panfisher

earltwitty....looks like a nice 4-5lber. Hard work for 1 fish though. Not at all like in the day when they were as easy to catch as their smaller sunny and crappie cousins! Way to get after it though. These fish are still present. Something tells me some diligent hard work and open mindedness to working new techniques, rather than the old ones that used to work so well (just about anything!), will unlock the secret to these lately hard to get smallies. Like also to know if anyone knows of, or just are, good deeper water scuba divers who can get down there to thoroughly, visually, verify the existence of the smallie populations in the Big O south shore. Maybe camera surveys. We know they are schooling, grouping "social" fish....not loners. Where there is one there have got to be many more around. We also know they are hardy and native. And I do not think they have been over-fished for any commercial reasons. When has anyone seen large amounts of black market bass fillets for sale. I know it happens occasionally, but not to the extent it would deplete them. I keep believing they have made lifestyle adjustments.......

Those bright red fillets look like watermelon!

zackblain.....boy.. it's crazy about how so much phosphorous compounds from fertilizers leaching into eutrophic (shallower generally) lakes from some sources has affected the plant growth (cyanobateria) in lakes like Honeoye and Erie and others. The fish are still there though. Like fleas, it makes for some weird fishing scenarios. I'm wondering if there may be a couple of especially knowledgeable folks out there on Honeoye catching plenty of eyes with no competition....and are mum about it. I do not believe there are any fish die offs there....just fishing die offs. Which may just be good for the populations.......Tg8.....ever try Gulp Alive! small baits with your rigs? I know fish really love eating on that stuff. I mean just some soft baits. But maybe the scents as well....? That might trigger some more serious bites......

mostlymuskies..... The whole west coast salmon fishery has been impacted by the drought which has most heavily affected California but also Oregon and Washington. Kings are hanging tough but the cohoes have been placed into threatened category in Cali. Mostly because water flow levels have been low due to low water at their entrances to the Pacific. Which almost completely seals off with silt many of the rivers. Not enough rain (snow) far inland into the mountains. Major flows like the Sacramento and Columbia still are good enough for kings, but it has even been tough on steelies as well. Fish can't get up to spawn and others like steelies to eat the salmon spawn. Hopefully this will be a wetter season coming to re-energize the anadromous salmonid fisheries in the west. Is there a way to import water from the drenched east to the parched west......? One key to everything is balance.........BTW, you are totally right about how really good the flavor of salt water grown salmon is compared to freshwater only lived fish......

Tough bite....2 little guys and a keeper....if kept. Been down to see if Honeoye has cleared from the blue-green algae yet? Now is the time the eyes should be coming easier there now and for the next month or more....if it's not too cold. Especially from dusk on.

Evening caught fish.....OK. From a novice (actually complete rookie afa targeting them) musky fisher, other members of the esox family seem to be mostly daytime feeders. Some of what I have read seems to say the same of musky. Is it unusual to come upon them after dark? Or, like "grownup" people, do the big folks in musky land get to stay up late and remain active....? Are coming upon actively feeding muskie after dark an accepted game? Any difference in that regard between river (flowage) and and lake water fish?

Good catch of some fun fighting and good eating bass! And within a couple of hours too. Looks like the one that was cut is a largemouth. Now, here is my nerdiness..... Is the reason that was the only one cut to bleed is because it was a largemouth (looks like the small one he is jaw-to-jaw with is a largemouth too)? And here is the nerdy part.....Do you think largemouths do not taste as good as smallies?..... ...Or is it that you just hadn't gotten to "doing them up" when it was decided to take the pic, and I'm thinking way too much into it.....?

nasc620.....Was that guy caught in the evening or dusk?

My condolences as well....

jigstick.....Did U ever get anywhere with a musky on Chautauqua.....? Have U given up?

Thanks fishmaker. I see it there just east of Georgian Bay and north of lake Simcoe. Looks like smack dab in the midst of many great (?) fishing waters. I say....(?)....because I have never fished "inland" Ontario waters. Too much good fishing near here! But will have to venture into Canadian inland waters more. Seems like many lifetimes of potentially good fishing. Noticed on the regional fishmuskoka.com forum a guy who picked up a nice 8lb+ 'eye from a Mooseknuckle lake (couldn't find on google maps) this summer. Are walleyes often called pickerel up there? And pike are called pike I assume....if they aren't also called pickerel by some. I see lots of smallies, pike and walleye and lakers are in Muskoka. Must be the general mix everywhere up in that "endless lakes" area.

Fishmaker......Out of curiosity, where is Muskoka....?......

Wonderful fishing Ivan....NNNniiiiiiicccee!!! And that head does look impressive. Great fish!

NNniiiiiiiccee!!.

Yes.....a very nice and fruitful short outing! Niiiiice!! I have found often those "let's see if we can squeeze in some fishing before we have something else we have to do" outings yield sometimes remarkable results....

I have only fished Owasco 3 times. I'm closer to the Big O and the western fingers. Cayuga is the usual farthest fingerlake for me. I may have to begin hitting that lake more often! Niiiiiice fish!!.....and nice fishing!

Another very nice fish! It (and the one your dad caught) does kind of stir in me the want to try and undertake serious musky chasing.