Sandy Creek Bass Fishing

[ktkrause]

Love the forums first post/question from me.

The last couple of years, I have taken my 12 year old daughter and 14 year old nephew out to small mouth fish and basically caught a sun tan. Looking for advice on fishing for smallies on lake ontario around Sandy creek. Any advice on technique and location would be much appreciate. If I take them out again and we catch nothing fearful it will be their last time. All we seem to catch were gobies.

Thanks in advance !!

[GAMBLER]

Good luck the smallmouth population is low. I would look on the strructure off of Devils Nose or all the way down to Wautoma Shoals. Look in 30 - 60 fow. The bass have been caught a lot deeper than the past.

[Mortigan]

April 30th, 2011, about 15 feet of water just off Walker Lake Ontario Rd. Hit a stickbait off a planer board while we were trolling for browns on our first charter w Legacy. Haven't seen many results posted for smallmouth so far this season.

[jsmith009]

I’ve been bass fishing Ontario the past ten years out of the Salmon River. Each year it gets more frustrating to locate the bass or let alone get them in the boat. The gobies have done so much damage…lucky to get any the past few years. I mainly fish in Mexico 3-20 fow for them.

Although this past Saturday I was 8 for 10, getting 7 of them in Mexico at the mouth of the little Salmon in 4 fow and near the ‘A’ frame north of there in 10 fow. To my surprise I landed 3 very nice smallies at the mouth of the Salmon River along the north break wall. All 10 fish I caught on a rapala lipless fire tiger rattle trap. This was by far my best outing ever for bass on Ontario. Try the fire tiger rattle traps and Mr. Twister 1/8 yellow twister tails.

Good Luck

[fisherman777]

All of the smallmouth I've caught the past three years have been inside the tribs. Back when I was younger, my dad and I would go out right off of Braddocks bay and catch smallies all day long. Its sure not like that anymore though. Good luck though and tell us how you do!

[Mortigan]

My dad and I used to do the same in about 20 fow off Shipbuilder's Creek in Webster. Search for the smallmouth thread from last year - similar info.

[frm03064]

i remember when i was young a neighbor with a boat used to take us off either shipbuilder's or Pultneyville in about 20fow. we would always get into big patches of smallies... Now i cant remember the last time i pulled a smallmouth out of the lake or even the bay for that matter. every smallie ive gotten in the past 10 years has either been out of the genesee or the erie canal. Id say the canal has some of the best smallmouth fishing around if you know what your doing.

Its odd that largemouth populations seem to be doing pretty well, while smallmouths are dropping significantly short of heading up to the st lawrence area.

[idn713]

The smallies are set still around, divers I know saw them by the hundreds around devils nose last year, its all about emulating thier food sources! Think about it, these fish eat either pelagic bait like the salmon and trout or they are pb gobies. Do your best to imitate these and you will score. The ecosystem always changes, remaining stuck in old ways is a surefire way to strike out

[ Post made via Android ]

[fisherman777]

i remember when i was young a neighbor with a boat used to take us off either shipbuilder's or Pultneyville in about 20fow. we would always get into big patches of smallies... Now i cant remember the last time i pulled a smallmouth out of the lake or even the bay for that matter. every smallie ive gotten in the past 10 years has either been out of the genesee or the erie canal. Id say the canal has some of the best smallmouth fishing around if you know what your doing.

Its odd that largemouth populations seem to be doing pretty well, while smallmouths are dropping significantly short of heading up to the st lawrence area.

I agree the largemouth population seems pretty healthy. I've caught more the past couple years than ever before while pike fishing.

The smallies are set still around, divers I know saw them by the hundreds around devils nose last year, its all about emulating thier food sources! Think about it, these fish eat either pelagic bait like the salmon and trout or they are pb gobies. Do your best to imitate these and you will score. The ecosystem always changes, remaining stuck in old ways is a surefire way to strike out

[ Post made via Android ]

That makes a lot of sense. We use to just drift worms and crayfish before the gobies got here. Can't do that anymore. I think the smallie population has to be doing ok but most guys don't want to put in the extra effort to go after them. It used to be really easy fishing but now probably takes a lot more experimentation. Less guys fishing for them = less bass caught and everybody thinks the population has gone downhill. Whats really stange is that Erie and the other great lakes (and the st.lawrence) as far as I know don't seem to have the same problem with catch rates even though they all have goby populations too. I know the DEC was doing an angler diary program last year with smallmouth fishing on lake O. Anybody know the results of that?

[panfisher]

One thing is certain.... from smallmouths to perch to walleyes and largemouths and pike and yes, even cormorants, they are all CHOWING DOWN on of the gobies!! They must be tasty and easy 2 get... like hamburgers.... Love to C the underwater McGobie's drive-up window line!!