panfisher

Good link BSmaster. Now, not walleye, but panfish (sunnies) I've seen..... Any info on slow moving weak sunfish with what looks like fuzzy mold or moss growing out of it? Obviously the fish is sick, but what is it....?

Xellent!..And the snow adds drama....

Now that's what it's all about......Really uncomfortable and rough conditions, strong and experienced dedication, and awesome award. Looks like an extra good catch to me! .....Nnniiiiiiicee!!

Ignorant....and fun....and good tasting....the great starter gamefish. And the ones that continue to give a good time......any time (imho)!

Drat!... Those sneaky Massachusens.....used to be one myself. No wonder they gave up most of New York....They try to act as if nothing is happening at all.....All the way to the bank!

All great info. I like using floating original Rapalas in the smaller,3-5 sizes, near (almost on!) shore. They are difficult to cast, but the eyes love em. Works great on Honoeye this time of year.......The flatraps cast way better though and they seem to like those too.....

WWhaaat?!!? I'm not sure what to make of that shot! Good deal for you, the fish, AND the baits found! I've caught fish with lures attached, but never with 2 like that.....Nice!

Many memories of fishing (mostly snagging rip-rap!) near the Sagamore Bridge on the way to further adventures on the Cape as a kid. Tried again a couple more times there as a college student in bean town, but not much luck...a couple of baby blues. But didn't care much as it was not really serious fishing. I need to go there for them seriously....MTpockets.....NNnniiiiiiice!! I can't decide which is better in that "We crush um pic"....the fish or the face on the guy hoistin' him !

justintracytrolling..........Stripers.....! Where have you been striper fishing? Freshwater or salt....or both?

Although I don't do any hunting anymore (I might get back to it), I really do appreciate the perseverance you showed in ringing out any and all possibilities and giving all of the time to claiming the kill. Great story ... and I hope everyone who reads it can take your story with them in practice in the field....Your stamina has grown to match that of the whitetail's....... And that buck will only improve it at the table..... !

All of the warmer water fishes can be found in the canal. Even an occasional muskie. There are some very nice pike, as the waterway cuts through many natural swampy lowland watersheds which have ancient native pike populations, including White Swamp in Monroe county, Montezuma Swamp (and much of the Wayne county area) and the Mohawk River, just to name a couple of places. With all of the rivers and streams and waters which offer their fish to the canal, I would not be surprised if an occasional brown trout or two finds its way there. Plenty of carp, catfish.....well U get the idea. As far as targeting the various species, it is not like the usual flowage or "puddle". It is essentially a sort of thruway with plenty of rest stops and entrances/exits (and even a few attractions... ) along the way....for the fish and wildlife. No wonder interstate 90 and the east-west rail lines closely parallel it. Man made for utility, it is uniform and straightforward in nature. Excepting the intersected waterways and widened areas, it is a 15ft deep concrete/stone sluice way. Water levels are controlled by the locks for navigation. Generally flat on the bottom with sides that slope up about 35-45 degrees or so on each side. Where the canal goes through towns and cities, and at the locks, and in areas where certain other waterways bisect, there are flat concrete 90 degree walls. The great majority of the way is tightly bordered by overhanging trees and shrubs of varying types. There are docks along plenty of the shoreline from homesteads and cottages along either side. Some are nice, some are rickety. All are good fish attractors. Also there are many areas where brooks and small creeks flow into it. Some of these points are underwater level tubes. Some are concrete above ground sluices. These are particularly attractive to 'eyes and smallies which hang around them for their cooler flows. The flat walls are great places for laregemouths and sunnies. And there are many areas along the way that have cattail and other tall emergent grasses, as well as pads and other emergents. Also, the many wooden posts with nav markers along the way, plus concrete walled bridge abutments offer further target points. Water is easily flowing from east to west all of the time, with further currents mixing from incoming flows. There is, really, so much structure, natural and directly man made.....what self respecting warmer water type fish would not enjoy it..... ? The biggest drawback, if u might call it that, is that it is not expansive in its scope as far as your eye is concerned. Being an average of about maybe 75ft in width (it varies; precise facts are online), it is not the kind of place where you can fan out into as far as the eye can see. There is plenty of that around at other waters. One might even get a little claustrophobic if they were not "finding the places". But in a nice small boat the fishing can be good and exploring for them fruitful and fun. Oh, I forgot to mention the various other canals and old aqueducts that connect, with their added structure. It is really a different and unique opportunity that just adds to the great variety of fishing opportunities at this piece of earth called New York....

The Erie Canal (barge canal) gets its fish residents from waters that it connects with all along its 363 miles. From Lake Erie to the Hudson River there are many rivers, creeks, streams, ponds and lakes which the canal bisects, including some of the Finger Lakes via of connecting canals. Fish that are naturally moving in these various waters will pick up on the canal when it is flooded every spring, starting, I believe, from lake Erie eastward..(?) It is drained every fall using the locks. But because of the many bisecting waterways and some aforementioned wide water areas which form "lakes" as part of the canal itself, fish can find their way to safe waters at the time of draw down. Since it was originally opened in the early 1800's, me thinks fish have been gravitating to it with regularity for many many generations. Fish are affected by the same "build it and they will come" attitude as we are. I imagine its a rite of spring now for many of the piscatorial denizens in the region, plus any wayward and wandering newbies that find themselves in it.....and find it likeable ....

Nniiiiice! Looks like a nice jumbo perch up top, too.....Where in the river did U get those?.....Details....? ?....

Say. Back to the original topic; world record Tiger musky in Idaho..... Did anybody notice how really kind of small Little Payette Lake is? 1400 acres max. Who said big fish can't be found in small waters..... ...

1 nice day....1fish....2hrs....Not bad!.......Hope he made a good meal for ya...