Musky in central Lake Ontario

[larry]

The musky Jerry caught on Rebel Charters was caught in 80' FOW in Mexico Bay on a Stinger spoon direct tied, no leader or swivel. It was 46" and all of 40#'s+ very fat healthy well fed Muskybob. 10 colors out and LC reel at 450' it hit on a turn and jumped about 6 times, looked like a marlin. Screemed out to 1000' and took about 40 minutes to land. It was an awesome fish that we had to let go (48" to be legal) and we didn't have a camera to save the memory, plus it wasted a lot of time we needed for the ProAm on trout /salmon. We also seen a large musky floating this year off Olcott when in the Pro Am there, victim of the VHS, glad we don't have Beta too!

[Fat Tommy]

The musky Jerry caught on Rebel Charters was caught in 80' FOW in Mexico Bay on a Stinger spoon direct tied, no leader or swivel. It was 46" and all of 40#'s+ very fat healthy well fed Muskybob. 10 colors out and LC reel at 450' it hit on a turn and jumped about 6 times, looked like a marlin. Screemed out to 1000' and took about 40 minutes to land. It was an awesome fish that we had to let go (48" to be legal) and we didn't have a camera to save the memory, plus it wasted a lot of time we needed for the ProAm on trout /salmon. We also seen a large musky floating this year off Olcott when in the Pro Am there, victim of the VHS, glad we don't have Beta too!

Very sad to hear about the dead skies. VHS is becoming quite the problem, especially in the 1000 islands area.

[GAMBLER]

Back in 2004, as I was going out of the Irondequoit Bay channel on my waverunner with my neice and we saw a large wood floating just before the end of the channel. That floating piece of wood turned out to be a huge Northern Lunge - it was over 54 inches easily. The head was above the water with mouth open. I circled it twice with my waverunner and that monster never flinched. Then, it swam away quickly and never saw that monster again. Hence, I came up with my nick name and I hope to catch this beast someday!

I have seen large pike do that a lot in Irondequoit and Conesus. I have drove the boat right up to them. Most of the times, they were trying to swallow a large fish. (one had a nice walleye sticking out of its mouth and another a nice largemouth.

[verweire]

I have asked the same question about local Muskies for ten years. I don't understand why we don't get them by accident fishing for eyes at night. I fish at night for eyes in the Greece area of Ontario as well as Sodus to Point Breeze at least 3 nights a week from May til freeze for eyes. I have never heard of one caught. Directly across the lake however, they are frequently taken in the Bay Of Quinte'. Mystery!

[BP Swing]

Another year has gone by since this original post. Just wondering if anybody caught one or heard of one being caught in the Rochester central Lake O. area? Seems like someone would get one by accident sometimes. BP

[Schools Out]

I caught one last july.. fishing for browns.. on a magnum NBK down 80 feet in mexico bay.. was around 46-48".. I let it go.

[BP Swing]

Was your spoon down 80 feet? or 80 feet of water? Jeez never heard of one being caught that deep.

[Schools Out]

spoon down 80 over about 85

[BP Swing]

Heres an update to an old post. A reliable source has spoken to a taxidermist from Kendall, NY who got a job from a guy who caught a 20 lb musky off the pier at Hamlin Beach State Park. Im trying to get more details and will post when and if I do. I cant get this question out of my mind why more muskies are not caught in the central basin area around Rochester even by accident. Im sure nobody is targeting them around this area for good reason but with all the trollers out there even a stray one by accident is not asking for too much. Anybody else hear of any or caught any from Oak Orchard to Sodus this year?

[zach]

i personally saw a 30" caught from the genesee river on a twister tail in may- saw it w/ my own eyes. only one i have ever seen there but i am sure a couple make it in there every year. i have put out a musky lure in genny 1x.

[Riley]

I don't understand why you'd take an eye over a skie....

probably cause they like to keep and eat what they catch, and the cant keep a musky until its real big

[rolmops]

I got one in the thousand islands,but that would not really count.

[LongLine]

Never known a Musky to be caugth there but I did have a CO tell me that he saw one up close, gulping air. He said it was a good 6" between the eyes. I thought he was nuts but his partner swore to it. I wouldn't have believed him but a couple weeks later I saw a papa duck go down, up by Turning Point with one heck of a big swirl.

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[Cheers]

I have heard tales of muskies that have been caught in and around the genny.

[chartreuse]

I was cruising along the shore between Braddock Bay and Cranberry last summer, and I saw a huuuuuge esox sitting near the surface of the crystal clear water. I tried to get a good look of the monster but the thing didn't want me at all near it. So I attempted chasing it for a while, but she went to deep water too quick. It very well could have been a northern, and that's what I believed it to be, but the thing was definitely over 40" and only once have I pulled a northern out of the area that big. Who knows...

[on the lam]

10900

[Stinky Finger]

Just found this website tonight, great site!

Anyway, was reading through the posts and coincidentally a friend of mine from Avon who fishes Lake Ontario with his Dad for salmon an awful lot tells me last week during a salmon tourney one of the boats landed a muskie off of Oak Orchard.

Also have heard of a few being caught by the guys in the Southtowns Walleye Association every now & then on Lake Erie, usually on worm harnesses and sometimes as far south as Dunkirk, deep water, miles from shore. Weird, but it happens.

I don't know of anybody specifically targeting muskies on central Lake Ontario, probably just a big waste of time. Irondequoit Bay was historically a muskie hole of some repute but pollution put an end to that by the 1960's. Perhaps today with the improved water quality a stocking effort could restore a once fine fishery? Being close to an urban population center it may well be worth the effort.

I do know of a small group of Canadians that deliberately target muskies along the northern shore of Lake Erie from Port Dover east all the way to the Niagara but they are tight lipped about it and if they find this post I'll probably have a hit put out on me...

[BP Swing]

Wow thats nice to hear from the Oak. Any idea how big? There must be a few in the middle of Lake O since they are at both ends. Thanks.

[Stinky Finger]

UPDATE- Today was Monday, took Friday off so I havn't seen the guy since last week when he mentioned this fish to me on his way out the door. He was going off third shift, I was coming on first.

This morning I got more of the story in greater detail.

The fish was not caught "off Oak Orchard" as he first told me. It was caught well up into the creek, far inland from the piers, so not in Lake Ontario at all but up the creek.

Supposedly a thirty pound class muskie (I hope a picture of this fish is out there if it is a 30#).

So, supposedly this is how it played out- There is my friend and his Dad in their boat, the boat that caught the fish and also another boat, the DEC and all three boats are close enough that they can all yell back and forth to each other, so pretty close.

The fish is landed and hoisted up level, with both hands by the guy that caught it and he yells over to the DEC boys "what the hell is this, a gar"? They yell back "that's a muskie, lot of them coming out of Braddock Bay lately"...

So there you have it, a fish story that should be able to pass scrutiny and be backed up if anyone really interested wants to ask around.

I think the moral of the story is yes, there are some muskies around, always have been. I just hope they are staging a comeback and spreading out into areas they have been pushed out of by pollution for decades because if that is true it bodes well for the lake on the whole and that would be pretty freakin' cool.

[kingslamon22]

i read an article stating that many muskies spend some time in mexico bay alont the humps while on a migration run. i think its tru because my uncle caught one on a prochip flasher and blue and yellow fly in 65 feet of water. they seen it and then shook one last time and straightend the treble hook tpoo look like a fork..