BrookTrout

Yikes, has the water level come up a lot or just lots of debris.

Haven't posted in awhile. Got up to the lake for several days and between some turkey hunting and lots of spring cleanup/projects at my cottage I managed to get out on the lake several times. Found the warmer water on the south end and good amounts of bait and hooks on the screen. Really targeted one area and pretty much hooked up on just about every pass. Out solo for 3 1-2hr trips and one with the girlfriend. Managed about a dozen fish to the net, mostly salmon between 2-4lbs with a nice chunky brown and a couple bows mixed in. Kept a few for the grill and released the rest to grow bigger. Caught fish from the surface down to 65 ft. Best setup were dreamweaver spoons off the 65' rigger tight to the ball and off 4-7 colors of lead off the inline boards. Orange and green took most fish. The gf fought a big salmon to the back of the boat but sadly came off right as I was getting ready to scoop em up, prob 7-8 lbs. She did a great job though and it was by no means her error, just lightly hooked and very aggressive fish. Glad to be back out on the lake and enjoyed a great weather window.

congrats!

Nice job man!! Some real pigs, that salmon is nearly big as the lakers, don't see that too often, what a brown!! Thanks for the report. Hoping to get out thursday AM.

Got out on the lake yesterday a little after 7am, setup on the west side up running north in about 300ft. Picked up a nice 21" salmon down 55ft on the rigger with a blue dolphin. Then it was quiet for me for awhile. I talked with Reel Stories who sounded like he was having a good morning with a charter. Then I picked up and ran north about mid-lake, setup again heading north and picked up a small salmon on a cheater down about 30ft. There were some shallower bait pods and then I hooked a nice salmon on a sliver/blue stinger rigged as a sliding cheater that rocketed up the line and broke the surface without releasing, then the fish managed to get wrapped around a diver line and with my net inches from him the line broke!! A nice 4-5 lb fish, tough to lose... Got a release on the deeper rigger at 75 with a blue dolphin (DWSS) and had the deep throb of a laker, took awhile to haul him up and it was a nice 6.5 lber. Tried to revive him to no avail so he went in the cooler with the salmon. Ran south again and setup near the salt point but after about 45 mins I was starting to feel a little queasy from the intense heat (open boat) as the nice south breeze had died, so called it a morning. Fleas were thick but not a big issue with the flea flicker, but man they stuck to the leadcore pretty good. Weeds weren't bad on the west side, just some small bunches here and there, but some big mats midlake and on the east side. I think i would have done better if I had gotten out earlier. I actually left my place in Endicott at 4:30am but I have been really getting into photography recently and couldn't resist stopping to shoot some sunrise pics with a nice morning fog. Took an extra hr to make it to Seneca, but the pics came out well, kept the salmon for my mom who wanted some fillets and gave the lake trout to some guys putting in a new lift next to mine and they were very appreciative. All in all a good day! Jon

Wow that is such a pretty fish, looks very healthy. Thanks for the report

Wow what a fish, must have given a good fight!

Josh thanks for adding to my report, sounds like you have found some good consistent areas, I have lots of luck in the past with the smaller stinger size spoons. I always want to push a little further north, but often get caught up in areas that have produced in the past which it seems on Seneca is not always productive as the fish seem to move around quite a bit.

Got out at 6am, started in the middle of the lake from the south end headed north, having lots of issues with the Lowrance, then finally realized the transducer had kicked up a few notches, no wonder it couldn't find bottom.. Anyhow headed north along the west side where I was glad to find a relative lack of weeds. Not much on the screen or the lines so I eventually pulled em and headed a bit north. Set up again heading north with great conditions, a light southerly breeze, few weeds and overcast skies. Started marking some pods of bait in 20-40 ft of water with a hook or two beneath. Picked up a nice salmon on the rigger at 38ft with a bright orange and green ladder back DW SS. Missed a couple strikes (maybe shorts) made another pass headed south and picked up another decent salmon on the lead core with 8 colors on an orange monkey puke DW SS. Trolled a bit more, but that was it for the morning, Not an action packed outing, but I got a couple eater salmon and avoided the skunk, could think of worse ways to spend a Monday morning. The fleas were there, but I was running cortland flea flicker #20 and had no issues, just a few small clumps at the swivels/hardware. On the way home I did notice lots of weed mats floating out in the middle leaning to the east side, but east side was pretty clear near shore.

thanks for the report, at least you enjoyed the weather and avoided the skunk

Nick, that makes sense. The 2 salmon I got were so different, looked to be different year classes but one so skinny and kinda pathetic and 2nd one very healthy and strong. He'll probably be a little more hook shy in the future...

gotta love those little salmon hitting spoons almost as big as they are

wow that is a nice looking brown, not sure on the lure, I do recognize that point I think, any more details....

Headed out solo in the morning looking for silver fish. Spent a few hours on the east side, where I had marked lots of bait and arcs the evening before out over 100-200ft. Setup on these fish, and made several passes without a release??? Tried a few different setups, speeds, direction, etc, but nada... So eventually just headed north along the east shore, started out deeper but moved in marking good schools of alewives in close. Picked up a skinny 17" salmon to break the ice. Made a tight S turn just off a shallow shelf and I get a nice release on the inside rigger set at 12' about 80' back. Heavy fish that made some nice runs and finally came to the net. Nice 8lb brown, biggest of the season. Headed north picked a healthy 20" salmon that had an egg fly broke off in its jaw (must have been hooked ina tribe), and I took it out for him and let him go back to keep growing. Also picked up a couple more browns between 3-4 lbs. Not exactly fast and furious but a nice morning to be out. Headed in once the pleasure boaters started heading out in droves. Took fish on 2-3 colors of lead, and off riggers in 12-25 ft. DW SS spoons green/blk ladder, monkey puke. Jon