slighlty lighter jigs with more action. In the past I've found that darker jigs seem to be preferred by the bigger lakers in the warmer months for some reason while at other times white has been the most successful. Sometimes you have to drift slowly back and forth over the suspended fish a few times before they will hit.

[Tg8]

Thq sk8, those are great jigging tips. I caught one of my largest keuka laker on a diamond jig tipped with a green pumpkin kinami 3" grub. Glad to,see a pattern, I have a bunch of green pumpkin flukes that I will try too.

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[Lively1]

Alright - happy to report SKUNK OFF!  Friday AM I hooked three and landed one, and had one break a rod!  (Hasn't ever happened to me before.)

 

I think the tips re the fishfinder helped a lot. I tuned off the fish ID setting and dialed back the sensitivity just a hair, and targeted the lines on the finder with my jigs. First time one of the lines went up and intersected the line from my jig that was cool!  Saw a number of fish come up and inspect the jig without biting it, or at least I didn't feel a bite. Saw fish on bottom (100 FOW) and also mid-depth, the biters were all mid-depth.

 

I also have to admit I pulled the biggest total rookie mistake of all time.. forgot to put the stringer in the boat before gunning the boat up to 20 mph...If anyone of you saw me, I'm sure you had a good laugh..recovered the stringer, no sign of the fish...

 

Went out the next evening with wife and daughter and my daughter got one! That was very cool.

 

Thanks for all the help, greatly appreciated.

[hermit]

Nice report, sounds good.  You'll definitely get a lot of those lookers or chasers, some days it's all they'll do.  But to mention that sometimes when you're reeling in, and the lakers are swimming up and grab your jig you won't feel a strike but rather an absence of weight, like the jig disappeared.  That's a bite, so set the hook!  It can be easy to miss especially if you're busy looking at the screen.  So watch the screen but the most important information is still coming from the feel of your rod so don't get lost watching tv, I know I've done it before.  Don't know if that was happening to you, they do just look a lot, but it's something to look out for.

 

Also sometimes when they're chasing it'll look like the laker disappeared, but really it's so close to your jig you're only getting one reading on the FF- so don't stop reeling. They'll follow it like this for 60 feet or more sometimes, though usually not as much in summer with the warmer top water.  I like to reel faster and slower if they're chasing to try to entice a bite, but stopping entirely doesn't work for me.   Anyway that's cool you got into them!

[Tg8]

Still a tough jig bite. Hit keuka from sat- today. Fished about two hours a day am 8-10am two evening bite trips. Landed two dinks, and two nice ones, 5-6lbers. Lost a 7-8lber. Marked them most consistently deep, or over deep. Not much structure relations on the west side of branchport branch. Took too long to get one off the bluff today from 4-630. But thankful to have him.

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[Lip Rippers]

august 10 th  h-sport east side has been producing  fish every trip i have made this year  with above average size fish. The last trip  we trolled from 6-9 am   and did  5  lakers and 2 small mouths.  That day there was a few weeds not that bad  and  really no fleas at all. Fished in the 115 fow   with riggers parked at 60 and 75 pulling finger lakes tackle spoons  and   1  wire with dips on 2.5  out 180 with ff and a flat line with a deep diving 24' crank bait  everything took hits. After 9 we hit the shore line  and did some bass fishing  ending the day with 21 for 26 on them 

[Phisherman585]

august 10 th h-sport east side has been producing fish every trip i have made this year with above average size fish. The last trip we trolled from 6-9 am and did 5 lakers and 2 small mouths. That day there was a few weeds not that bad and really no fleas at all. Fished in the 115 fow with riggers parked at 60 and 75 pulling finger lakes tackle spoons and 1 wire with dips on 2.5 out 180 with ff and a flat line with a deep diving 24' crank bait everything took hits. After 9 we hit the shore line and did some bass fishing ending the day with 21 for 26 on them

Were you getting smallmouth or largemouth. I was thinking of doing some drop shot fishing on the points this afternoon in hopes of finding some smallies.

[Lip Rippers]

that is where east side from h-sport  only went done  maybe 2 miles  started at the first house passed the park hit a bunch on points close to shore and some out in 20 fow  any place there was a drop  or point was good even went up CB  into the shallows  and got 2 4lbs large mouth  watch out for submersed logs there thou

Edited August 16, 2014 by Lip Rippers

[Tg8]

I quickly chatted with a very nice guy on a hobie, who was slow trolling and mentioned he pulled a few up. He cordially passed on some advice on where he had his fish. He said the spot was down a few hundred yards where you can smell the lakers were feeding. I did notice certain areas I had hit had the distinct dead fish odor, yet it was isolated to certain areas. my question for the forum is for any further information regarding this. I had never heard of actually smelling areas where heavy feeding had gone on. I am interested I any details regarding this.

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[Sk8man]

Not sure about what the above mentioned situation was but we were with friends on a pontoon boat yesterday cruising around and drinking wine (as a passenger) for a few hours etc. and I saw a few boats trolling the Branchport arm and they were hitting the lakers I saw a couple taken within view about 3-4 pounds anyway. They were right out from the state park  and pulling rigs in about 150-170 ft near the "hole" late afternoon before the rain.

Edited August 17, 2014 by Sk8man