bulletbob

Just wondering about this lake.. Getting to the point in my life that I am no longer enjoying running and gunning for larger gamefish, be they trout/bass/Pike.. etc.. These past few years I have been doing more panfishing than anything else, and I actually prefer it.. I have been fishing Keuka, and skaneateles more than other lakes such as cayuga which is only 20 minutes away, because of the Gobies driving me crazy... I have reading about Otisco, and its no further than skaneteles, and it seems to have better variety, than just perch/sunnies/rock bass, with Crappies and White Perch which I really like.. My question is this.. Are these fish in Otisco in good fishable numbers, or more of an "incidental" catch like they now are in other Finger Lakes... I know a few lakes that are loaded with Crappies, but they are hit VERY hard, and its rare to catch one over 7 or so inches.. They all get taken out as soon as they reach legal size, unlike say Perch... I would love to find a lake that has a fishable population of Crappies and White Perch that aren't stunted, or grossly overfished.. No spots or techniques needed, just opinions on the panfish potential of Otisco.. The information I have gotten thus far, is that there are a LOT of various panfish in Otisco, but decent eating size panfish are getting tough to find, ,, any info would be a great help... bob

Could just be that the water is getting too cold imagine.. SMB will hit in cold water- 40 degrees or so, but they are not really "ice water" fish like lakers and simply become a lot less active and less aggresive the colder the water gets.. Why not try some of your November 'hot spots",working out somewhat deeper and a lot slower.. I would try jig heads with various plastic body styles and colors working slow around rocky bottom,, This time of year, SMB are more likely to be grubbing slowly around the rocks looking for sculpins or crayfish, than wasting energy racing after mid water bait fish, small perch etc... I caught SMB this year until about the 3rd week of Nov, but they shut down very quickly after that, but thats in the river not lakes... SMB hit all year in Finger lakes, but lets face it, that water is cold and not every day is going to have a hot bite.. Slow down, and go deeper is the only advice I have....

Carpcatcher.. great seeing someone that has an idea of whats going on.. the guys on this forum are very knowledgeable of course, but not too many of the members here fish this river from what I gather, and might not have much insight as to how things were at one time, and how they are now... I have my doubts about over harvest totally destroying the Walleye fishery.. Not saying its not a factor, but in most cases in ANY fresh water fishery, the first thing thats apparent when there is over harvest ,is a lot more small fish, and few big ones... I would agree 100% with you if thats what we were seeing... We see NO small fish anymore, where they were once there by the thousands, everywhere on the river... Could be a combo deal..Overharvest in some areas along with more predation by Cormorants in other areas, the over proliferation of large fish eating catfish[flatheads].. Not sure, but in my mind, the better the fishing for flatheads got in the Susquehanna, the worse the Walleye fishing got.. But hey flatheads will also eat bass, carp, suckers, chubs, sunnies, rock bass, perch, crappies, other catfish, ducks, frogs, or anything else that might get too close, yet there are plenty of those fish around. depending on the section of river... In any case, I really hope NY and Pa get their heads together on this, and work on restoring a once great fishery...... bob

Yes, some monumental flooding... However, that really doesn't explain the fact that its only one species thats missing... Other species are ok... Floods or no floods, there should still be some young fish to be seen each year, and they are totally absent for the most part... Went from catching dozens of small fish every single time i threw a line into the river, to seeing one or two sub 10 inch fish a year.. something is drastically wrong....

In the case of the susquehanna, i don't think its pressure.. Only around Binghamton in a few spots is there any appreciable fishing pressure, and even then only in a few easily accessed spots.. much of the NY section is actually underfished -there just aren't that many easily fishable areas.. The SM bass are still around in great abundance, Cats are everywhere, and huge, , I don't fish for them but I hear pure strain muskies are doing well etc... The thing thats most alarming is the total absence of young fish.. They used to absolutely cover the bottom everywhere in the river any time of year... Then they were gone, and now walleyes of any size are just about absent, at least in the areas I have fished for the past 32 years... In all honesty, I used to hook hundreds every spring and fall, releasing the vast majority, taking a few keeper size fish a year to eat... This year, one fish in dozens of trips. Last year I think I caught one also, might have been the year before... I just don't understand the total lack of understanding by the NYS DEC as to what has happened in this river, as well as the apparent total lack of concern on their part.... bob

I know very few guys on this forum fish the southern tier area, but i wanted to get a few thoughts on this topic.. Some might disagree and say the fishery is fine, but that would greatly surprise me after talking directly with the DEC last fall about the serious lack of fish in their survey of the river last year... I posted this a few days ago on the NJFishing forum, and some guys do fish in the susquehanna in pa. on that forum... Just would like thoughts, or disagreements... bob bulletbob NJFishing.com Old Salt Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 2,079 collapsed walleye fishery... I understand this is a NJ forum, but I also know some NJ guys here do fish NY and Pa waters as well for various species... Since moving away from my very beloved salt water fishing in 1991, I adapted by learning how to fish for what was available locally... First and foremost on that list was Walleye, and I had a good fishery for several years in the susquehanna river.. They were there in cool water months mostly.. Oct through ice in, and then for a few weeks in May early June after the closed season for their spawn, which closes in March and opens in May...It was always there for me, and I always caught fish.. Then about 2008-2010, I noticed I caught less of them every year... Went from say 4 to 8 fish on a good November 3 hours late afternoon to evening session, to 1 or 2 fish every 2 sessions.. Then one fish every 5 casting sessions.. Then 2 or 3 an entire season, until now when I caught 1 walleye all last year, and 1 all of this year... No one has answers why these fish just vanished... SMB are still here, as are Cats, Muskies, Carp etc... NY DEC doesn't seem very interested at all.. After me bugging them for years they finally did a survey on the abundance of fish in the river in fall of 2022.. They said "yep" we didn't see many Walleyes in the river.. very few in fact, but hey the few we did see were good sized.. I guess that was supposed to make me feel better.. They won't do anything anywhere, unless its trout or salmon related, and ONLY in tourist zones[Great Lakes/Fingers/Catskills streams].... The Flathead catfish which eat everything have now made it into the NY section of the river, so I'm sure that isn't helping, but these fish have been in a steep decline for 15 years, long before Flatheads were even close to NY.... It has really affected my fishing life not having my main species, especially since the only FW fish I eat besides Perch and Sunnies is Walleye.... I really thought the NYS DEC would have at least a few theories on how a once thriving fishery could totally collapse, but not a peep, and when asked said , "yeah theres just not many in there".. I was hoping they could do better, but I guess not... anyway, maybe some guys here would like to speculate, or have seen something similar in other fresh water fisheries... Breaks my heart, but not much I can do really- other than discuss it..... bob

Fixed this problem MONTHS ago!.. I used a grommet from a pump kit[had to buy and entire 2nd kit just for the 1 grommet, its ok, bought it cheap online].. The upper end [power head side] of the water tube grommet is the same, it fit fine.. Only thing is the lower end[water pump end] grommet has 2 little nibs one on each side that fit into the pump housing to hold it secure.. Not sure the upper grommet is supposed to have the nibs,, In any case, I used the grommet as is, nibs and all, and it put it on the water tube with just a bit of lube, and it went into the power head water outlet hole just fine, and stayed there while I installed the lower unit etc.. water is pumping just fine, had the motor out a few times, no water pump issues.. However, the motor was already pretty tired even before the meltdown, and there was some evidence of aluminum melting in the combustion chambers.. The engine only starts cold with a bit of starting fluid, runs ok at speed, but barely idles anymore.. Really really tired now, and needs the cyls honed and new rings... 2 strokes aren't like 4 strokes.. Once compression gets lower, they are tough to start, and don't idle well, cough a lot etc.. I think I had about 90 PSI each cyl, which is enough for the motor to run, but not enough for it to run and start as it should.. Deciding now if I should tear it down and re ring/hone,, or just find a known good powerhead.. Parts these days are insanely overpriced, and getting harder to find.. bob

Water pump failed horribly at Cayuga.. melted the housing into a blob, blew the head gasket.. Replaced the gasket, thankfully motor starts and seems to run ok... When I pulled the pump and copper outlet tube, I noticed the upper grommet was burnt to a crisp from the heat.It seemed to just flake apart.The tube fell out on the ground, and they usually stay inside the lower unit housing.. I was told the grommet at the power head side is the same as the one in the pump housing.. It would seem then all I have to do is stick the new grommet on the copper outlet tube, get it secured and then install everything else normally.. Its really tough to see all the way up in the motor through the shaft housing, but I don't see any damage, and I'm hoping I don't have to pull the power head assembly to replace a little rubber grommet.. anyone have any insight into this?? Replaced a LOT of impellers over the years, never had an issue where I had to replace this upper grommet. Hoping someone has done this before and can help me out with some info... bob

I am just not a "tourney" kind of guy,, never was... No problem with those that like them, except during a spawn, or any time fish are easy pickings say in salt water during seasonal migrations when the fish are closely bunched and vulnerable.. as Frank Woolner, a great outdoor writer once wrote decades ago- "Fishing should be a contemplative sport, not a competitive one" Those words struck me many years ago, and I always remembered them...

Yeah, measure and release or not, 150 guys in yaks harassing spawning bass is NOT good... Thats just bad meat in my opinion.. Leave the damn things alone, they get too much pressure from tourneys all season these days as it is.. Do they REALLY need even more pressure during the spawn?...

I moved here in 1991, and even then the runs were subsiding from what they had been... I doubt there are many smelt even left on cayuga... They were already in decline pretty badly when the mussels and then the gobies arrived, but those two invasive beasts sealed the deal.... bob

What are you guys using for weight?

good to know.. I kind of figured that would be the case... Yeah not much chance of keeping a big salmon hooked on a #14 sabiki hook, but it must have been a blast while it lasted!

I was wondering if anyone has had any luck catching sawbellies on sabiki rigs in deeper water say 40-50 feet down over deeper water.. I know they hit the sabiki rigs when they are spawning near shore, but out in mid lake i see schools of them acres across and was wondering if they would hit the rigs in those places.. I don't troll, and I'd like the option of throwing a live sawbelly down 30 or 40 feet while jigging.. I don't like buying them as they are a pain to keep alive once it gets warm out. Catching a few here and there on an "as needed" basis makes more sense to me, than buying a dozen for $15 and watching 9 of them drop dead in an hour or two.. Never tried a sabiki in deeper "offshore" water, and am wondering if they work.... bob

I used to like it and take a couple trips there each year camping,,, i have no more use for it and will spend my money elsewhere.. They don't seem to need it.

Familiar with the area.. There is a little park in Ithaca called East Shore Park... You can fish there as long as there is open water... You can park there as well, and can walk north for miles along the railroad tracks and find plenty of spots to fish from shore.. Its not "fast" fishing by any means.. a LOT of skunk time, but you never know when a big Landlock, Brown, Laker, Rainbow, or huge Pike will grab your lure and head for the hills,, I have caught some monumental fish there, but you need to put the time and effort it.. I have always liked BIG 1 oz Roostertail spinners, they have been pretty reliable for me, but spoons such as Cleos and similar are good too,, Weighted Rebels or Rapalas are also good, but during high winds often you just won't get the distance.. Lots of guys fish all winter at Taughannock Park as well, and again, there are some big fish caught, and it can happen any time, but there is a lot of dead time between hits.. Sometimes days on end.. Best bet there, is a big lively sawbelly, under a big slip bobber, and a pretty long cast.. Guys catch fish there, but its windy, freezing cold in mid winter, and while you may catch the fish of a lifetime, be prepared to put the time in.. You earn every good fish you catch from the shore in Cayuga in winter.. I used to do it, and got some great fish, but at 68 now, it has a lost a lot of the appeal it once had.... bob

This time of year there are always fish to be found from Sheldrake south.. I personally do better on the east side of the lake, but there's plenty of room for argument to that opinion.. If I were going I would head to the power plant and stay between it and a few miles north of it on the east side.. Always some fish there post spawn... , I would start looking in 50-70 fow...bob