Owasco reports

[Splitshot115]

Any reports from the Owasco derby? Stuck at work!

[Bigfoot]

We trolled for 10 hours on Saturday and 8 on Sunday. On Saturday we took 17 lakers and 2 rainbows. Best laker was 8lbs. 14oz- eventual second place fish. Our best rainbow was 4-6, not even close to making the board. Very tough to catch any laker over 6lbs. on this lake. Almost all of the lake is barren of lakers, the exception being the North end where 95% of the fish are. The lakers that are there are mostly in less than 100FOW where jiggers can find them and perhaps lead them into thinking there are a lot of fish, when in fact they are fishing over almost ALL OF THEM. I doubt there are 20% of the fish in this lake that there were 10 years ago.

Sunday we took 2 walleyes and 7 lakers. Walleyes weighed 6-4 and 3-14 which took first and second in the derby (only 4 eyes were weighed in all weekend).

The winning derby fish (as I recall)

Lakers: 12-6, 8-14, 7-14

Rainbows: 8-10, 7-13, 7-4

Walleye: 6-4, 3-14, 3-12

Northern: 6-4 (I believe only one was caught)

SmallMouth: low was 4-1, don't know the bigger ones

Browns: ?

Oddly, our 8-14 laker was taken in mid lake at a depth of 45ft over 160FOW- out of temp.

We took the walleyes by mistake, we were trying for browns. It was really funny, everyone was pumping us for info at the awards ceremony, like we were walleye experts (they were taken 50down trolling stingers).

The winning laker was taken on a white spin doctor and blue boy fly. The fish had a huge head and no body. It probably weighed the best part of 20lbs at some time, didn't look like it had eaten much in the last six months. Hope this helps.

[stinger]

We took the walleyes by mistake, we were trying for browns. It was really funny, everyone was pumping us for info at the awards ceremony, like we were walleye experts (they were taken 50down trolling stingers).

It's amazing the fish you catch that your not fishing for. Check my post under " Crazy- Double". That cooler full of bass were caught on a weekend that a bass tournament was going on at Cayuga. They were over the 300' water between Sheldrake & Long Point :shock: .

Anyway,......congratulations on placing in the money.

[Splitshot115]

Bigfoot,

Thanks for the report, I also think most of the lakers in Owasco are on the small side with the exception of an occasional large one thrown in for good measure. There are some nice browns and the Walleyes seem to be doing well when you can find them.

Thanks again for the report.

Splitshot115

[browntrout]

Bigfoot...I have to agree with you. 90% of the fish and bait are in the northern 3 miles of the lake. I took some time looking around the rest of the lake after a productive morning at the north end and found just what you did....a lack of fish and almost no bait in any other area but the northern end. It has been this way for several years now. I also fish the later fall spawn and the past 7 years the numbers and sizes are down. This lake used to be full of bait, lakers, browns and bows.....now you hear of some larger bows and browns caught here and there but no numbers. I would like to see some different year classes of browns and bows, like it used to be. I can't remember the last time I caught a 15in. brown or bow. I was totally against the introduction of walleyes, but there is no way that they are eating all of the trout.....they are actually on the down turn. I can see how people may think the lake is over-run with lakers, but it has a fraction of what it used to have....I've fished it for 25+ years and kept diaries for the dec in the past. It scares me as to the state of the lake now and what direction it may go. On a side note....I caught a laker a few weeks back and contacted Dan Bishop of the DEC and told him of some red marks that seemed odd to me....almost lamprey like....but we have no lampreys. A representative came to my house and picked it up for testing. Upon inspection, he said the markings looked very similar to the laker from Skaneateles that had VHS. The results will take a while but I will post the findings when they contact me. If anyone catches any lakers with round reddish marks, please put them on ice and call the DEC. If there is any question to the water quality on the lake, think about this.....the lake has remained very clear this year with fewer algae blooms....why??....no rain, no run-off.... This has spawned even more weed growth in areas that previously never had a problem. I applaud the efforts of OWL and Senator Nozzolio on the lake steward position, but we all must know this is the beginning of a long road. I would love to see it return to it's previous glory, but the DEC is kidding itself if they believe the coldwater fishery will return to what it was in a few years. If they believe the laker population is too high.....think again......and look around....they are in abundance in only one portion of the lake.