BP Swing

Meatman, I could go on and on about your post but I wont because you are so off base it's ridiculous.. I disagree with your post 110%. Such a selfish attitude. I hope they reduce the limit to 25.

No mouth of Lake O.

Want a big Brown? Use a big lure. Dec 13, 2015 caught a 33" x 23" approx 23 lbs Brown on a 9" Musky Bait Storm Flatstik in the Niagara. Released.

So how do we put into play with the DEC reducing the limit and more importantly eliminating the commercial harvesting of these fish? Also more enforcement should be happening. Whats the first step to take other than convincing ourselves on here? Somehow this should be brought to the DECs attention. If each person calls or writes the DEC, maybe they will get the hint. Do they care though since these are not Trout? (its the only thing they care about it seems)

OK thanks I will have to give it a try. Would give me alot more options if I didnt have to put all the leadcore in the water.

So what are you doing with the rubber bands then? Putting them on the release somehow?

So the lead core can not be in any type of planer board release or it will damage it? So basically your lure is either going down 25 feet or 50 feet depending on how many colors you have since all the lead must be in the water and the release has to be hooked up to the backing. Right??? That means unless you are going straight back then there isnt much variability in the depths you can go behind the boards. That kind of sucks.

Well said Sk8man. I can tell you it doesnt matter who you are or what your skill level is, you will get skunked at Seneca on occasion for a variety of reasons. Without question, that is some of the toughest fishing in NYS all year long unless you just happen to find a stationary school and they are biting. It is too bad how many Perch are being kept there by anglers. NYS should do away with market fishing across the state immediately also. So many variables, zebras, water clarity, depth, wind speed, direction, presentation, locating...its tough but worth it if you succeed. Hopefully Seneca is big enough to withstand the pressure but Im having my doubts.

Correct me if Im wrong but wasnt the NYS Tiger record taken from Otisco through the ice a few yrs ago and if my memory serves me correct there were actually 2 huge ice fish from there that year. Im assuming both were kept to weigh? Im with you justtracytrolling, Im all for a mild winter so the ice hacks cant get out. Sorry but true.

Personally I think the ice fisherman hacks who kill virtually all Pike and Tigers are to blame. You can also blame the tackle shop who sponsors the yearly ice kill contest at Conesus. No excuse for that in this day and age. Also looking at the big picture, Conesus is probably the #2 Tiger lake in the state even though there really arent that many good lakes in the state for tigers. The DEC stocks many lakes and only a very small percentage of them have a fishable Tiger fishery. Other than Otisco and Conesus and maybe a lake or 2 in the Adirondaks where can you actually fish for them and have a chance at getting one? Count em on 1 hand. For some reason, Tigers are just not catching on. They are probably too small when stocked would be my guess. At least you have a chance at getting a big one at Conesus. Too bad about the Pike there, I agree its not what it was 5 yrs ago. I'd like to see NYS put forth a new minimum Pike size of 28" -30" instead of an 18" dink thats maybe only 2 yrs old and 5 per day is way too many, 2 sounds alot better to me.

Once in Quebec with some buddys, we were out in a boat fishing near camp and we could see our other buddy fishing from a big rock on shore. All of a sudden I see him throw his rod down in disgust and what appeared to be yelling and looking mad. We went over there to see what was going on and he said he just got broke off by a nice Pike using a Daredevil. One of my other buddys says," let me take a cast to see if I can get you your lure back" and sure enough after about 2 casts, he hooks the Pike with my buddys Daredevil in its mouth, lands it and gives my amazed buddy his lure back! Thats was 2 days after we took a break while fishing to eat a bologna sandwich while fishing. For some reason, I remember throwing half of it in the water and low and behold a nice big Pike came up and ate it next to the boat! Crazy fish up there.

As I was looking at some of my old fishing logs, I came across something that was unreal that I forgot about. In the mid 1990s I was fishing Canandaigua Lake for Smallmouth in 50 feet of water with a jig and I got a fish on. I reeled it up to see that my jig hook was through the loop in a old snelled hook sticking out of the mouth of the Bass. My jig was not in the mouth of the fish, just the loop on the prerigged hook snell. True story...what are the odds of that happening? Id say that was a pretty unlucky fish. I released the fish but dont remember if I was able to get the old hook out (I would of if I could of). Anyone got any other oddball but true stories?

Isnt Deans Cove on Cayuga?

Thats one thing (Seneca Perch) that will make really good fishermen look like amateurs. Been there, done that. Like finding a needle in a haystack at times. Some of the hardest fishing all year. Just have to keep going.

Gator, You hit the nail on the head. I too figured it would finally end with all the big breeding slobs kept over the last few years. It takes awhile for these beautiful fish to reach that size (years) and doesn't happen overnight. There is no doubt in my mind that overharvest has something to do with it plus Perch are notorious for big swings in breeding cycles. A good hatch one year and bad the next. I think the fish are especially vulnerable when the marina freezes. I for one, hope there is no ice this year to give the fish a break not only at Seneca but all over where many ice fisherman don't know the meaning of catch and release. Unfortunately when it comes to Walleyes and Perch, there is no such thing as catch and release it seems. Doesn't anyone fish for just trophys and the sport of it anymore instead of being just meat hunters? Too bad, hopefully it will recover.

Nice fish. Did that hit on the bottom in 165 feet of water? Im trying to figure out how deep these hogs go. If it was thats deeper than I would of thought.

So whats new? The DEC is so blindsided and so trout happy they forget anglers want walleyes yet they dont stock them in any finger lakes except honeoye and conesus. They were in Hemlock and Canandaigua too at one point till the Alwives crowded them out. The DEC needs to ease up on the trout stuff. Thats what Lake O is for. Too bad about Owasco now.