bosco

Thanks Gambler. It sort of burned my ass when I read that guys fishing for gills in the daytime were getting into the Crappie too and I got blanked when I was targeting them. Oh well. I think it's sort of the cost of doing business when learning a new species on a new/different program. I think I could really get to enjoying that sort of fishing though. It's nice hearing just the breeze and no power augers and sleds or quads. The lights on the ski hill down at Hunt Hollow. Seeing those first couple guys setting up by lantern early in the AM. Besides lack of action, I really dug time and the experience out there. I'll be doing it again. By the way, my older brother says he knows you and that I should listen to everything you say regarding fishing.

I just got blanked is all. A long night, but actually, I enjoyed myself and I'll be trying again in 3 weeks. I caught one walleye after sunrise and no Crappie, which is really what I was going for. I'll try again though with modifying and changing a few things.

Well....I won't be doing THAT again any time soon.

I plan on heading out Sunday afternoon and setting up the hut and getting my lines in before sunset, fishing through the night and into sun-up. Going for primarily Crappie but will probably try and hedge my bets by setting up some tip ups for Walleye too. My folks have a place walking distance from CA point so that's where I'm likely to work out of. But of course I'm willing to sacrifice convenience for productivity in better spots if anyone would share a suggestion or two. Soooo......does anyone have any advice for the nighttime Crappie program on Honeoye? This first thought is based purely on a first guess but I'm thinking I'd initially set up above the bottom of the drop off at the point in like 11-15 FOW. Good idea? Bad idea? Any general depths to be working? Outside the weeds, over the top of the weeds, etc.? How high up the water column should my baits be? I anticipate it's going to be wicked cold so I plan on working two holes with a lantern from the comfort of the inside of the hut. It's my understanding that the light will attract the zooplankton and the baitfish and eventually the pan and game fish. Any reason to believe differently? I hope not because I'm anticipating my mobility will be limited. I know I'm asking for the whole 9 yards here but any and all input, suggestions, advice, experience, etc. would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks folks.

Here ya go. I CANNOT vouch for the quality of the craftsmanship or the durability of this product.

I have "The Clam" 2-man and I hate it. It's heavy, a pain in the arse to set up and even a bigger pain in the arse to get it far out on the ice and then move around without an ATV or snowmobile. I've been looking at the PakShack models by Nature Vision. All I see is a one man or a 3 man. But these things look small, light weight, throw it over your shoulder and carry them on your back like a single strap flattened back pack. Picture a typical lawn chair in a little carry sack, bigger because of the shelter fabric. You take the unit out of its carry case, open up the chair and sit down, reach behind you and lift the framed fabric up and over you. It looks wicked simple, portable, and light. But there's no floor. Wildly mobile though. I'm sure there's a promo video out there somewhere but if ANYONE has experience with this unit, PLEASE chime in. http://www.pakshack.com/

Nice!! Sounds like alot of fun. A bad day on the ice can make for a LONG day in these temps. Personally, I'm holding out. I'm going to let this cold snap work its way through next weekend (I've got alot to get done that's keeping me off the ice anyways) and with the ice nice and thick I'll wait for a little warm spell and pull an all nighter, sunset to sunrise, on Honeoye fishing for Walleye and Crappie.

Ice fish for Crappie and Walleye at night. Problem solved.

A few years back on Otisco. I got all my gear set up, the hut, the tip-ups, drilled some extra holes to bop around with hand lines. But I sit down in my chair and I see WAY off in the distance, a tip up, with the flag up. It's not mine and there's NOBODY else on the lake. So I grab my spud bar figuring I'm going to hack a free tip up out of the ice. I do and I notice the lines going out to the side. I start bringing the line in and suddenly I feel a little weight on it and immediately the the line takes off. No kiddin. So I peel out a bunch of line and set it, and the tip up' on the ice next to the little hole I'd hacked out, walked back to my set up area, grabbed my auger, and went back and drilled a full size hole next to the tiny little tip up hole. I rolled up my sleeve and reached down into the fresh hole that I'd drilled, reached over and grabbed the line coming from the tip up and pulled it through the fresh hole and pulled a bunch of "play line" through and started bringing the fish in. It took me 3 times to get the head lined up to come through the hole. Turned out to be a 30" Tiger.....and it was the ONLY THING I CAUGHT ALL DAY....on a tip up frozen in the ice. I really have no idea how long the tip up was left there for, or how long the Tiger was on it....but it's a keeper of a story.

Once I was at Quinte. I'd been fishing for hours with no hits. Finally, I get some weight on and it feels like it might be something fair size but I back off a bit and see it's not tugging back. So....I bring it up slow and found that I'd caught someone's metal ice skimmer that must've dropped down a nearby hole. Does that count?

It's my understanding that it's a year round boating operation. I've only been perching there twice in my own boat with limited success based on my limited experience and background knowledge of that particular Perch fishery. The few that I did get were exceptioanally large comparatively speaking. Guys who know the program are more tight lipped than Walleye fishermen. I have a buddy who keeps his boat down there year round in a hoist with a bubbler next to it so he can get out all year. It's my understanding that it takes a really exceptional cold weather winter to lock the boats in. But, I chose my words "it's my understanding" very purposefully. I could very well be wrong and I invite any clarifications or corrections.

You didn't EAT those things...did you?

Checked the northeast corner. No signs of anyone having been out fishing. Some footprints going out a few feet to check though. I went a few feet out beyond that and it seemed thick but soft. Didn't bring a spud bar. The only open water I saw was right at the outlet.

Lemme drive down and take a look.

I was using perch minnows on a crappie/spreader rig. I'm not really well versed with the Perch fishing out there and so that seemed like a good "dummy's choice". Most of the fish came on the bottom hook and I had the sinker below it right on (or just off of) the bottom. Caught them in as deep as 55' and as shallow as 20'. I'm sure there are regulars who could offer you better tips though.

I was looking into the AquaVu's. $250.00 for a middle of the road model. The Explorer 5 I think. Word on the street though was that the picture was not good unless you're in VERY clear water.

Got out today from about 7:30-2:00. Boated 50 or so. kept over 20. Some smaller but my freezer was empty so I didn't mind much. Definitely had to work for them though. I was surprised with the water clarity being as good as it was. What with the thaw and the wind and all. I was fully prepared to catch next to nothing but I had a fish on within 10 seconds of dropping my line. That kept my interest from the get go. Once the sun really came out, it slowed things down but I hung in there for a couple hours of it anyways. All in all....a nice day on the water.

That's funny. on the way home from family's, I went and checked last night too. Then I got home and started to put a fresh top-off charge on my boat batteries It wouldn't be the first time I've fished out my boat at the same time guys are ice fishing the n/e corner. But I wouldn't try the n/e corner right now.

Thanks Gambler. I'll definitely give 'er a try. I'm trying to really get to know the bay as it's so close to my house. It's just so much easier to hook up the boat and drive 1 mile to the launch, or drive 2 minutes to the bay to get out on the ice. there's better bodies of water no doubt but it's so close to home that all the time and gas I'd save seem to make it worth putting the extra time in there to see what I can come up with.

I've fished the bay for eyes regularly the last 3 years and did well all things considered. Anywhere from 0 to 5 fish a night. generally 2-4 was the norm. I don't believe the DEC is still stocking eyes in the bay so I expect the fishing to taper off in the coming years.....but they're in there allright. I'm going to give it a try through the ice. I'll try and get some photos near a recognizable land mark if I get any.

Perch fishermen hit that northeast corner of I- Bay hard and heavy because there's lots of perch in there. Right? Mostly small ones after first ice from my experience. So....if Walleye like to take advantage of their superior night vision, and often work the shallows after dark, and often feed on small perch, is there any reason why eyes wouldn't be perusing these shallows at night in good numbers? I'd think that if this were the case that there would already be a few hardcores out there fishing at night already but I haven't seen it. Anyways, I'm thinking about giving this a try for a few outings but I'd like to know what other people think about this idea. Any reason why they WOULDN'T be in there? In fact, I don't think I've every heard of anyone targeting eyes through the ice on I-Bay. I know the numbers aren't like they are on Honeoye or Oneida, but my experience is that there are good numbers of good size eyes in the Bay. I haven't tried through the ice for them yet.

I drove by the Northeast corner of I-Bay yesterday afternoon. It looks frozen over but no signs of anyone having been fishing it. I'm likely going to check the ice tomorrow afternoon in anticipation of going out on Wednesday AM.

I think I got it. Narrow stretch of water basically running east/west, just northwest of Albion.

I've never been to this lake but heard the name bantered about here and there over the years. This thread got me to looking a bit. I'm searching on google maps. Can't find a Lake Alice but I'm finding a large lake immediately north of the town of Medina. google maps calls it Glenwood Lake. Same lake??

Thanks. I found all kinds of articles on spring fishing up that way. It sounds like it's one of the best spots in the country in may and June. I can find nothing on late fall though. I'm inclinend to believe that there should be least a small resident population of eyes in the mouth of the river and upstream a ways, even a little to the east of Watertown proper perhaps. But I guess I won't know until I try. I've looked at maps and it looks like there's decent shore access at a number of places.