Sk8man

Grady 19 I got the sawbellies from the lady on 5 and 20 between Geneva and Waterloo. She is a certified dealer. I think she gets them a day or two before the derby

There are a number of different Herring sub types in the species but the ones in Seneca are called sawbellies or alewives and to my knowledge you can't introduce any other types of baitfish other than those listed on the DEC syllabus that you get at stores or bait shops etc. Last year I ran both a fresh frozen sawbelly and just slid his head in the meat rig and put a toothpick in the holes and then broke it off to hold it in place for one of them on the other that I also caught a laker on I made an artificial bait from a salt water jig body bait like these below. I placed a fairly rigid copper wire inside so I can bend them to twirl the right way

Usually 18-26 inches from end of back hook to the beginning of leader

Hopefully you'll be able to see these pics clear enough to get the idea. There are different versions of the gangs for example a clasp or clip can be the first item in the series to hold the mouth of the bait shut instead of the small hook noted here. The key feature is to tie the series of three hooks (2 trebles and one single in front) so that the single hook or clip slides so that you can adjust the bait to size as well as tighten or loosen to give the bait the right amount of "twirl" behind the attractor. Basically you set the fixed trebles in a fixed position such that one will reside at the bottom center of the bait while the last one trails the end of the bait. The heavy duty thread is wound around the hook shaft securing the 40 lb mono to it making sure that the first single can slide with tension applied (it slides within the wound thread winding on the shaft of the hook). When all together coat the thread with lacquer or acrylic nail polish top coating. I hope you get the idea here I have a bunch tied somewhere but unable to locate tonight to show different versions. These are from the mid seventies Look closely at the eyelet on the first hook in the series it is bent backward which assists in the sliding adjustment.

Mike

Yes good luck.

We've run them behind cowbells and Hemlock spinners for years at the north end but not with the plastic heads. I ran a couple of the Lake O setups during the derby last year and they work Didn't do anything on the one with twinkies though.

That is true Nick. The one thing I have wondered though is if you were to be stopped by a conservation officer while out there and someone said they caught the bait out there rather than say getting it from an uncertified source how would they be able to make a determination? On the other side of it I'm sure they have a lot more things to do than check someones bait out unless maybe fishing from shore during a routine license check (e.g. still fishing) and then the question becomes how did you catch them from here on shore? I guess the more important thing is that we all try to keep the viruses and invasives from further spreading although it often seems as though the proverbial horse is already out of the barn.

Bold Beauty

I'm not sure about the actual procedure but I know you have to have a certification certificate or license which requires routine testing of your bait source for viruses and I believe it is several hundred dollars but not sure for how long it is good for either or whether you have to pay for or arrange for the testing services etc. Whenever the NYS bureaucracy gets involved it is always "messy" and "expensive".

Good one Billy

Nope even dead bait falls under it.

If you are talking about these in the pics below the surface mounting holes are spaced 2 1/2 inches apart at the center of the holes while the outside base mounting holes on the swivel mount are spaced 4 inches apart on center. There is also another mounting base which I have on three of my riggers but unfortunately they are in the boat and not accessible at the moment but I think they are spaced the same.

Just as an addition to what Mike is saying I believe the "long shaft" is the 20 inch while the extra long shaft is the 25 inch (like the ones used on sailboats etc.)

I know this may sound "picky" but the bait regulations require that you either use commercially packaged dead bait and also possess the packaging from it with you or if using live bait or frozen you have a signed receipt from a certified bait dealer that is good for 10 days from the transaction date.. This is according to DEC because of the virus concerns.

This is a pretty common question on here and basically the answer comes down to "you have to pick your days and weather conditions carefully and don't take unnecessary chances if you go" such as going way off shore. Also check out the US Coast Guard Great Lakes regs and make sure you are in safety compliance before going out. I used to do it for years in a 13 ft. Whaler but I was a lot younger and more foolish then (if that is possible ) and would not press my luck weather wise knowing what I do now.

Chas and the rest of the guys are right about plastic not being durable enough and the Uv rays raise hell with a lot of it too weakening it even further....stainless steel doesn't have that problem

If you already have gimbal holes in your gunwales and are interested in running a couple rods per hole here is what I have used for the past 14 years and they never waver at all with multiple wire setups and dipseys or Multiple leader Seth Green rigs with 40 oz weights and best of all no extra holes drilled in the boat and they are portable. I have combined two solid rod holders into one unit. The clips are (just in case) safety lines but related to potential clumsiness situation rather than the rod holders

Thanks Mike. I'll keep my fingers crossed

Nick - You are right I haven't fished the south end in a while and most of my fishing is in the northern half of Seneca and that is primarily what I was referring to and I haven't recently seen anything that approaches what you are describing from the south end happening at the north end. There are a number of places at the north end that are as familiar to me as my own living room and I am no longer seeing fish there and neither are my friends who have fished it for many years. I know it is early in the season but some of these places were ones that I also winter fished as well when i did it and there were always some fish there as well as bait pods glued to the bottom. I am totally with you in terms of the stocking if the bait is down at that end and I truly hope that as the season rolls on the fishing will improve and we will get a better picture of things. Incidentally I think it is pretty foolish if they are only sampling one spot for bait and then generalizing from a solitary data point for the stocking numbers.