Reel Doc

Those are GREAT pics!! I love how the kids hug their catch!!

No sunrise today as headed out in fog but able to get lines in by 6:30. Worked 10-20 fow early and rewarded with 1 dinner-for-2 sized Brown off a flatline carrying a stickbait. Stayed quiet until about 8:30 when a rigger fired hard but fish gone when I grabbed the rod. Kept searching out to 45 fow. Didnt see much in the way of fish or bait on the screen. Pulled lines at 11, thankful that the Brown made the day a clunker, which is always better than a skunker! A bunch of boats out today. Would love to hear from you to know was it just not my day or did all struggle to find fish. I did enjoy the cows up on the cliffs. Hope they don't venture too close to the edge.

Beautiful fish. Thanks for sharing about your trip. Fishing for Stripers in May on the Hudson is on my bucket list and by the looks of things, the fishery is still strong.

3 PFDs Youth Large and 1 Women's small. All in very good condition though the yellow youth vest has a juice stain on the back. $15 each for the blue/green ones, $10 for the yellow, or take all 4 for $50. Pickup in Seneca Falls. Probably not cost effective to ship

Have a bunch of these buckets with lids. Note they are taller than standard 5 gallon buckets as over 17 inches tall. These are great fishing buckets or if one (or in my case 2), kids are baseball/softball pitchers, you can sit at a great height as their practice catcher. $3 each or 4/$10. Pickup at our office, 309 Fall St Seneca Falls, M-F 8-5. Note, Fridays from 10-1 a local barbecue legend is selling Chicken BBQ right next door so grab some buckets and pick up dinner in the same trip. Please PM me with approximate time you are coming. Not coming to Seneca Falls? Might be able to hook up along the Thruway West to Buffalo once the restrictions ease.

Stepping on a sleeping goose? I'm betting the audio feed from that one is priceless!!

You absolutely OWN that lake!! If I ever plan a trip on Owasco can I hire you as a guide?

Fished Cayuga this afternoon for the first time since early March. One of my sons is officially finished with his first year of college after completing finals/projects online at home so he celebrated by joining me this afternoon. Couldn't believe the water level as covered the end of the dock at Deans. It was a beautiful day but when we left the dock Snarky North winds dictated a stick tight to shore program and I was nervous about finding Spencer some afternoon action. Dropped the downriggers and put out the boards with some sticks in the skinny water and within 10 minutes this laker made it to the boat. Next the bigger rainbow gave Spencer a great aerial show after smacking a Bay Rat and the second bow went for the rigger spoon. Heading in, we turned around toward deeper water and I dropped the riggers down while pulling in the big boards and the plump laker finished the short trip in style. That fish exploded under the fillet knife and a bunch of alewives came spilling out. Definitely a good forage base in Cayuga right now.

When you say better color do you mean not so much brown mud? I really wondered if the mud was hampering lure visibility but mudline fishing is new to me.

Are you fishing out of Fairhaven too? Go figure what works for one boat does nothing for another in the same area...UV Naked Jordo is a Michigan Stinger spoon that I had new in the package in my spoon box. I only know the name as it was on the outer package...not sure if still available. Broke it out recently as bright yellow/red spoons have worked for me lately. Can't imagine what makes it look edible to a fish as it spins in the water.

First time visit to Fairhaven state park but certainly not the last. Launch is nice and the rest of the park looks great. Had to budget an hour after fishing to explore the park with my four legged first mate! Another first today was fishing with the heavy mudline. It extended out to 20 fow in many places. Went to work before 7 in 10 fow and worked out to the edge of the color many different ways but it was after 8 before the first fish on. Had a steady run of Browns (all good solid fish) for over an hour then a lake trout joined the party. All hitting spoons off riggers or short cores, UV Naked Jordo did the most damage. Last fish of the day was the first to hit a stickbait. Headed in before 11. Water temps running 47-48 and best speed was 2.4. I was thinking the thick water color may have hurt lure visibility early on as couldn't buy a hit yet the sonar showed fish were there. Once the sun was up higher they started and never stopped until I did. Just trying to get in the brains of fish.....probably not wise of me to try.

Beautiful fish. I'm betting it kept you busy a couple minutes. Congrats!

Great pictures for comparison. Well done Stinger! Now if I could just catch those Rainbows a little more often.........

Looking good. Much traffic at the launch in Sodus?

I would like to hear how that discussion goes.

Beautiful fish. I'm betting it took you a few minutes to get it to the boat with a panfish rig. Thanks for posting

Thanks for the pic. That is precisely the plan. Spings to be removed and new sturdy pulleys coming that are metal with carabiners to attach to the rings on the mast.

Great report. I especially like the goose egg.

Nice picture. Great to see you got it done!!

Sounds like you had a good Welcome to Cayuga! I had a blast with my first Cayuga pike earlier this year. Similar to yours it hammered the stickbait off the big board and ran nearly a hundred feet. Loads of fight but I was nervous near the end it would cut through the flouro. The stick was caught in the front of its mouth and hooked both top and bottom jaw. Many stories on here of pike taking multiple sticks intended for Browns and landlocks. One big difference between Cayuga and Ontario is the dramatic drop offs pretty close to shore. If you're at a ledge on Cayuga it can seem like there is 20-30 feet depth difference off boards on 1 side of the boat vs the other. I never dared fish in shallow until adding an autopilot this year. Too nervous about crashing while setting lines or fighting a fish

This season has been loaded with firsts for me and hard use of the planer mast is one of them. When I bought my boat 10 years ago the only fishing equipment it had was a little Hummingbird fish finder. So I jumped on a LOU classified ad for a package of older gear that had a pair of manual downriggers with swivel bases which are still going strong. In the package was the Invader mast, (no base), and a set of Super Skis. Last year I finally installed the mast with help from Great Lakes Planers who custom built a base that fits like a glove. Tony Salerno is great to work with, highly recommend!! This Winter really put the system to work on Cayuga lake with great results. Starting last month it has had to tackle Ontario for the first time. With the wider rolling waves the harder tension caused the line to jump the pulleys several times and when I switched to Amish Outfitters boards the stronger tracking by the boards has stretched the Springs. Last week I ordered new pulleys from Great Lakes Planers which look to be more suited to the task. For me, I love fishing off the big boards compared to inline. Setup and takedown takes some time, especially in rough water, but when a fish grabs and goes you are directly on them which is thrilling all the way and no awkward inline board removal.

Enjoying all the reports posted today....here is mine. Felt like the first great Spring day out there. Being an Ontario rookie I don't know where colored water typically builds around Pultneyville so went over by Ginna as fish were there earlier this month. Started in 10-20 fow while the sun was low but all quiet. Moved out as the sun went higher and the lake went flat. Finally a good Brown took a UV Naked Jordo Stinger down 25 over 40 fow but then continued quiet. Kept working a little deeper and found active Lakers in 55 fow so boated 3, all on spoons down 40-45. I know many of you dis Lake Trout but I had to post a pic of the first Ontario laker to see the bottom of my boat!! Remember I cut my teeth on Cayuga Lake Trout! A little chop started up on the water so decided to get skinny again and see if the fish weren't going to stay spooky. Rewarded with a great double off Bay Rats Cant afford it and glow frog. My first Ontario steelhead and a really gnarly Brown who fought hard for at least 15 minutes. Got to say I'm just loving the early season fishing out on Ontario. Water temps hung between 44 and 45. I assume when the water warms the fishing techniques will need to change. If anyone is willing to give me a primer for fishing Ontario in May, I'm all ears!!

Love the pictures. So cool to see your kids having a good time.

Congratulations to her.....having a fishing gal is a wonderful thing!!