Sk8man

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.

Ric66 - I know some folks believe that the current situation is just part of the larger historical cycle of things but the introduction of these invasives has changed the very nature of things in these lakes. A number of the older guys who have fished the Finger Lakes for many years have mentioned these differences that go well beyond the previous cycles that have been witnessed by them and myself included. The bait situation for example - we have in the past seen bait populations where there would be clouds of sawbellies reaching from bottom to surface in 150 ft or more of water for many hundreds of yards in numerous places in the lakes during our fishing day. I haven't seen this on Seneca or Canandaigua in many years now. Is there still bait out there? Yes...but the numbers are miniscule compared with past levels despite the fact that some concentrations of it may be seen . There used to be huge populations of Rainbow Smelt in Seneca and Canandaigua Lakes and although there are still a few left in Canandaigua at the south end the early Spring runs in these lakes are history now. Kashong and Wilson Creeks and many streams on the east side on Seneca used to have major smelt runs and to my knowledge nothing is happening anymore. This situation is not simply a seasonal or locational variation it is a very real change that from the looks of things will continue to impact us as time goes along. I certainly hope that something happens to change this but I don't know what it would be.

Nice going!

It seems to me that it reflects the fact that the zebras and quaggas have filtered out a vast majority of the zooplankton that the bait feeds on and with this "missing link" at that point in the food chain everything above it suffers. I know a lot folks don't believe that but it appears to be more evident as time rolls on.

Nice going Bucky

WTG Kev Those Great lakes #4's are pretty close to the old Pfleugers even in terms of finish and action aren't they? I like them a lot better than the Ace's too.

Yeah John it beats the hell out of the fish smell thanks to a full can of Lysol orange scent and shampooing the rugs and two days in the sun Next time I go to get bait I'll probably glue down the lid on the bucket

Here is the end result of the fiasco.... many thanks to my long time buddy Admiral Byrd

Good one Mike

I think Mike is living out my fantasy life with those boats and who knows what will be next now that his fly business is taking off so well

Here are a couple of setups with Spin n Glows and in between them is a green "peanut" which can also be used behind the "blades" instead of the Spin N Glows. Both types of setups are deadly for lakers

i hope you are right Nick.

Very interesting on the cowbells as usually they are best on or near bottom but the "not always" rule always applies to fishing

Good luck out there guys. The usual fish don't seem to be at the north end at all. Buddy was out yesterday and never marked any fish or bait even out to 150 ft. Not sure what is going on but hope it improves by derby time.