Keuka Annual Keuka Lake August 2024 Fishing Report

[adesalvo]

I present to you guys and gals my annual 2024 Keuka Lake Fishing Report. This is my 39^th year visiting Keuka Lake for our family vacation staying on the east side 1 mile from the bluff. This is also my 2^nd year bringing my New to Me fishing boat and 5^th consecutive year in trolling the lake in august.  I do fish the lake 2 more times a year for the FLTA tournaments.

 

In the mid to late 80s and early 90s I would troll the lake with my dad mostly between Eggleston point and the bluff and it wasn’t uncommon to land an 8lb laker, and an Atlantic or a Brown on the same trip. 

 

Over the last 4 years I have seen a few rainbows get caught and 1 Atlantic. I have heard rumors or browns on the wall but nothing firsthand.

See Ketchum Fish  => https://ketchumfish.net/ or  Reelaxin Charters => https://reelaxinfishing.com/  facebook pages for rainbow pics

 

I can’t remember the exact summer of the bait kill that changed everything for the Keuka Lake, but it had to be around 1992 or 1993.
 

Water Temp and Lake Conditions

We Arrived on Friday Evening August 9^th after the heavy rains from Hurricane Debby. There was a lot of flooding and debris on the roads around the lake. The runoffs all around the lake overflowed which left debris in and around the lake and the lake was noticeably green all week from it.

 

I parked the boat at the state park until I could figure out how bad the debris in the lake was (pics curtesy of Ketchum Fish) 

 

 

Saturday morning Jeremy and I could see tons of debris floating in the lake and decided to take a trip out in the recreational boat and pick up any debris that could cause potential damage to other’s boats

 

We pulled out 2 large trees and a pile of logs that later turned into perfect campfire wood. Saturday evening, we launched the boat from the state park and got her ready for fishing for the week.
 

Water Temp on the surface Saturday Morning was 75 degrees and by Friday it dropped 3 degrees down to 72. The days were sunny with sone haze from the Canadian forest fires. Air temp averaged mid 70’s in the beginning of the week and low 80’s Thursday and Friday. The lows at night and early morning were in the mid-50s.

Temp break of 50 degrees was 60 feet down at the cottage 1 mile from the bluff and rose a little bit over the week to about 55 feet down. The Water was GREEN all week even on Friday when we left. Fishing was best right above and right below the thermocline
 

Location and Results

We fished Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30AM to 9:00AM and, Monday Evening with MOM, Dad and the Wife from 7pm to 8:30pm

 

Sunday, we headed north away from the bluff on the east side, and we caught just a few fish early as we were building patterns and finding the right depths.  About 6:30AM we crossed the lake from old camp Iroquois and headed towards Eggleston point to see if the runoff from the storm brought in some fish or bait.

On our first pass at Eggleston point in 110 FOW we had a double one on the wire diver and one on the 70 foot rigger. On our second pass we also doubled up but were in a little closer at 90 FOW and marked some bait on the bottom and some suspended.  The suspended bait was probably perch fry and the bottom bait could have been cisco’s.   I wish we culled a few fish to see what they were eating but didn’t. Until about 9AM we just circled the point and continued to bring in at least 1 to 2 lakers per pass.

 

 

Monday, We wanted to chase rainbows in the Hammondsport basin based on some reports earlier in the week from Ketchum and Reelaxin charters, but it looked like it was going to storm so Jeremy went back to bed and I went solo to Eggleston point and continued to bring in a few lakers on each pass of the point. I did read a report on Tuesday morning that the basin was all chocolate milk, and the fish weren’t biting so I am glad we didn’t go.

 

 

Monday night I took My Wife, Mom and Dad out in the evening after dinner at Abandon Brewery for Wing Night and Ice Cream at Spotted Duck. We left at 7pm and continued to go back and forth at the point and continued to bring in fish on every pass.. We fished until sun set and boated about 10 more lakers.

 

Tuesday again we buzzed over to Eggleston and continued to boat lakers on every pass. Bait was still present at the same location

 

Wednesday, we slept in since you know it was a vacation!

 

Thursday was when our luck ran out and the fish turned off. There was still fish and bait at the point, but they had lock jaw and weren’t chewing. I am guessing they were all full of feed and bait from the runoffs.  There was a debris field about 100 yards off the point loaded with weeds and garbage making it difficult to fish without cluttering up the lines.

Summary

-          On Monday and Tuesday, we probably boated about 20 fish over at Eggleston  point.

-          The fish were probably as small or emaciated as I can remember in recent years 

-          We did bring in a few 3+ pounders but those were the exception

-          This is the first year we didn’t catch any bass trolling

-          This is the first year we didn’t catch anything trolling stick baits.

-          No Rainbows this year even with bait at the point

-          I do wish we fished the west branch a bit as I was curious if the points over in Pulteney had bait as well from all the runoffs.

-          The poor class of fish could very well be because of our location as we didn't explore much this year.

 

 

Spread and Patterns

The spread the work the best for us this weekend was

o   Riggers Parked at 70 feet and 60 feet

o   2 Wire Slide Divers with the MAG Ring at 150 (70 feet down)

o   2x 250(50 foot) and 220(45 foot) Weighted Steel on Planer Boards

o   7 and 8 Colors on Planer Boards

o   Best speed was 1.9 => 2.0 at the ball

Best Spoons

o   MVP was the Moon Shine Walleye sized Wild Perch both in Glow and RV probably due to the dirty water from the storm

o   Around 8:30AM the fish started moving towards the bottom, so we put down at 100FOW a few Elmer Hinckley spoons on the floor that worked very well

§      777 Silver

§      32 Gold Hammerd

o   Stinger Sized UV Can’t Afford it with UV tape and a Red EYE on the cup took fish every morning until the sun came up over the hills and it shut right off

o   Reel Rage Electric Muffin stayed on the 250 copper’s all weekend and took fish on every trip

 

 

Boat Setup

I have a 1994 Trophy 2002 Walkaround that’s in amazing shape.  It sat at the dock in the water all week and never had to use the bilge even with the rain Sunday. It was repowered a bunch of years ago with an Evinrude eTech 2 stroke 115. I am a lucky boy!!

 

 

Most of the equipment I am using came with the boat.

-          2 Cannon 10 STX downriggers with 2 dual Rod Holders

-          6 Bert’s ratcheting Rod Holders

-          2 Cannon Single axis rod holders (want dual axis)

-          Fish hawk x4

-          Over the winter I purchased a Garmin 93sv uhd2

-          This winter I plan on picking up a 73sv uhd for the back of the boat

 

I will be posting a video report of the trip on my YouTube channel that has a bunch of other reports and shorts of us catching and loosing fish.
flx_adventures - YouTube

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Edited August 18 by adesalvo

[Seneca Slammer]

Nice report - thanks

[whaler1]

Great report!

[Gill-T]

Best report I have seen. Thanks for taking time to post a detailed experience. 

[Bo Hunter]

Very well done report my friend. I certainly hope the bait you had pictured on your garmin were bottom living cisco's. 

[Sk8man]

Great report Anthony! Sounds as though you folks had a fun time I know it is heavily used recreationally but it is a very beautiful and unique scenic lake (one of only a few in the world with the "Y" shape

[jps]

Excellent report! Go to Keuka Friday before labor day for a week.Will post something.

 

 

[ANGLERSS]

Will also be there Labor Day weekend, mostly fishing south end.

[bulletbob]

 Keuka has changed for the worse I'm afraid.. The lake needs to get a  viable forage base established.. I don't even bother fishing for the starving lakers there any more   .. Can't the DEC net a pile of alewives from Cayuga/Seneca  and put them in Keuka?...

 

[Cjm]

We been waiting for your report, always good see. Did you do a YouTube video this year?

[Cjm]

Oh yep was reading report again and see YouTube video. Good deal