One year we fished the last week of Feb. and did good. We picked 6 browns and 2 big lakers between I-bay and Shipbuilders. You had to troll very slow. The only problem is junk in the water. Use caution. The day we went out, we watched a telephone pole bob up and down in the Genesee River. When it went down, it disappeared for a couple seconds. Would not have been good in the old 14'er.