bulletbob

Understood.. I was just being a Richard head... NY just isn't a great state for crappies, outside of a few large productive lakes, and the finger lakes are not really all that well suited for them.. they exist, yes, but are in isolated pockets, and the times when they are catchable are fleeting.. Never really understood all the mania over Crappies anyway... Perch are as good or better eating, easier to find and catch, and there are a LOT more of them... Same thing with big Sunnies... easy to find and catch, lots of them and one of the best fish to eat, yet no one much fishes for them... I do... Yes I would love a lake full of big Crappies not too far from home, but not sure one exists.. the lakes i know that have Crappies are hit HARD and it was almost impossible to catch a keeper when the size limit was 9 inches, Now at 10 inches it IS impossible... I understand where you are coming from... bob

yeah, but not if only the guys "in the know" fish it right??.. Even if there are 50 guys "in the know"...

said it before.. On this board, guys will tell you boat speed, lure type and color,depth the fish are holding , water temp and depth, lake or river in question, time of day, and exact spot when discussing Trout/salmon trolling... When the discussion is about Crappie and Perch [to a lesser extent,some guys will share perch info] you don't hear much.. good Crappie fishing is tough to come by and with the new 10 inch minimum its even tougher, most guys that are in the know tend to clam up.

Here in Cayuga Lake, the SMB fishing was insane as well, for years.. I can remember fishing in early summer with my young at the time kids, with worm/bobber for big fat Bluegills,Pumpkinseeds,Rock bass,Yellow perch, and huge bass would constantly hit little pieces of washed out garden worm until it was an annoyance! they were disturbing our panfishing!.. They were everywhere, and they were big those SMB.. They were even caught in dead of winter by guys shoreline casting for Trout/LL salmon. Then one spring day I think in 2008, I saw the entire surface of the lake covered with dead SMB, Rock Bass,Perch, Carp, Suckers, Bullheads, Pike, Pickerel, even a walleye and a White Bass... I recall the dead fish were piled so deep on the beach at Taughannock Park, a bucket loader was needed to remove them... The lake at that time was already compromised by Zebra mussels, and then shortly thereafter the Goby disaster unfolded, and as a result I have not caught a single SMB in Cayuga Lake in well over 10 years.. In some areas of that lake I don't even see sunfish or rock bass any longer, in spots where we used to catch them by the hundreds... I know they are still in the lake, but probably only a small percentage of what was in the lake historically... Its not discussed here, because this site is 95% dedicated to trolling for salmonids, but between VHS, Gobies, and mussles, cayuga fish populations have been decimated in some areas.. Trout are doing fine because they are open water species and are augmented by stocking, but may other fisheries have been hit very hard, especially at the south end of the lake.. I used to catch so many big SMB there it was insane.. It got so bad, I simply stopped fishing for them in cayuga...

Fish are fish and they do what they want when they want.. Sometimes they just don't hit period-even when conditions/weather/time/temperature are perfect... Many years ago, I caught 26 Walleye, all legal size,]orl] standing on the same rock at 3PM in the afternoon, on a very sunny, warm early September day, in maybe 5 or 6 feet of water... those Walleye had NO business being there at that time of day, in that kind of bright sun, in water that warm and shallow.. Yet there they were, and would hit ANYTHING I threw at them, large or small, instantly.. Never happened before that wonderful day, never happened again... I don't really understand fish, and I have been at this for over 60 years, since I was a little kid... Every single time I think I have it all figured out with ANY fish, they make a monkey out of me,,, As the old saying goes, "thats why they call it fishing, not catching"... bob

I would use hardwood dowels as the others, but have found NOTHING as strong as plain old JB Weld...Hard as a rock,and seals perfectly.. Paints over easily as well...

also, they can be disgusting to eat once the water warms up,, I find them inedible in some lakes, and quite good in others.. They are a LOT better to eat in spring than in summer in a lot of places.. \ I can't say where it is, as it would get hammered relentlessly if word got out,but I know of a small public lake that regularly gives up truly massive bullheads of to 3 pounds-18 to 20 inches... Not a numbers type of pond, never caught more than 2 or 3 in a day, usually one or none,but the ones in there are the biggest I have ever seen in NYS.... bob

Another tip... Use dead minnows, dead sawbellies or cut bait from suckers ,chubs etc. or pieces of store bought shrimp instead of worms.. The little sunnies and 4 inch perch tend not to bother those baits as much... Some places its not a problem, but in some spots the sunnies. perch, shiners, etc, etc will drive you crazy... they don't bother cut bait as much as worms and bullheads love it...

I was an ASE master auto tech for many years.. I had to work on every conceivable oddball car or truck that came through the door.. A LOT of what I did was stuff I had never touched seen or even heard of.. You made calls, got specs, tech literature or in later years, computer files, took your wrench in hand and did the repair.. I guess I am just getting old.... In any case, there ARE guys out there that would be happy to do the work, might just need to do some searching... bob

I understand that.. However, there are millions of those motors still out there, and most parts are still readily available. If I have no trouble sourcing parts, neither should a professional repair shop... I do almost all repairs on every motor I own, and the times I have tried to get help from a "real pro" have been a financial and operational disaster.. I can understand parts availability issues I suppose, but not ineptitude , indifference,or price gouging. I mean seriously, a lot of know nothing mechanics" like me can get through most outboard repairs on a motor from the 90's, but a trained outboard mechanic can't?? I don't get it... bob

I only troll a few times a year typically in spring at the south end of Cayuga Lake.. I would like to try trolling streamers this spring, but don't know that much about it.. I have trolled hair/ maribou jigs before and caught fish on them... What are a few good patterns, and what hook size ??.. Is the Clouser pattern a decent starting point?... White?... Is any weight added such as a split shot to get them down a few feet?... Any info would be helpful.. I don't use planers, riggers etc, just out the back of the 14 foot boat a couple hundred feet back... any helpful information would be well appreciated.. I always catch a few fish on plugs/spoon/jigs, but feel the right type and size streamer might get a me a few more fish at certain times... bob

I mentioned my Starcraft Islander.. It was 18 feet, and as i said, it was remarkable in how well it powered through rough water for such a light boat.. I had it in the ocean once in an inlet that was churning with big rollers, and high waves coming from multiple directions.. I was fishing in this mess, and the boat was remarkable stable, and under power just knifed through with ease... That boat just didn't pound at all in rough water... It was an old boat too, not some "modern design" hull.. a 1972 ... Other aluminum boats??.. Not so much... My 17 Grumman which is a center console that was supposedly design for rough water pounds like hell in a chop.. The only way to know which hull is most desirable for is probably to ask questions from owners, get every bit of information you can find as to the performance qualities or lack therof of any boat you might be interested in , new or used... bob

An aluminum boat will always get better fuel economy foot for foot against a glass boat.. It doesn't matter for some, but is a big concern for others.. lets say you bait fish for panfish, and rarely travel more than a very few miles in the boat... economy is of lesser concern.. However, if you put a lot of water miles on the rig and run good distances at speed, an 18 aluminum boat will need less power and will use less gas than a glass 18.. However, if you are in rough water a lot, the glass boat will get you where you want to go faster and safer.. I went to aluminum mostly because I rarely tow less than 50 miles each way because of where I live, and often have to tow between 200 and 500 miles round trip, and aluminum simply tows a lot easier with less gas than glass.. however, the aluminum boats I use today get me pounded into submission in any kind of a chop, whereas my glass boats knifed easily through ... Lets put it this way.. Here in the Finger Lakes which are always windy, I spend a LOT more time off plane and quartering into the wind and waves than I ever did with the glass center console boats I used to have... Another point,,, I can handle the aluminum rigs easily by myself, no help needed.. It was a LOT tougher with heavily built glass boats... Each one must think about about what type of fishing he does, how much rough water he will encounter, how fast he needs to get where he wants to go both in the boat and with the tow vehicle, how much fuel economy matters etc etc... bob

these units have "scroll speed", not sure but I think that might be the same as scroll... My units worked fine, and I usually just kept the scroll at whatever the factory setting is.. As stated, some of the guys in videos were using older cheaper units than I have, and they would say "she's chasing it, she nailed it" as they kept their eyes on the screen... Its not that big a deal, I would just like any little edge I can get.. I will research and see if "ping speed" and scroll speed are the same.. That might be my problem.... bob

Been going back and forth for decades with the same problem.. A well designed 17 foot fiberglass boat { I had an aquasport 175 Osprey], will handle heavy seas better than most 20 foot aluminum boats.. However they also weigh twice as much... It all depends on where you are going, and what you have to tow with... Some guys have trucks that can tow a 25 foot glass boat with ease, other guys try and tow with compact SUV's or pickups that will tow a small aluminum boat, but have a hard time with even a 17 foot glass boat... I had a 18 foot Starcraft Islander, and old one, and miss it terribly.. It was light for the size and space it offered, yet took rough water remarkably well... Overall, don't expect an aluminum "compromise" boat to handle rough conditions close to as well as the same size glass boat... I now own an older aluminum17 Grumman CC.. Very heavily built, and designed for salt water use... I bought it because I tend to believe what I read... It is mediocre at best, no where near as good as a comparable glass boat despite its very wide beam, and not as good as that old Islander... Personally, I would stay with a glass boat if you can deal with the weight....... bob

I have 2 boats with a garmin color FF on each.. they are older units, a 250 C and a 350C... However they are each 500 watts RMS which should be sufficient power for how I fish even in this day of side scan, ultra definition etc... My issue is this.. When jigging for lakers, I can see fish,and I can watch my jig no issues there, I can read bait, structure etc, very clearly. However, most jiggers even 10-15 years ago with older sounding units would actually watch the fish approaching thier jigs, and watch the fish chase and hit the jig as it was racing upward... In real time.. YT is full of videos of guys doing that and some of those vids are pretty old, not using todays ultra high tech sounding gear,,, I CAN see the hits, and I see it clearly, but its all "after the fact"... I don't see the fish hitting the jig as it happens, only after I actually feel the hit... Am I doing something wrong with set up< perhaps scrolling speed?.... The Garmins are easy to adjust, and I feel I am missing something as guys with less powerful, cheaper, black and white sonars are seeing their fish , lure, and bait in real time, while I see it 10 or more seconds after it happens.. I don't see "chasers", only fish that have chased and I wasn't aware of it at the time... any thoughts on what I might be doing wrong?... bob

Is there a launch that will give me access to both Cross Lake and the river??.. The only launch I know of is the one on 5&20 near Montezuma,,, That won't get me anywhere near Cross Lake, and from what I have read Cross lake would be a good one for the type of fishing I do....bob

yeah plenty of Carp close to home, not really what I am looking for...

Just wondering about the Seneca River, if anyone fishes it regularly.. Unlike most here, I am not much into trolling especially with riggers, lead core, meat rigs etc.. Just not what I enjoy doing.. I do a little flat lining in spring, because i can fish with lighter tackle, and stop the boat when I hook up... These days, I prefer bait fishing, or jigging for panfish, SMB, Walleyes, maybe a Pike or Pickerel on occassion etc.... I have read many times of the good fishing in the Seneca River, but in the area around Montezuma, when I stop, I see guys mainly fishing for carp, cats etc.. I fished there years ago in some backwater sloughs filled with downed trees for Crappies.. We caught some, but most were sub legal.. I don't know the river at all, and a few starting points would be appreciated... Is the area between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes productive, or does one need to fish closer to Cross Lake?.... Not looking for anyone's hot spots, just some general info as to where to launch, lures that have worked in the past etc... any help is appreciated... bob

They are not real well known in this part of the state, not many waters here have them,but they abound downstate and in NJ and LI, especially in tidal/ brackish/fresh rivers where they are everywhere... Just wondering if they are anywhere in central NY in fishable quantities.. I know they are in the Seneca River/Cross Lake, and I could be wrong but I think anglers there call them "silver bass", unless what they are catching is White Bass... Not sure ,, Do they grow to good size there, say 12 inches??.. In some waters for some reason, they over populate, and you just don't see them over a about 6, maybe 8 inches.. Any information would be appreciated. Are they commonly caught there, or an uncommon bycatch?... they are very good eating in clean water, not sure about how they taste from the Seneca River... Any other lakes where I might find them?...