panfisher

Were these caught in Otisco, or where? I know they've been catching beautiful walleyes with lakers on the same lures and positions at Hemlock....

Excellent post! I've been saying many of those marks we see on the screen down 80 to 100ft down in still warm water are smallies.....

Oops! checked out the leaderboard after the forum posting.... Got some details. Thanks.

How about some details? Out of where....on what? Great stuff, by the way. The last couple of days it's been very slow fishing.... a 5 in. 5 oz. baby king kept us from being skunked on saturday. Help!!!!

If you like the walleyes, go to Honeoye near sundown and fish close to shore at dusk 'till after dark with floating Rapala's of almost any size. This works really well, especially in September and October... Ordinary silver works great. I caught a 5 lb fish with the tiniest Original Floating Rap by the launch at the northwest corner. The lure was so light, I could only cast about 15 or so feet with 6lb test, but he slugged it ....Couldn't tell if it was a largemouth or what untill it was just about landed! Yes, top water for 'eyes is great. For summer day fishing, try trolling with minnow type lures at or just off the bottom, in the 25ft or so range.

Go to any Walmart, even if you're not getting a licence and grab a fishing rules guide book for free. Thats a Walmart in New York state!

Nice baby musky in that first pic!

I have read that the downturn in catch rates on the south shore of the big lake was not the deal on the eastern and western side of the lake....folks are doing just fine with the smallies in those areas... irregardless of the gobies, cormorants, global warming and whatever stuff people say. Did you catch what Shaw Grigsby was doing on his cable channel 55 show about 3 or 4 weeks ago, last summer, on the eastern side of the lake? Just like not so old times in this area! Try regular jigs in the usual 10 to 40 fow, but use bigger size bodies... upscale! The idea would be to mimic the gobies themselves, which, it has been found, the smallies will attack to protect their nests and to fatten up on.The thing here is, if you are smallie fishing during the spawn time, the catch and release deal might backfire because as soon as the bass leaves the nest, the gobies will goble the babies and or eggs while you're landing the fish. A downturn in numbers of bass on the south shore is not verified ,though...just harder to catch. Soooo... I'd fish for smallies later in summer, using 1/4 to 3/8 oz. or so with bigger soft bodied grub tails, or better yet, Gulp Alive! large sized gobie baits. Fish them with as big a hook and body available to get through the gobies, because often with smaller baits and jigs we used to use, you'll catch tons of the gobies before the bass can get to it. Good luck!

As usual, nice going, Phil. As a fellow fishin' fool, I do enjoy fishing any and everywhere! Did I run into you late last fall at the laundromat on rt. 104 in Ontario, Wayne county late last fall or early winter? We discussed fishing the St.Lawrence and the nearby ore beds... Was that you?

If the waters are calm enough (or you have the stuff to hold your place), try jigging with any 1/4 to1/2 oz. jig with bass size grub or any kind of soft plastic body in 40 to100 fow, where you are marking small to medium sized fish....These jigs would be suspended around 30 to as much as 60 ft down. In summer and fall, try trolling with downriggers as if you were going for lakers , 50 to 60 ft down, using trolling spoons such as Millers, Suttons, NKs or whatever. You'll catch nice smallies, jack perch, and almost anything else that is down there with this technique in Seneca. Bottom line.. fish as if you were fishing for game fish and you'll pick up NICE jacks! All this is my experience toward the north end,north of say, Roy's Marina going towards the north end of the lake. I've caught some mixed sizes, with jacks, in shallower, weedy areas from mid spring through early summer using worms or other live baits in 6 to 20 fow ( along with some large pumpkinseeds, bass, and pikes and pickerel) doing this. Good luck!

Zach.... I caught a baby 7" musky right close to shore in some stick out of the water grass on the east shore of Seneca back in the '80s fishing for largemouths down by the highbanks.... It surprised the hell out of me then.... untill I saw it all grown up to 22lbs. caught by a fellow from Wayne county on the cover of a May 2009 issue of New York Outdoor News......

I have found that all Esox family members like anything... I've caught and seen them caught on anything and everything! From fine, expensive lures to redworms under a bobber. They will and do interbreed in some waters where they coexist (such as Seneca lake, where you can pick up smallies, northerns, chainsides, and an obvious pickerel-pike cross on the same black 3 or 4 inch grubs on 1/8 oz jigheads from the same boat at the same place... What a blast!) That "same place" would be in 3 to 8 fow near shore on either side of the lake north of, say, Roy's Marina... smallie territory. There are nice muskies in that lake, as well. Wherever you fish, pike family members do seem to be attracted to bright colors, particularly anything with orange or red on them. Anything flashy will work...Rapalas, Silver Minnows, Daredevils etc. The largest pickerel I ever caught, a 4.5 pounder at the south end of Canandaigua in 12 to 15 fow (33") was on a 6" natural color Creme nightcrawler on a 1/4oz jighead on the bottom while working on largemouths! How about a nice 8 pound northern at the north end of Seneca on a torn, small piece of redworm under a bobber! Try to work something on or near the bottom....fish as if you were targeting bass or walleyes in medium deep areas; maybe with weeds. Guys trolling for salmonids have caught 20 pounders in 60 fow. This year,already! Good luck!

Where are you guys fishing? These crappies look great!

Fishing for warmwater types (bass, walleyes, etc.), I often lose some beautiful Esox family members (and maybe even salmonids, if I'm on the fingerlakes) to their teeth. I went to Bass Pro Shops in Auburn and foung a thin diameter plastic-like coated, steel leader material called Tyger Wire (available on line, as well). Also, Cortland makes the same stuff, about 20% cheaper, right there next to the other product. Available in 15 or 20lb. test at BPS.... I sprung for the the locally made stuff, of course! It's in the aisle with the bobbers, not the wall with lines. Can't wait to try it! panfisher