bulletbob

The OP was discussing jigging, not trolling..

"Thanks again and the 50 pound flat head would be a real experience for sure". They have been confirmed by the NYS DEC Fisheries Lab in the Susquehanna River.. Talked to the biologist the other day about the river survey they just completed.. I will post more about it soon.. She had pictures of several smaller/to small mid size ones taken in the river near Sayre, and said they were 100% certain Flatheads, and not mistaken channel cats.. Problem is they are NOT garbage eaters like channels cats, they are ferocious, active, voracious predators of other fish, and will eat Walleyes and SMB by the millions.. hopefully they eat Carp, Suckers, Fallfish , Chubs more than they eat gamefish, but to me they are NOT a welcome presence.. Not that simple to catch either, you need big live bait, not cut bait like channels cats... bob

Plenty of good fishing in Pa. right now. Walleyes, SMB, Tigers,Flatheads in the rivers, Stripers in some of the big impoundments, along with walleyes and Bass.. yeah, you guys don't have the trout and salmon trolling, but we don't have stripers or 50 pound flatheads...

Personally, I look more for bait when Laker fishing than for individual fish.. I have had days when I caught several fish staring at a blank screen, and other times when it was lit up like a Christmas Tree, and never got a sniff... you must remember how lakers are.. they are much more bottom oriented than other salmonids.. A laker a few inches off bottom, might not even show up on the screen... Browns/Salmon/Rainbows, are more likely to be higher up at the level of the bait pods, following them around and picking them off..Yes lakers do that too of course, but just remember this rule- There are ALWAYS lakers on bottom, around areas where there is bait.. Even when trollers are catching them suspended say 50 feet down, some are always on bottom, otherwise us jig guys would catch very few, yet sometimes we do as well as the trollers[maybe even better at times] with lakers... Now the "silvers" that everyone on this forum talks about and desire, they are less likely to be caught with jigs, simply because the areas they are in are more open, and they will be anywhere from the surface to the depths... Yes lakers do that as well, but all year long winter and summer,there are ALWAYS some to be caught on bottom .. Rainbows/Salmon/Browns are stream fish that can live in lakes, but are NOT natural there, and they don't typically relate to bottom structure.. lakers are lake fish, and do relate naturally to bottom structure more than the others.. Find what they eat[sawbellies] on good bottom, and you'll find lakers... If I were going this week, I would likely head to AES from the plant itself to a few miles north and start early AM in about 50-60 feet, looking for scattered bait, and see whats around/under it... Remember, typically if there's bait around, there are usually lakers under them, even if you don't see them on the screen... Myers, and the Park can also be good this time of year.. Around the park is always tougher for me because of the steep drops and very unpredictable depths.. You can be fishing in 50 feet, and a wind shift will find you in 200 feet in 30 seconds... Myers point, as well as a mile or two north or south will hold lakers as well.. Contrary to popular belief, lakers spawn there as well, and there are always some there in the fall and winter... Long point, and Sheldrake as well.. let us know how you make out... this time of year I am out in the river fishing for smb and walleyes, and wait a bit until all the lakers are done spawning...

Lakers are spawning right now in Cayuga.. However they can still be caught when you find them bunched up... Those that are pre spawn, or actively spawning are not eating, but will often hit jigs anyway, maybe out of anger, or seeing the lure near their eggs,, not sure... Also, they start spawning in Cayuga in early sept, so I imagine a percentage of them are already spawned out and are feeding again... Hot spots??... I dunno, anywhere you can find them I suppose, but I will tell you this.. The DEC nets them every year for their eggs and milt which they use to stock many other lakes in the state.. They are always netting around Taughannock point and up a mile or two south of the point, and down a mile or two south of it, so we know the lakers congregate there this time of year,,, Who knows how many have spawned and gone either north or south by this time?.. I would just try where you have caught them in the past, and see what happens.. Water depths vary, but I know they will go pretty deep during the spawn, I have caught them full of eggs in 100 FOW, but have also caught them full of eggs or milt in shallow water.... Its certainly worth a shot, the weather is supposed to be really nice and who knows how many more chances you might get this fall ? bob

I had a similar boat, built by a company called CMF.. It was ok, stout little hull, but certainly nothing special.. Looks like it will be a pretty hard riding hull in a chop, but roomy and quite stable when still fishing or drifting as mine was.. It all depends on how much it is, and what you plan to use it for... if you plan on running fast on big rough lakes forget it, its the wrong hull.. Perch fishing, still or drift fishing, casting, a lot of slow trolling, why not?- looks like a nice roomy open hull... If its solid with a good floor and transom, its fine for running around in a river or lake setting... These boats were cheaply made by several companies using the same designs, and possible the same molds, using a chopper gun, NOT hand laid glass.. The hull is fine for general use, and will be easy to repair and maintain same as any other fiberglass boat.. If its priced right and suits your needs, grab it, if not there are a million other boats out there that will suit you needs.... bob

correct... Those cyls will never rust, they are always"oiled", and first thing you do when you start the engine in spring is add more oil with the gas.. I have fogged a few times over the years, but when I don't I lose no sleep over it...

Very different deal, I agree... Wish hemlock was closer, it looks like a terrific lake... Cayuga is way over developed these days , inundated with McMansions, cabins, yacht clubs,parks, camps,businesses, farms, etc...

I agree with much of what you wrote, but as I said, there are always Bass in shallow water say I dunno, maybe 4 to 8 feet not far from shore.. IF, there is shade, cover, and food.. In cayuga the years when I fish in the depth of summer, I catch BIG LMB mid day, under and close to docks with live bait.. Not small bass at all.. big healthy ones.. They won't touch a lure, at least not for me, but live bait or even a big nightcrawler always gets them.. go 5 feet away from the dock and forget it.. Nothing there.. They are under the docks, or around holes in weed beds in the shade say under a large tree near the bank... Shade is very important mid summer... They will dart out from the shade a few feet to grab something, but thats where they sit,, Right under the structure providing the shade and cover... bob

its everywhere.. there are huge cabin cruisers on autopilot going full throttle in some places, guys not even looking at what might be ahead, too busy drinking beer, and guys running flat out in heavy fog because they have radar, side scan etc... I haven't had my boat out on a weekend in decades.. If I take my boat out, its typically on a weekday from sept to may.. once the yahoos are out there, i'm AWOL...

Might be interesting to see how the Fulton Chain Lakes fish say after October or something.. When the tourists are gone it might be a lot better... Still probably wouldn't match what we have in central NY,, Not worth the drive to me...

Yeah I would take the Finger Lakes over the Fulton Chain any day.. For all types of fishing.. That IS a nice Pike in your picture though! That area has just become way too "touristy" for my taste.. better fishing close to home IMHO....

Yeah, not cool calling people nasty names.. Look, some guys do well on lakes when others don't- its really that simple... Me personally, I don't troll, but I do jig a lot, and like to bait fish as well.. To me, Seneca is a pathetic shadow of what it was at one time... there was a long period of time when I fished Seneca over Cayuga simply because i caught more and bigger fish there.. Last few years I don't even bother.. The water looks bad compared to what it looked like at one time, with sickly looking algae and slime near shore.. I used to catch wonderful big panfish from the shore there all summer,, No longer... last few years trying i didn't even get a bite.. Nowadays I fish Cayuga for Salmonids and Skaneateles for panfish and Bass. I think the wineries, huge farms, and rampant development in some places has hurt all the Finger Lakes.. Too much organic material going in is my very uneducated guess... I am just seeing weeds and gloppy l looking algae in places it had never been... Still, some guys are happy with the fishing and doing very well, so who is to say if any lake is "dead"... if guys are tearing it up fishing on a lake, its certainly not dead. right?

Er umm.. If Alewives are such a bad food source for Atlantics, why do they do so well in Cayuga???. Thats about all they eat there..They get big and look healthy. . Or are we talking strictly the effect on reproduction of Atlantics which I understand...bob

https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/88077.html Not sure this helps much... If I were going there I would run smaller lures than you might on cayuga.. I do know the fish there don't typically run as large as in the FL.. I have been there, and remember the water being highly colored by tannin, and with a sand bottom inshore. i don't remember much in the way of weeds, rocks, structure, but its been a long time... There is some deep water in the main basin of the lake... I am sure others have fished it more extensively than I have, and can give better information... All i can say is when I was up there, I was unimpressed by the fishing compared to the Finger Lakes, but of course, I knew nothing about how, when ,where etc... let us know how you make out, I'm very interested.. bob