Got out with Tad for Day 3 of his Finger Lakes fishing trip.    Today the target was pike on the fly.   We worked shallows on both sides of the lake.   We found good numbers of fish in around 5' to 12' of water.   Tad brought some Dahlberg Divers along and we had a good time watching the pike and pickerel follow them in.   Clouser minnows also worked well and we had some nice pike up to 31" and a couple pickerel on the day.   At times two pike were chasing the flies at once!  Fish are still recovering from the spawn and although the pike fishing is very good to excellent now, it should continue to improve (perhaps not in fish numbers/size, but in their aggressiveness.)

Over the past 3 days Tad was pretty impressed with the diversity of the fishing in this area and given that he'd  fished around the world,  it meant a lot to me.   I had a great three days of guiding and learned a lot about fishing and other topics while talking to him and watching his approaches.   

Got out for a scheduled full day with Steve and his brother Stewart (hope I spelled Stu right.)  I did a trip with Steve last year on June 2nd and it was a pretty tough day - so I figured that the fish Gods owed us one.   And they came through!   The lake was pretty choppy - or downright rough to start.  I watched a boat trailer pull into the parking lot and saw the driver walk out, look at the lake and turn around to leave!  It wasn't pretty out there, but the lakers were active from the get-go at 8am.   Water temps were 47 at Sampson so that's where we fished.   We marked a lot of bait so I was pretty psyched.  In a nutshell the fish cooperated and hit on the bottom and on the chase.  We used white flukes on 1oz. jig heads.   The guys landed 9 nice fish - most were 25" to 30".   A few fish were lost but not many.   The lake got really rough and we started getting some waves over the bow, so we called it a 1/2 day.   As I filleted the fish the lake calmed down, but we'd had our fill.   Stomach contents of kept fish incl. mostly alewives but one fish had a trout-perch and some sculpin in its stomach. 

After some contemplation I decided to re-launch and check on pike fishing.  I jigged up a couple lakers then cast for some northerns.  Hooked 2 nice pike on tube jigs.  Both were around 28" fish.   One had a fat belly - I'm not sure if it had spawned or not, but I let both go.  One bass also wound up on the end of my line - a decent 17" smallmouth.    There should be some great fishing over the next few months!  

Fished Cayuga with my old friend Mike on Tuesday.   We were going to postpone but said "what the heck".   Conditions were fairly brutal with 34 degree air temps in the AM and steady Northwest winds with speeds in the upper teens.   Wind chills were probably in the upper 20s or around 30.   We marked lakers from around 55' or 60' out into deeper water, but boat control troubles combined with scattered, suspended negative fish made fishing conditions and presentation very difficult.   I had classes to teach, so we cut the day short around 1 pm. 

Guided Andrew today on Seneca Lake.   We launched out of Sampson with light north winds.   Things started out very difficult.  We tried a bunch of areas for lakers and bass without seeing much of anything.   We worked from shallow to depths of over 160' without much more than a hit or two.   We marked a couple nice schools of fish in 140' and had some chasers and a momentary hookup.   Anyways, I'd marked some warm water (47 degrees) early in the day on the west shore but wrongly assumed (yes, I know what happens when you 'assume' ;-)  that it was due to the warm water discharge at Dresden.   We went back to the west shore close to the end of our day and hit paydirt on lakers.  Plenty of quite aggressive fish had moved up into the 45' to 65' range.   Fishing got hot towards the evening and Andy landed 4 nice fish and missed others.  We likely could have loaded the boat had we stayed out - we were constantly marking fish and chasers!   I had classes to teach, so we stayed out as long as I could.   There are plenty of fish from north of Dresden all the way up the west shore to the north end of the lake.  Great fishing at the day's end - it just goes to show....

We kept 3 fish and they were nice sized - up to 28".  The big fish was stuffed with HUGE alewives!   Fish were generally in pretty good condition.  

Guided 1/2 day with Wallace and Red.   Conditions looked great to start but my favorite most consistent areas on the lake didn't yield any fish for us.   So we went searching.  We finally found some trout and salmon and 3 fish were landed on jigs and a Rapala.   Two rainbows and one salmon - all nice fish.   We saw some beauties and had some nice follows.   The weather was gorgeous.  Temps on the north end of the lake were into the low 50s (on top at least) and further south it is still very cold - around 38/39.  

After the trip I went back out on my own and went back through one of my favorite areas thoroughly;  I thought maybe a little more sun on the water might activate some fish.   I had one hit - zero fish.  I worked some hair jigs deep and still couldn't connect.   I worked some stretches of water I rarely fish and still didn't see anything.   The fish seemed fairly lockjawed to me - or just in different areas.  I did not fish the area that produced our morning fish again.  Fish seemed very neutral to negative this week (in general).    That's what I love about fishing - no matter how often I go, it's still very unpredictable - especially when you start thinking you have things semi-figured out!   Fun week out there and very challenging. 

I've been contemplating catfishing for a while and today seemed like a nice day to go.   I've always enjoyed catching channel catfish - they fight great, look pretty cool and taste great.   Cayuga Lake seems to have a decent catfish population - especially on the north end, so off we went.

Jessica and I had a good time catching some sunfish/bluegills to use for cutbait.   The northern portions of Cayuga are loaded with panfish and some very nice largemouth bass (in very shallow water I might add.)   This was a shakedown trip - a day to figure out what we'll need when we make a serious attempt at catfishing.   We worked a couple areas for 2 hours or so with the cutbait with zero hits.   So we didn't give it long.   I met a couple other catfishers and they reported catching a few bullheads but no cats.   The water levels are low on Cayuga and there isn't much current being generated by the dam at the north end.   The mosquitos and various flies were out in full force and my truck and boat were covered as we pulled the boat out.   I purchased a heavier 2nd. anchor and an assortment of catfish tackle, so we will be trying again - probably after the next good rain.   Stay tuned!

Got out with Dave and his wife Sue for some deep lake trout fishing on Seneca.  Dave's joined me on a number of trips for lakers and some landlocked Salmon fishing.   He has a place on the lake and has done well jigging lakers, but the angling for late winter/early spring fish has been tough.   It was no picnic today either, but we managed to locate some good numbers of fish and have some good opportunities.  

We worked a lot of different depths but found most fish were between 125' and 160'.   Seneca Lake nearly always has some shallower fish and we marked some of those too.   Early season fish don't necessarily show up on the depth finder - a lot of times they are on the bottom, and they can be nearly anywhere - they aren't confined by temperature restrictions.    Dave lost what appeared to be a big fish off Sampson State Park and we had a lot of dropped fish;  they may have been small or perhaps just grabbing the tails of the jigs.   We managed to land a couple fish - one in 125' and one in 153'.   Some bait is around, but not much.  More bait should move up by the day.   Sue managed some opportunities at some good fish and she landed her first lake trout.   The high point of the trip was the abundant loons.  We could hear their calls echoing down the lake.   They were everywhere.   The weather was also fantastic.  

When I pulled into the State Launch today the air temp was 34 degrees, the wind was blowing out of the north at around 10 mph and it was snowing!   Only a few trailers were in the parking lot.   Gordon wanted to fish 1/2 day today so we gave it a shot.  He's an active member of the Long Island Flyrodders and we've done 4 or 5 trips together so far.   Rainbow trout fishing was very good today.  He started with a nice 17" fish around the northern portions of the lake.  Further downlake he landed 4 more fish - a 23", 22", 20" and another 17".   The fish fought great for the most part with a 17" fish taking some spectacular jumps.   The 20" fish was a picture perfect female with a beautiful red stripe.   The winds really cranked up around 3pm and we had a fun ride back to the launch.  The action was so good we wound up spending close to a full day out on the lake.  

The 22" rainbow was missing a huge chunk of it's nose/head.   Looked like some sort of animal must have gotten hold of it.  We could see all kinds of "stuff" where his head used to be.  I was amazed that the spawned out fish was alive.  The 23" fish was a spawned out female.   All fish were quickly released today.   Water temps were around 43 at the northend and 37 downlake.   I wore about everything I owned out there - heavyweight long underwear, jeans and a sweatshirt, a fleece jacket, down vest, winter jacket and a Browning Survival Suit.   The suits used to retail for $400 at Bass Pro Shops but they went on sale this past winter for $100.   Not bad at all!

Got out today for a full-day with Gary (from Thurs) and Todd.   Fishing started rather slow around 9 am.   The weather was much better than anticipated.   We marked plenty of fish from 135' to 150', but they weren't hitting well.   We tried a lot of different areas and the wind made fishing difficult.   As the wind died down around 1 pm the fish started hitting and the guys landed 3 nice lakers - all big fish from 27" to 30".    Hits were missed and a fish or two were dropped.   All in all a pretty good day.   The guys are now jigging converts.  

Early season lake trout jigging has a special appeal.  We don't typically get the numbers of fish that we get later in the season when fish move up and baitfish move in.   What's exciting is that the fish are so deep!   To catch fish in 130', 140' and even upwards of 170' of water by jigging is a unique experience in the region.   The fish run large and are stuffed with bait.   The key is to be on the fish when the "bite window" occurs.   Subtle weather changes can trigger feeding binges.   Some of the biggest lakers we catch are during this early season fishing, and if you can detect bites in 150' of water - you'll never think of 50' as being "deep" again!  

Got out yesterday with my friend Shahab for some salmon fishing with the fly-rods.  Conditions were harsh to say the least.   Winds on Seneca Lake started at around 10 to 15 mph out of the south then cranked up to a sustained 20 to 25 mph, with higher gusts.  I've never seen the south end of the lake so rough - and that's with south winds.   Water temps ranged from around 39 to 46 or so up Catherine's Ck/Canal.   We fished hard for hours and Shahab had one hit and I fouled one carp (on a jig - which I threw for 1/2 hour.)   Things weren't looking good, but we tried one last area and managed to get some follows from salmon ranging from 15" to 20".  We each landed a salmon and Shahab also landed a 30" pike.   The catching wasn't great, but given the brutal conditions it was one of the most satisfying days I'd had on the water in recent memory.   "Never give up!"

Today was the first guide trip of the season and it couldn't have been a nicer day.  Gary met me at the launch at 9 am and I had him start working the northern portions of the lake.  Most of Gary's fly-fishing had been stream fishing so we spent the day working on casting.   By the end of the day Gary was getting some good casts in;  he was throwing some nice loops.   The fish Gods were good to us from the get-go and Gary landed a couple nice rainbows within the first 90 minutes of fishing.  We found some salmon further down the lake and Gary managed to catch his first landlock.   A few other fish were missed.   I talked to a couple fishermen (Hey Ralph!) at the launch -both trollers and casters, and both reported very good to excellent fishing for rainbows and salmon.   Perch are also hitting well.  Water temps ranged from 37 to the low/mid 40s.  

Went to Cayuga/Dean's Cove to check on lake trout with Jessica.   We worked various depths and found decent numbers of fish around 135' to 140'.  As has been the case recently, she had the hot hand and caught her limit in short order.   A large white tube did the trick.   I missed/lost 3 or 4 fish.   The one fish we kept had freshly killed alewives in its stomach.

We had some time so we motored up to the northern flats of Cayuga Lake.  Plenty of perch fishermen are around.  We fished for carp and the marsh areas were loaded, despite the cold 46 degree water temps (carp seek out the warmest available water they can find.  Check out my carp article in the most recent "Mid-Atlantic Fly-Fishing" magazine available for free at area fly-shops.)    Fish were so thick we couldn't help but foul-hook a bunch, but we perservered.  I had a 5 to 6lb. fish hammer a clouser fly, which was a trip.  I hadn't caught carp on the retrieve while fly-fishing, so this was a first.   We kept it to eat!  Check out my account of this "experience"  ;-) in the "Tips/Articles" page of this website (go to "The Fishing".)

Perch fishermen are out in good numbers on Cayuga.   Sunday I wanted to fish Skaneateles Lake but I had a bug or two to be worked out on my boat, so off to Barrett Marine we went.   We tried Seneca Lake for a few hours since it was so close.  Perch fishermen are out in droves.  Can't say how they did, but there were boats all over the place.  We tried the northern portions of the lake - from Bellhurst to Roy's working deep water for lakers.   Finally shot down to Sampson, which is always good.  I missed 3 or 4 fish and Jessica landed one and we called it a day.  Fish were deep - around 135' to 150'.   The lake looks gorgeous - nice and clear with a green tinge to the water.   Water temps on both lakes vary from 38 to 42 or so on Seneca and up to 46 on the north end of Cayuga Lake.

What a terrific day to fish!   I fished with my girlfriend from around 12:30pm till 6:40pm.   It only took a few casts with my fly-rod (intermediate line/bionic smelt fly) to draw up a follow from a nice 20" to 22" landlocked salmon.   Unfortunately I couldn't get the fish to grab!   We continued our drift and I had another follow - this time on a Clouser minnow with a sinking line.   At the same time Jessica hooked up and landed a nice 20" salmon on a jig.  We worked one area for awhile and she also landed a 21" brown.   I kept fly-fishing and took a few casts with a jig.   We tried another area (on the east shore) and had 3 follows/hits.  

We wound up back on the west shore and I did some casting with a jig.  I hooked what felt like a very good fish - maybe something foul-hooked.  But it wound up being a beautiful hook-jawed male brown that was 24" and probably 5.5lbs or better.   We worked back up to the park and we hit another pod of fish.  Jess got another 20" and a 17" and I got a 18.5" salmon.   All fish but one salmon were released.   Lots of hook scars (marks) and lamprey hits on the salmon.  The salmon are in reasonable shape but not in the fat condition of the late 1990s/early 2000s.   I'm thankful for all the catch and release fishing going on out there.  It makes a big difference in the quality of everyone's fishing.   Water temps ranged from 37 to 38.  Cayuga is just fishing great for salmon/browns.  I'm lovin' it!  We got plenty of photos and I should have them up by Tuesday - gotta get them developed and put on disc.  Fish were generally lethargic today and action seemed to improve as the day went on.   

Got out from 2 to 6 pm today.  Tried some lake trout jigging for around 3 hours with no luck.   The overcast/dark skies probably were partly to blame for the lack of fish action.  I marked decent numbers of fish from around 80' to 150' of water along the lake's east shore.   Cayuga AES was packed with shore fishermen, so I didn't fish there.  My guess is that the action must be good over there.   At least 7 people were there all afternoon.

Tried a little salmon fishing with no luck.  The west winds are not good for my style of salmon fishing, so I wasn't surprised.   Expect good to excellent salmon action once the northerlies/southerlies resume.   Expect good lake trout jigging action on sunny days and further north towards the Dean's area.   Lake temps are at 37 degrees.  

Got out in the boat for 2 1/2 hours today with my girlfriend.   The water temps are around 37/38 degrees.  The water level is low but higher than the typical winter lows - launching was easy.   I gave her a white jig and I started with the fly-rod.  Fly-fishing produced a small (sublegal) rainbow trout around 10" long.   Maybe it's just coincidence, but over the past year we've seen more rainbows than in a long time.  I NEVER used to catch rainbows fly-fishing out in Cayuga Lake in the late 1990s and early 2000s. 

We had a salmon follow near shore.   We worked some deeper water and I tried a jig and caught a nice 22" salmon that fought very well.   Jessica landed a nice 20" fish.   We released all the fish today.  Both salmon had lamprey marks.  One salmon had a hook scar.  That to me is kind of nice - knowing that someone else caught and released that fish so we were able to catch it today.   Salmon are very vulnerable to angling pressure - so it's always a good idea to release them.   Beautiful day and we had the lake to ourselves apart from the shore anglers.

Got out from around noon till 4:15pm or so.   Quite a few duck hunters were out (opening day of the season).   I tried a little fly-fishing for salmon, though I wasn't expecting much with the winds I had.  No luck there.   I did see one salmon caught by some perch fishermen - down on bottom around 30'.   Wind and sunlight play a factor in salmon coming up top to feed - I had neither today, but I keep trying anyways hoping for a straggler.  

I really wanted pike, so that's what I did.   Both gear and fly-fishing produced fish.  I had the best luck using a Flo. Red Lunker City Shaker in the med. size on a 1/2 oz. head.   Fish were on deep weededges.   Find good weeds and you'll find plenty of fish.   They were nice sized ranging from around 23" to 32" - most around 27" to 29".   Fly-fishing was tougher since fish are pretty deep (over 20').   A leadcore setup worked very well, but I need to iron out a few bugs.   I caught some good fish, but the set-up just wasn't super-efficient.  Lots of missed fish and follows.  Setting the hook was tough with my 8wt, so next time I'll try a 10 wt.   Fly-type and leader length also need to be considered and messed around with - but either way, fishing was excellent!   Water temps are at 41.   40 on the southend.  Perch action was slow for the one boat I talked to.   BTW - the pike were fighting great!   Warming or steady water temps - even when cold really help.

December's been a tough month to get out fishing, no question about it.   I just got back from visiting my parents and brother in Phoenix so I was jonesing to get out.   I fished from around 12:30pm till 4pm.   Water temps are up around 41 degrees.   The water level is average - almost as high as summer pool;  the 2" of rain we got last week definitely brought the lake level up.   Lots of people were out fishing today - both in boats, at Taughannock and at AES.   I wasn't able to get any reports from others, but judging from the crowds I'd have to say people are getting fish.   2 years ago, there was nobody fishing AES for the most part - now it's always busy.  

I hadn't jigged any lakers in a while so that's what I started with.   I'd like to do a batch of chowder.   I worked depths from 75' out to 180'.   The most fish were very deep - around 150' to 180'.  I didn't check any deeper.   I got one suspended fish down around 70' over 170' and that was it.   There are plenty of fish around, but they weren't very active - or at least weren't chasing what I was using.   A medium sized white Lunker City Shaker did the trick on the post-spawn laker.    I did some fly-casting for salmon and might have had a hit, but it also could have been debris.  

Guided Dave for what ended up being an abbreviated full-day today.   We were looking for salmon on the fly.   Water temps remain cold around Seneca's south end;  we had 40 degrees in most areas and up to 42 up the lake a couple miles.   Up the lake towards Glenora the H2O temp is around 49 and my guess is that further north there's probably some water in the 50 to 52 degree range.    Strong south winds appear to be causing a minor upwelling at Watkins.   This type of phenomena is common in the Great Lakes but also occurs around here.   

Dave used my Sage RPL+ flyrod and once he got used to it he enjoyed the outfit.   It really casts an intermediate line well.   After around 2 hours of fishing Dave hooked a decent salmon, but unfortunately it was foul-hooked in the dorsal fin!   It's weird fouling a fish on a #4 streamer fishing blind in 40' of water, but with landlocked Atlantic salmon it happens maybe 5 to 10% of the time.   The fish hit the fly, miss it and then swirl around it trying to eat it again.   The fish gets broadside to the fly as the angler strips it and next thing you know, you have a foul hooked fish!   I got one look at the fish before it kept running upwind of us.  Dave fought it for a little while then the hook popped out.   That was the only salmon hit on the fly.

We did some fly-fishing for pike, but it was windy and there was a lot of weed debris around which hampered our presentation.  Plus the fish are lethargic and deep.    I had Dave try a spinning rod with a Lunker City Shaker after a bit and he managed to land a nice northern over 29".   We went up the lake looking for salmon but we got interrupted when the winds switched out of the north and the lake began to whitecap.   So we called it a day.  

Although the lake temps are ideal for salmon on Seneca Lake, the lack of cold weather and rainfall has probably delayed good fishing by a week or two.   I'm sure flatliners could find some fish around, but for my style of fishing I think the best action will be in December.  Time will tell.    I have a suspicion that Cayuga will be the hot salmon fishing lake this season!

Fished 1/2 day with John and Ralph (from Northern California) out on Seneca for northern pike.   The guys do a lot of bass fishing on Clear Lake and hadn't caught pike before.   The water temps have really taken a dive on the south end of Seneca Lake.   I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the rain we've had.   But temps were in the low 40s!   Should be prime for salmon, but I was wondering if the pike would be sluggish.   They were a little lethargic today, but the guys did very well landing a bunch of fish up to 31".   Bright orange Lunker City Shakers in the 4.5" size did the trick fished on 1/2 oz. jig heads.    There is still plenty of nice weedgrowth in the lake! 

Tomorrow we'll be checking on some salmon action as well as the pike.   I plan on fishing Cayuga later this week for salmon/trout too.   

Got out on my own from around 11:30 am till dark.   I love to fish this lake in November.  Give me a few hometied hair jigs and a fly-rod with some olive buggers and I'm a happy man!     The lake was rough and launching was a pain in the butt.   The docks are out and a strong southerly was blowing.    I shot south and worked along the shore.    Things started slow and then I started picking up a few fat smallmouths.   I landed a beautiful 21" rainbow - maybe the nicest looking rainbow I've caught!   Just as silver as could be, robust (fat) and sleek with tons of spots on it.   I quickly released the fish (without taking any photos).   Rainbows were around and I dropped quite a few - both on jigs and the fly.    I just couldn't hook them solidly.   

Lake trout were also in the mix.   Windblown points were just carpeted with beautiful wild lakers ranging from around 16" to 20".    Some big (up to 15"!) perch were mixed in with the lakers.   These perch love to eat lake trout eggs - so if you can find lakers, you'll find perch.    Nice smallmouths were also in the mix.   Some trollers I talked to dropped a nice landlocked salmon.   Water temps were around 53/54.   Perfect!    I caught most of my fish in around 8' to 23' of water give or take.     November in this region is beyond compare!

Seneca Lake was terrific for pike on 11/2.   Did a morning trip with Bill and the fishing started out a little slow, but picked up noticeably as the day went on.   No big fish, but nice action on decent pike.  We fished Lunker City Shakers in the Mahi Mahi color and Flo. Red.   There are fish all over Seneca Lake - I've never seen the pike fishing better.  And no one was out on Friday.   Can't beat that.   Water temps are in the 57 to 58 degree range.

The afternoon/evening bite left off with hot fishing.  John and Eleonore Herman just hammered pike.   Eleonore wound up landing over 20 fish and John nailed around a dozen!   Fantastic fishing with around 3 doubles or more.    The Shakers were tops again.   On 11/3 Artie came out for his first taste of pike on the fly.   The fly-fishing was superb - beyond both of our expectations!   He nailed a lot of fish on three different set ups - floating line/clouser, type 6 sink line/deceiver and LLC-13 rigged with a deceiver type fly.  We caught fish everywhere we tried!   The foliage and scenery was amazing - it just doesn't get better!

I fished Keuka on Sunday with Jessica, my newest fishing companion.   "Give someone a fish and they eat for a day, teach them to fish and they kick your butt".   ;-)   That's my new slogan.   She did well on pike with me last week and yesterday she did great on lakers on Keuka.   We caught our limit, with her taking the lion's share of fish.  The Bluff area was good for nice 22" to 24" lakers.  Many were suspended.  We kept our limit then explored a few places for bass w/o any great luck.  

Last year I was fishing Skaneateles Lake for trout and salmon with my flyrod around this time.   Right now, conditions are fishing like mid-October.    So my buddy Dave and myself shot over to Cayuga to check on pike.    The lake was really rough when we showed up at 12:30 pm so we tried heading N. of Taughannock Point and we checked on lakers.   We marked a few and had some smaller fish (salmon?) following our jigs/spoons but no hookups.  

The lake calmed down and we ran south looking for pike.   We worked a few of my top pike areas.   Dave was in the zone and lost a big pike at the second place we tried.   Then he landed a 27" fish.   I couldn't buy a hit.   Dave then landed a beauty - a 37" hefty northern!  It fought great!   We took a few photos too.   Dave missed one more and that was it for us.   We tried a couple other places with no luck, but our time was running out.  

Cayuga is fishing like Seneca did a few years ago - a few fish around and some are big.  There's no comparison with Seneca right now - Seneca is much better.   Pretty much every weedy area on Seneca holds fish.  On Cayuga you need to cover a lot more water and fish thoroughly.   

My new Fenwick rods and REVO STX reel with a 7:1 retrieve fished great.   I've been using Fenwicks all season long.   I don't get paid to promote these products, but I've been impressed with them.   I used to love the old Fenwick HMG rods back in the 1970s and early 1980s.  They were classic.   I ignored Fenwick for a long time after that, mainly buying Bass Pro Shops Extreme Rods and an occasional All-Star or Loomis.    The new HMXs are some of the most reasonably priced rods out there.   They are one of the few companies that produce a Heavy Action spinning rod.   The baitcasters have rod handles that are amongst the longest for a production rod - they are perfect for vertical jigging.    I don't know of a better rod for the money than the Fenwick HMX rods.   HMGs are very nice and the Techna AV rods are awesome as well.   The HMX rods are superior (IMO) to St. Croix Premier Rods, BPS Extreme Rods and many of the Castaway Rods.   The HMX rods are lighter and more sensitive and yet stronger than the aforementioned rods.  When a Fenwick Rod is labeled as being able to handle 3/8 to 1 1/4 oz. lures, it HANDLES them.   Many rods feel overloaded when I try to cast the higher range of their rated lures.  Not the Fenwicks!

Got out onto Conesus Lake for a full day trip with Greg.   Greg's booked a lot of trips this year and had read a lot about this lake and its bass fishing over the years.   I grew up near Rochester and have a bit of experience on this lake (going back to 1977.)   But I don't guide it - apart from a special request here and there.   I know the lake "OK" but not great.   That being said, we've caught our share of big walleyes, nice pike and nice bass on this lake over the years.  

We started on the south end and worked north.  It didn't take long for Greg to nail a few decent northern pike.    Swim baits did the job.   We saw a few good pike swimming near the surface in very shallow water over weeds - weird behavior.    We covered a lot of water but didn't encounter any aggressive bass.   One reason I don't do a lot of "year round" bass guiding is that bass can get tough to catch in many situations.   When their strike zones shrink and conditions get tough, a jig 'n pig can be the way to go.   I'd say that 95% of weekend bass fishermen I encounter don't pitch jigs.   (I worked at Bass Pro Shops for a year and a half and had a lot of conversations with anglers and got a chance to see what tackle they were buying while working registers.)   Many pros and tournament anglers throw jigs, but a surprising number of them don't.   It's thorough fishing but it can be boring and requires concentration and patience.  

So I told Greg that we'd have to go to the jigs.   My buddy Craig happened to call me while out on the water.   Craig's been fishing BASS tourneys for some time now and is doing better every year - he mentioned it and was absolutely right.   I had brought along two flipping sticks for that very reason.    Greg was reluctant to go to the jigs, since he'd never seen a fish caught on one in person - just on TV.   He wanted to see me catch a fish on one first.  So I grabbed a jig rod.    We worked down a protected bay (from the wind) and he worked superflukes and spinnerbaits shallow while I pitched a 1 oz. Black and Blue jig with a plastic trailer.   Within about 20 minutes I had a tremendous hit near the boat.   What a fish!!!   It was 20" long but clearly the fattest bass I'd ever caught.   It looked like a 6lber but was probably smaller than that, but incredibly fat and hefty looking with a "double gut".   We took photos and I'll get them up (along with about 8 months worth of photos) when I get some time.  It was probably the heaviest largemouth I've ever caught with a huge mouth that could easily fit a big fist!

After the monster bass, Greg went to the jig.   It didn't take long for him to get into a fish - a nice 30" northern followed in his jig as he brought it to the surface.   It's easy to see where Doug Stange at In-Fishermen got the idea to throw jig 'n pigs for northerns and just reel them in!    After that he missed a hit and then caught his first largemouth on a jig.   I kept fishing and also caught one.   Two areas produced all the fish, but we decided to keep working new water.   Near the north end of the lake I had one big smallie chase a swimbait, but that was it for the day.   A cottage owner on the lake told me he trolled up a nice walleye a couple weeks ago - so they are around.    Water temp was 60.  I'd say the fishing was alright - kind of tough, but worth it for the persistant angler.

Saturday I went out on Seneca with my friend Jess.   We had a great time catching pike.  The weather forecast called for 100% chance of rain but we played things by ear and got very lucky.   Not much new to report on the Seneca northerns.   They fought great - water temps are starting to hit the 50s and they hit hard.  Big fish were starting to enter the picture too.  My best one was 38" long and hefty!   All fish were released unharmed.    Swim baits worked best as usual.   

Guided Dave and Rod today for 1/2 day starting at 11 am.  Those are my kind of hours! ;-) Lake trout action is still very good on Owasco and the guys managed to land 9 nice fish.  They lost/missed some good ones as well.  It was their first day jigging and they did a great job feeling the hits and setting the hook.    The lake temps are still warm, leaves are getting close to peak colors and the air temps were terrific - fishing just doesn't get much better.    Fish are moving deeper and deeper on this lake.  100' to 115' was best.   White and chartreuse Flukes/Fin-S Fish worked well, as did a 1 ounce silver Kastmaster Spoon.    Fun day!

Day 2 with Kevin started out a bit tough around 9:30 am.   We worked further up the lake than on Saturday (up to north of Severne).   He caught a good number of pike today, a couple pickerel and a couple smallmouths.   Bass are definitely taking a back seat to the abundant northern pike population on Seneca Lake!    Pike ran up to 30".   Spinnerbaits, fly-fishing and swim baits all produced fish today.    The fishing got better as the day went on.   Pike are most abundant in 10' to 20' of water off the weeds.   Water temps vary from 61 to 63.    Both shores offer good to excellent fishing.

Fly-fishing action is excellent for pike right now and it'll only get better!   Kevin claims Seneca is fishing better than many Canadian lakes - the difference is that Seneca is closer and has more amenities available.  No need to pack a bunch of gear into a remote location.   I had a very good time with Kevin today - he's a fellow musician and time just flew by....

Fished with Greg today.   Greg first booked me this past June and every trip we've done has featured some very good to excellent fishing.   When I heard the winds howling at 4 am this morning I was wondering if our luck had run out!   As I drove through the park at Taughannock on my way to Owasco Lake I narrowly missed hitting a skunk!   Was it an omen?   Did I "just miss the skunk?"   Well I'm not superstitious but I'd be lying if I said I thought it would be easy fishing today.   Greg got his fill of lakers 2 weeks ago and the target today was smallmouths.  He said if he got one 18" smallmouth he'd consider today a success.  

The lake was misty with rain and windy out of the west as we launched.   No one else was around.   As we headed down the lake the wind seemed to follow us.   Waves got bigger and we got wet as we motored around.   We fished a couple areas and at the second area we fished Greg got a hit on an X-rap.   I thought it was a small bass, but we netted the fish and it was an 18 1/2" smallmouth!   Paydirt!    Greg insisted I fish a little and I managed a northern around 25" on a tube jig.   We continued down the lake and Greg missed a few fish incl. another average northern.   A few largemouths missed our lures near the south end of the lake.   We worked back up and I picked up a 17" smallmouth.   I alternated between fishing and not fishing -every so often Greg wanted me to fish, so I did.  

We continued up the lake and Greg nailed a beautiful smallmouth on a spinnerbait - just a hair under 20"!    Then the pike started hitting and we probably caught another half dozen northerns.   Nothing over 26", but all decent fish.   I nailed another decent smallie on a tube and pike were also hitting the tube.  Perch were everywhere.  Bigger ones were near the south end.   All in all we felt pretty good about our day.   We worked hard for every fish we caught, but we did catch some very nice fish.   We saw one other boat out all day.  Bass were in around 7' to 20' of water.  Same with the other fish.   The outside edge of the weeds was key for northerns.  Bass were in shallow and off the edges.   Fish are all over the lake.  Covering water was the key today.   Fishing should only improve by the week!   H2O was at 64 lakewide and 62 in the outlet.   Greg's a funny guy and we were laughing our butts off with assorted crazy mimicry and other forms of "cold generated weirdness".     

Just terrific pike fishing all morning on Seneca Lake with Dan and Aaron.   Fish were in and outside of the weededges in roughly 10' to 24' of water.   We stayed north of Sampson for the pike, but they are everywhere from Geneva to Watkins Glen!    Best lures were spinnerbaits and jig/spinners with swimbaits.   Bass jigs with trailers also worked pretty well (yes, I read "In-Fishermen" ;-).   We stayed with the single hook stuff (No stickbaits) and were able to do well with the catch and release fishing.    The fish are running from around 22" to 27" with most around 25".    A pickerel or two were hooked along with a nice pumpkinseed that had some beautiful colors.   Color didn't matter on the lures.   The pike aren't fat but they are nice fish - not dinks!

Some wild storms came through around 2 pm and we got off the lake as we heard them approaching.   Glad we left when we did!  It got nasty out there.   My guys hooked a few decent bass as well, landing a small smallmouth.   We tried laker jigging but didn't have the time.   We marked fish in around 100' to 110' south of Sampson.   We were the only boat in the parking lot at the park.  Never saw another fishing boat out on the water.    My last trip with Dan was last year in July and we were also driven off the water due to storms.   Next time we get a drought, I'm calling Dan up and telling him to book a trip!

Laker fishing remains absolutely incredible on Owasco Lake.  Fishing just can't get much better - though it still helps to pick your days and pay attention to changing conditions.   Fished with Gary on Sunday and the fishing got going great about a half an hour after we started at 7 am.   Fish were just hitting aggressively and chasing well.   Gary wound up landing around 25 nice fish.  Our best action was in around 85' of water give or take 10'.   Colors all worked - though white, chartreuse, perch and firetiger patterns were best.   I really like the perch colored fin-S fish.  Tubes also work great.   Fish hit well in the morning, slowed up a little around noon and started hitting great again around 3 pm.

Today's action started out ridiculously well with Dan and his two daughters Emma and Madeline.   The fishing was incredible first thing in the morning with the sunny conditions and very light wind.   The gals both caught a bunch of nice fish and a double or two were hooked.   Action was best early on in around 85' then we moved out to around 110' later on when things slowed shallow.   A lot of my former clients have been out on the lake and I appreciate the tips.   Ed tipped me onto the deep bite.   I guess what goes around comes around!  ;-)   Fish are active in over 120' of water.  

I did an afternoon trip with Mike and Ralph - both longtime (40 year+) Owasco anglers.   I enjoyed hearing the tales of the once legendary cisco fishing on Owasco Lake back in the 1950s.   These guys had been doing some jigging with some success.    There are a few technical things that can greatly help the hookup rates and that's what we worked on.   The guys caught a lot of fish and I'm sure their future jigging won't be the same.  

Tackle is important while jigging lakers.  I suggest long (7') high quality graphite rods with smooth baitcasting reels.   Great rods include Fenwick's HMG and HMX Graphite rods - they have nice long handles.  Bass Pro Shops has some nice rods too.   Medium to high end rods are best - leave the Ugly Sticks at home!   I've had great success with 14lb. smoke colored fireline and around 10' or more of Berkely XXX Spiderwire 12lb. mono as a leader.   Use a uni-knot to connect the Fireline to leader.   Regular mono stretches too much for adequate hook sets in deep water.

Did a morning trip with Matt and Brian.   We targeted northern pike and the fishing was very good.   Fish ran the usual (for this year) 23" or 24" to around 27" with one in around 10 fish being over 30".   Today I got lucky and took a demo cast with a swim bait and hit a fish that was probably around 32".   The guys did well working a spinnerbait and a swim bait and hooked and caught some nice fish.   No bass were in the mix today - just pike.  Most fish were in probably 14' to 20' of water.   I brought my Shimano Curado 7:1 reel and my new Fenwick Techna AV rod along for today's trips and Matt really enjoyed using it with a spinnerbait.   Nice baitcasting gear makes learning how to cast and fish a baitcaster a pleasure.   Funny thing is my rod is so new I still haven't caught a fish on it.   Glad Matt was able to break it in!  ;-)

In the afternoon Dave and his wife Stephanie (who did not fish) came out for some mixed bag fishing.  We tried running north for some lake trout action but the lake didn't cooperate.   South winds cranked up to around 15 mph and made the lake whitecap quite a bit.   Dave did manage to land a small lake trout on a white fluke.   He did a bit of casting for pike and managed to get some decent northerns in various areas of the lake.   Fishing was a little bit tough due to the wind, but we perservered and things worked out well.   Dave's a really great angler and we had a good time chatting about the old "In-Fishermen" magazine/TV show and the old "Fishing Facts" days.  

Seneca's been great all year long for pike and the fishing will only get better.   I'm really looking forward to hitting some bass and pike!  H2O is still warm - around 65 on top.

Did a 1/2 day trip today with Tony and Sandra.  Tony wanted to check out Cayuga Lake to see what the fishing was like as well as get a tour of the lake.   We started at 10 am jigging lakers.   I'm sure we missed a morning bite.   Fish are all over the Taughannock area in deep water - 85' and beyond (plenty of fish and bait are out in 100' to 140' or so.)   Jigging was slow for us - we marked fish but they didn't want our jigs or spoons.   A decent smallmouth bass followed up a jig in around 65' of water.    We tried down the lake for bass and pike.  One smallmouth (a small one) whacked a jerkbait on the east shore.   No sign of pike, but then again the conditions weren't great with the clear skies/sun and high pressure system.   The wind changed a bit and we went back to laker jigging.   The fish started cooperating and both Tony and Sandra got more hits.  Tony managed to land a decent laker around 25" and a dink around 12".   Trollers were catching some sublegal salmon.   The water looks great on the south end of Cayuga - clear with plenty of weeds!   There's gotta be some nice bass and pike around.

Lakers will be spawning in a week or two on Cayuga and the DEC will have their propagation nets out.   I'm not planning on guiding lakers anytime soon on Cayuga (only as a fall back pattern or secondary pattern.)   Owasco is the place to be in my book right now for lakers.  Keuka should also be fishing well.   I'll be on Seneca tomorrow to check on smallmouths, lakers and pike.  Can't wait!

Ridiculous fishing on Owasco Lake with Greg yesterday.   Over 30 fish were landed and as many if not more were lost and we could have kept going and going....but we tried some other things towards the end of the trip.   Fish and bait are stacked and active in around 75' to 90' of water.   80' to 85' was probably best.   Lakers are hitting on bottom and chasing jigs and spoons actively.   The bite varies during the course of the day basically from just good to obscenely great.   We've kept limits of fish the last couple trips out and my smoker is getting a workout.  

These fish just don't seem to be growing much to me.   Fish with a left pectoral clip on Owasco were around 26" last year (On Cayuga that same class of fish was 27" last year and is 28" this year).   On Owasco they are the same length this year but thinner (negative growth!).   A huge percentage of fish have an adipose clip.   These may have been surplus lakers that were stocked in the lake around 5 or 6 years ago.   Once this class of fish "moves through" the fishery, the lake trout growth and fishing should return to normal.   For now, enjoy the hot fishing!   No matter what the fin clip, most fish are running 22" to 26".   They are nice sized fish and fight good.   It's probably the best fishing for lakers I've ever seen in terms of sheer consistency and numbers throughout the day and on a day-in/day-out basis.   

There's a ton of bait on the north end of the lake and the bait varies in size from 2" fish to 5" fish.   Nearly any type of plastic or spoon will produce.   Fin-S Fish/Fluke type baits, super flukes, swim baits, twisters, tubes, creature baits etc...  Colors like white, white ice, natural gray, chartreuse and gold all work great.