Keuka 8/15 no lakers but...

[fisherman777]

A few giant smallmouth!

We trolled the bluff area from 8-11 yesterday down 80 over 100 feet of water and couldn't catch a single laker. What we did catch were two of the biggest bass I have ever seen and the biggest for our boat on flatlined crankbaits ran next to our downrigger rods. We didn't get a weight on the first fish (the bigger of the two) but did on the second which was 5.0 even. Would have liked some lakers for the table but these were the next best thing! Both fish we're released and swam away strong.

[hermit]

Great fish!

[Bobber]

[treerat]

nice bass . I got my first one on Keuka that day too . got another one this morning both came on spoons

[fisherman777]

Thanks guys. Treerat, I've been fishing it since I was little on family vacations and always have done well with smallmouth but nothing like the size of these two. It was amazing. I have no idea what they are doing out that deep though. Must be following the baitfish.

[Ricbme]

We were out there the same day and marked a lot of fish off the bluff and I had a hunch they could be bass because they were not deeper than 20 feet. Were you using a deep diver or just a stick bait?

[Fish Junkie]

The big smalley phenomenon over deep water happens every year late summer and into the Fall, not only on Keuka, but I suspect all the lakes with alewife populations. The smallies start going on an alewife binge. Wherever you find schools of alewives suspended near deep water points and dropoffs, wolf packs of smallies shouldn't be far away. I caught this, my largest smallie ever, 2 years ago over a 100' f.o.w. while jigging lakers. He smashed my tube jig about 30' down below the boat as I retrieved it from the depths. There are some trophy class smallies in there....

[fisherman777]

We were out there the same day and marked a lot of fish off the bluff and I had a hunch they could be bass because they were not deeper than 20 feet. Were you using a deep diver or just a stick bait?

The first fish was on a 4 inch rebel stickbait that the fish hit as we were letting out line to set up the downrigger. The second was on a rapala dt thug that goes down about 10-15 feet that we set out after catching the first one thinking we might be on to something.

The big smalley phenomenon over deep water happens every year late summer and into the Fall, not only on Keuka, but I suspect all the lakes with alewife populations. The smallies start going on an alewife binge. Wherever you find schools of alewives suspended near deep water points and dropoffs, wolf packs of smallies shouldn't be far away. I caught this, my largest smallie ever, 2 years ago over a 100' f.o.w. while jigging lakers. He smashed my tube jig about 30' down below the boat as I retrieved it from the depths. There are some trophy class smallies in there....

Nice fish Fish Junkie. Did you get a weight on it? Your alewife theory makes perfect sense. All week when we were there, we never caught even smaller fish in less than 40 feet. Last year, my dad caught another giant out of there. It really is an awesome bass lake.

[panfisher]

Yes... Very decent smallies in open waters over the depths! I suspect that this is true in many of the regions bigger waters where smallies exist. Just about all of the fingers and many others including the Big O and Erie. Btw, had the biggest smallie I have ever seen on the end of my line, right under the boat next to shore off steep drop off on the west side of the east branch of Kueka south of Kueka College. I firmly estimate 6 to 7 lbs.....! On blue plastic worm fished sort of wacky style (straight down from boat but hooked thru the head), well before that technique was, well, popular. Kueka has some biggies.....