Reel Doc

It is starting to heat up for sure. Friday had a quick stop home to pick up some things about 5:30. Down below our pasture on the woods edge two bucks were jousting, the bigger bodied brute was having his way with what looked to be a yearling. After about 5 minutes the young buck took off and the other worked up a scrape. Midday Saturday I poked around down there and found fresh rubs and 2 scrapes. If you believe in hunting by the moon, (which I do), then the middle of next week will be the time to hit the woods hard as the bucks will be looking for and probably finding lots of love. Greg

Coup, It will get really good if your little side kicks take up the sport. My oldest is 11 and already he and his brother are having a good time trying to poke holes in the leftover squash and pumpkins from the garden. I look forward to taking them afield in the future, no different then being on the water with them. Greg

Gotta add my 2 cents on this one. Regardless of weapon in the woods, it is all about responsibility. If you are a true sportsman, (that is the term of the 21st century, not hunter), then you are well versed in the use and application of your weapon, and the reason you are afield is not just about the kill, but the joy of being there. We do not fear each other when we go afield, we fear the nonsportsman who is just out there for the kill, and has no clue about the game he is after or his reponsibility to that game and to the other sportsman afield. Like the road rage driver, all of us want to avoid this person from a safety standpoint, but also, we do not want them around for the sake of maintaining the sport. With decreasing numbers of sportsmen, and the increasing age of those of us who are sportsmen, we need to take the lead in setting a good example to the next generations going afield or afloat for that matter. No doubt the DEC needs to keep the deer harvests at certain levels to maintain proper herd numbers, so adding rifles in more counties is their way of making it "easier" in the minds of many to fill a tag. I would love to use a rifle in Seneca county, (currently not allowed), only because I have never really enjoyed the shotgun kick. Either way, when the shooting starts, I only sit in stands in the center of our property, as the hunting club gang that rents the neighbor's land has some of those nonsportsmen that I prefer to avoid. In a perfect season, my harvest is done before the shooting even starts, and I'm hopeful that can be the case again this year. Greg

Jason, You were right when you said 3 weeks ago there was still plenty of good fishing ahead. Sounds like the fish are refilling post-spawn. With school on and the weather cooler, my crew has bailed on me, so now I'm looking for red meat in my free time; not really that bad of a predicament. Can I ask you about the Weenies? Do you run them off riggers, copper, or drop them down with dipseys? Are they a seasonal lure, or effective trolling throughout the year? Greg

Hey Rovente, Sounds like you were given the same advice I had from Splitshot and RustyRat. Rumor has it they sell used, slightly wet boat parts to supplement their fishing habit. Welcome aboard the LOU. Greg

Wow, what a shot. Did anyone find the remains of that buck? Be really curious to know how far that cat took him for a drag.

Beautiful deer, a lasting memory with that photo. Congratulations

Wish I had the free time to tinker with it. I've been using Fingerlakes Meat Processing in Romulus. He does some of our lambs and a beefer each year and I can't complain with some of his hotdog and sausage combos. The whole family enjoys them. Getting back into fishing maybe we'll try a smoker in the near future.

Are the Lakers still carrying eggs?

Perch, It seems every successful hunt has a great story attached. If you are like me, the best part for you was a total whiff and reload. Bowhunting is great for giving second chances. My biggest fear in the woods is a poor shot that wounds one with no recovery. Knock on wood, it hasn't happened to me, the closest was when I gave a buck a belly shave with my Bear Whitetail back in the day. Santa brought me a Parker, trigger release, and graphite arrows for Christmas that year, so there was a silver lining. Greg PS Do you make your own sausage, or use someone around Tburg?

No doubt about it, our first trip on the water in our own rig on August 30, 2009. Words cannot describe my feelings after patiently waiting for so many years to finally complete the dream of having a boat to take out and fish these wonderful lakes among us. So many of you at this site were a part of that first day, and the many more to come in the future as you willingly opened up with information and advice on how to fish, where to fish, and how to have a great time doing it. I will forever feel a debt to this site and the many great people who make it work. I'm hoping in time my repayment can be in learning well enough to someday offer advice to the future fishing newcomers. To all of you, THANK YOU. Greg

Way to get the season started Hope you rub off on the LOU CREW!!

Mikey, It's all good...if I can't take it, I won't dish it out. Or expose my waterborne inadequacies. One thing to remember about me. I grew up near the Connecticut coast by Long Island, so minimal fear on the pond. My wife is an upstate landlubber getting her first experience with water action. 2 years ago in August we tried a charter trip out of Montauk. Beautiful summer afternoon. water was like glass. My wife and 2 of 3 kids are chumming over the side within an hour. Not having been out in years, I really do not want to quit, but we cut the half day charter in half again at risk of me living alone. Cut to last year, we do a charter off Martha's Vineyard and the family is geared up with every seasickness item available. There was a 1-2 foot surf and I'm saying my prayers to the fishing Gods. Luck would have it, no green family and we slammed into some 20 lb plus fish. If that didn't work out, I probably still would be dreaming about someday getting the boat we now own. So with that background, you know where I'm coming from. My wife and kids love me alot to put up with and even encourage my fishing habit, so I really have to give them some love back, and that does NOT include jamming a 7 foot tall boat through a 7 foot 1 inch opening. Greg

We took our 24' Wellcraft Walkaround out of there a couple times in September. (See photo). The first time there I asked a couple guys, (knowing what I know now, probably Splitshot and RustyRat), how it looked to them as I was a bit concerned. Of course, not their boat, so no problem, just keep your rods down. We get to the bridge and I thought my wife was going to jump ship If we had a hard top we would have become a convertible. The second trip out it was choppy heading back in, and being a new skipper I must admit to fearing the boat's windows would be in trouble if we strayed too far from center. It'll be a long time before I try it in the dark, if the fish are South we'll launch Deans and do a long boat ride. I know some Trophy's look tall in the center console, but how it compares to ours I do not know. One thing for sure, when you get to that bridge keep your head down. Greg

You guys are great, you take me back to college days when a smelt might "accidently" wind up in the foot of a buddies chest waders.

Will do Split...I'll keep pestering you fellas on board setups until Spring. Oh, can you send a photo of RustyRat's boat so I know who to try and follow? Greg

Just received the reels today. I had been in contact with Emptystringer before you fellas spoke so highly of the reels. You make me feel better about adding them to the arsenal. Now for trolling do you recommend they carry mono for boards or riggers, or are they better off with copper or wire? Remember we just started this August using 2 dipseys and 2 riggers, (have 4 LC 47 Accudepths), but with a family of 5 on the water, we're hoping to have a planer setup for Spring. Thanks, Greg

That's a beautiful fish. Of course, I have to ask, when you say long lead off the ball are you talking 30-40 feet, or way back? One old salt, maybe more, mentioned to me that I should always have 100-110 feet of line out, ie 20 feet down, 80 feet back, 80 feet down 20 feet back. Correct? Opinions? Also, what about Spring trolling speed....a litter faster than for Lakers, or no difference. As I read on this site, the Ontario boys turn it up a notch compared to Cayuga. One last thing...it sounds like if Rusty Rat would send a copy of his autopilot tracing I would learn alot in a short time. Think about it Rat, it's for my kids!! Greg

Are these all hatchery fish, or some natural reproduction happening? Rusty, where do you mean by the south flats, close to Ithaca and the inlet, or is Chowder right in that I need to put a tracking device on your boat to find where the fish are. Of course with me, your answer adds a new question which is, where are the Lakers in the Spring, (used to be creeping into shallow water in the old days), and how to target? As 2010 will be our first Spring boat trolling, I'm trying to plan ahead, (ie. give the family a Xmas shopping list). Greg

Your right, in my previous fishing life we dealt with lampreys, but no zebra mussels. So even in open water it's best to vertical jig? Interesting. I'm guessing you drift until you start catching fish then drop anchor? 20-50 FOW on a shelf? Greg

Other than T-Falls and Salmon creek, where else is there fast water coming into Cayuga? Anyone know if there is a substantial current that still flows out of the power station? Used to be in winter the current there would run South along the shoreline, then as water level went up in Spring it would turn staight out. Can that area be trolled fairly close to shore in early Spring? Greg

I posed this question last week when some monster Brown photos from Canandaigua lake came up. What is the brown trout population in Cayuga doing, and can you only target in the Spring? In my college days, late 1980's, we used to pull a number of nice browns from shore at the power station from January through May. Since we started boat fishing/learning from all of you in August, no one has mentioned the Browns. Has the fishery decreased, or are they only easier to access in the Spring? From shore, egg sacs or drifted smelt used to be the ticket, anyone have any ideas? Greg

I've heard the perch are good sized in Seneca. Any hotspots towards the North end? Do you jig, run minnows, or both? Greg

Have 88 acres to myself and bow time is the best time. Mennonite crop farming neighbor rents to a deer club, so you duck when the shooting starts. We rent our tillable and feed the sheep with alfalfa ground on shares. This year its soybeans, but the back edge where we have a 300 yard laneway is against corn. After hunting here for 12 years now you would think I would know every tree, but Spring scouting I stumbled on a great tree, (it really grew in a year), in plenty of thick cover, but it has some natural shooting lanes and the deer can pick corn, beans, alfalfa, or acorns all nearby, but to and from they should amble on by. We shall see. Greg

Andy, Thank you for all your help getting me started. Glad to see you found a fishing partner for Sunday. We always get more emergencies around a full moon, so we had an office full this weekend. My only fishing was for a few largemouths out of our farm pond Sunday when I was mounting a tree stand nearby. Weather permitting we are hoping to get out again, maybe the end of the week as the kids get some extra time with Columbus weekend. Good luck in the woods, I'm dreaming of an Indian summer day soon that will allow for both surf and turf success. Greg