Jigging Among the Irondequoit Hordes

[Pete Collin]

Hello All,

The title is a bit of a gag, because a few of you warned me not to launch out of IBay on a weekend.  That the afternoon pleasure boater crowds would give me a long wait to take out, that the incompetence of infrequent boaters would cause ruffled feathers or fender benders.  I had a compelling reason to brave it out.

The previous weekend I went with my friend Bob in his boat.  He keeps it at the Ibay marina.  We were trolling for salmon, but the screen showed a long stretch of the bottom that had an excellent number of lakers.  I haven't seen a screen like that at Sandy in years.  So I had to go back on my own and explore.

It's highway miles most of the way from my door to IBay Marine State Park.  So the distance is similar to going to Sandy, but the drive much easier.  It was simple to find the launch, and the kiosk accepted my Beaver Pass.  (My wife hates when I call it that.  The New York Empire Park pass used to be a window sticker with a picture of a beaver.  Now it's a credit card.  No longer a picture of a beaver, but old habits die hard.)  So I didn't have to pay to launch.  The ramps themselves are great - poured concrete, look pretty new, designated in and out ramps, three in all.  Was still dark when I arrived, but streetlights made it so I could easily embark before dawn.  Got the second parking space closest to the ramps.  Practically hopscotch distance - nothing like the famous Sandy Creek trudge.  Forecast was for 1 foot or less waves.  Was disappointed to find the flags flapping when I go there.  Re-checked the forecast from my smart phone.  No change.  So I decided to trust and head out.  South wind.  Plenty of buffer from the coast.  So the waves were not a problem at all.

I had to drive around, checking the sonar, to find the place I had seen all those blips with Bob.  Took a little while, but I had all day.  When I found a good screen, and set up the spot lock, I found the fish non-committal.  All kinds of taps and bumps without hookups.  The first laker I landed as all of 14 inches long, so I thought, "Oh great!  This is a nursery!  This is where all the juveniles live!  They're too little to even get hooked!"  I had brought trolling gear, so at any time I could have chased salmon if it came to that.  But I really wanted to see what was what down there.  So I kept at them, choosing to cover more water rather than teasing the same fish.  They really weren't biting well.  A tap or shake-off tells you that the fish didn't grab solid.  I cranked 5 good fish halfway to the boat only to have them spit the hook.  Infuriating.  I put on a brand new spoon, with the highest quality treble hook.  Three surgical points.  "Next bite I get, I swear I won't lose it because of a bad hookset!" I thought.  Jammed my thumb in the spool so there won't be any drag slip.  I feel a tap.  Rear back with all I got.  Line breaks.  "JEEPERS!" I yell, but not using that exact word.  Thing about jigging, though, is when the bottom marks are there, it means the game is afoot.  So the morning went by quickly.  It wasn't until 10:19 that I could text Bob a picture of a decent fish.  At least I was satisfied that it wasn't just a nursery.

I have been paying attention to you salmon jigging guys out there.  I have questions.  There's always blips up high above the lakers, and I sometimes try for them.  Didn't see that many yesterday, and the few I targeted didn't chase at all.  The only thing I know is that salmon will bite a spoon, but not a leadhead with plastic body.  Unless somebody knows different.  I only saw one boat of jiggers (and a lot of guys were fishing yesterday - counted 15 boats at one point).  They were drifting, and before long the wind carried them away and I never saw them again.  Is that how you target salmon?

So the laker spot turned out to be over a mile long, following a contour.  They were 10 feet deeper than last week.  I was the only guy working them.  That is the beauty of laker jigging.  How many thousand fish were down there, had not seen a lure all day, and were ALL MINE?  At noon, an actual bite flurry happened.  Got several in a row, teaching me once again the value of perseverance.  After that, it got weird.  They wouldn't bite anymore, but would bat the lure with their bodies.  I actually snagged two in the tail.  Takes forever to get those in, and your arms are cooked afterwards!  Bet you never pegged me as a "lifter"!

I quit around 2:00.  Tough day, but time flew.  Wherever there are fish, there is hope.  The sonar revealed plenty of hope.  All you gotta do is be there when they turn on.  The channel going back into IBay was interesting.  It was like being on 390 with no painted lines and farm tractors, semi-trailers, race cars, and children on tricycles going in both directions.  Get to the ramp?  One boat in the out ramp, just ready to pull out.  Guy from their crew offers to grab my bowline and ties me off.  Maybe I was lucky, but within 15 minutes of shutting off my motor, I was ordering a garbage plate at Bill Grey's!

 

Edited July 28 by Pete Collin

[fisherdude]

That was a good read. The channel description sounded like the North End of Canandaigua Lake around noon... 

[ifishy]

We fished out of sandy I always have to start later in the morning so ended up in the overflow lot and trudge is being kind to that walk that channel was busier than I have ever seen it. Glad you lucky at the launch that place can definitely test the blood pressure we tried to jig but never really found good jigging marks so converted to trolling. Glad you got into the. There I have been dabbling with jigging for a few years and am convinced it can work in a lot of the lake I also think mooching has potential just always have trouble getting baits and don't get out nearly as much as I want to

[HB2]

I don't care how sharp your hooks are , some days they just don't take it well , like they nip at it . I go thru this jigging all ways . Whether it's light line long rod jigging , or bass and pike . 

 

Trolling there are days you can't keep them on.  And some days you catch all the hits .