Cayuga 4/ 14 Shakedown

chowder · 2025-03-16T13:20:03Z

Launched in very shallow water at Treman about 10:00 am with my 22’ outboard boat. Prop was stirring mud while still trimmed up quite a bit . Navigated out the inflow in 5-8 fow. All systems checked out so deployed bow mount ( AP for my outboard boat), started kicker , put out boards and got 2 inside stix lines out near shore, headed N past docks, bouys , moored boats, guys on paddle boards in dark wet suits, etc. Picked up a decent LL on chartreuse jointed rapala fairly quickly and then a bow on a hot steel rapala 1/2 hour to 45 minutes later, temp avg 38.6. I was marking fish under the boat in 30fow so I put out a shallow rigger with a gold/orange scorpion spoon and a shallow braid diver with a Northport nailer mai tai glow. Sometime in the next 1/2-to 1 hour both of those presentations picked up browns and board lines had gleaned a couple LL shorts. By now the salt plant was well within view so I crossed the lake and reconfigured my lines. Water was colder by a degree but I was marking fish in 200fow. I deployed 2 wire divers with different spoons down 50 and 75 feet and a spoon rigger at 80 down. Within 1/2 hour to 45 minutes the deep diver had clobbered what looked like an Ontario Laker and the rigger hooked another Laker about 4 lbs. Seeing as how I had completed a full check on all my equipment and had accumulated a promising start to a nice baked fish medley , I called it good and gingerly navigated back up the inflow and after a lot of dicking around (from the perspective of a charter captain who is accustomed to launching or pulling a boat solo in 5 minutes) got the boat on the trailer and promptly headed to “The Lucky Hare” in Hector to celebrate the latest start to a fishing season I’ve ever had- Cheers!