Jump to content

Pike spawning on Conesus Lake

Scott2314
 Share

Recommended Posts

BlueEye

BlueEye

Posted
Posted

Scott -

 

Welcome to LOU :yes:   Nice avatar..... that boat looks familiar :lol:

 

Need a couple warm days I think to trigger conesus run would be my guess.  Should be anytime now though... maybe even this weekend?

 

Chad

mostlymuskies

mostlymuskies

Posted
Posted

Scott,Welcome to LOU! I hope to meet you at the next NY Muskies Inc. Chapter 69 Meeting at the Moose Lodge,West Henrietta Rd,Henrietta, NY 7 pm April 15th! Be sure to ask many questions here and jump in and help others when you can,everyone learns a little here,even an old **** like me picks up good info here!

scramp

scramp

Posted
Posted

Went to Conesus on Thursday 4/4.  Pike appear to be almost done spawing, most of them saw, were closer to the lake/mouth of the inlet.  The WALLEYE have made their way up the inlet though and are in full spawn.

Ronix 51

Ronix 51

Posted
Posted

I was down there yesterday, saw a decent amount of pike up towards the top (id say 20 or so) including a very nice female maybe low-mid 40s. Polarized glasses are key if you're going a lot of people couldn't see fish that were right below their feet. If you go make sure to walk across the street to the other side of the bridge. There is a dug out flooded marsh area that connects to main stream and it was LOADED with pike...it was pretty much a pike orgy we saw about 5-7 males on one big female and that was going on all over that place. 

 

Unfortunately we also saw a good number of rudd as well so if you're going make sure to pack your spear-gun to take a few of those bastards out!

mostlymuskies

mostlymuskies

Posted
Posted (edited)

Today, 100's of Northern Pike and a few Tiger Muskies from the bridge up to the spillway.The other clearwater creek up the road was packed with 100 or more Walleye's of 7 to 9 lb class.

Disapointing was the number of Rudd also present, did someone use them as bait and infested Conesus Lake with them?

Edited by mostlymuskies
Ronix 51

Ronix 51

Posted
Posted

Larry from what Kevin has told me and what some literature says is that they were became pretty popular in the baitfish trade starting in the 80s. They were used everywhere before baitfish regs. were passed

BSmaster

BSmaster

Posted
Posted

Alabama Shiners was their bait name.  They look like golden shiners on steroids.  I read that they are vegetarians, however, that doesn't explain why they tear into my beetle spin.

 

I know the DEC won't go for it but I still believe Conesus is a perfect lake to stock Striped Hybrids.  They could be used to reduce the alewive population.  Once that is done, then stop/reduce the stocking.  I don't have an issue with them making it a natural muskie lake either.  That lake has the ecosystem to grow big fish and a lot of them.

Ronix 51

Ronix 51

Posted
Posted

Larry and I are going to be working to revamp the tiger stocking in that lake, right now current hatchery methods are "inefficient" to say it politely. There is no reason that with better rearing/stocking methods that lake shouldn't be pumping out trophy class tigers like Utah, New Mexico, and Washington state lakes do. 

 

I imagine pures would do just as well however I imagine that would be a nightmare to enforce during ice fishing season with northerns and hybrids sharing the same water...

mostlymuskies

mostlymuskies

Posted
Posted

After seeing the numbers of very large Northern Pike up the creek,I can see why the Tiger Muskies are having a hard time getting to adult size,they are all mostly Northern Pike Food the day they are stocked.The Tiger Muskies are not fed live bait fish before stocking so they act like stocked trout,sit there in a ball waiting for pellets where they were stocked,dinner for the Big Northern Pike. The only way we are going to get a Trophy Tiger Muskie Program going at Conesus Lake is by feeding a few hundred Tiger Muskie Fingerlings a diet of Fathead Minnows for a month or two for extra growth and train them to feed on their own.At the next NY Muskies Inc. Chapter 69 Meeting in May our guest will be from the NSDEC Region 8 Office talking on Conesus Lake,here is our chance to bring up a New Stocking Program for Tiger Muskies!

old man

old man

Posted
Posted

maybe conesus is just not the best lake for tiger stocking? Maybe Seneca or Cayuga where the pike run smaller would be a better choice? Perhaps the real potential of conesus lake is manage it for trophy pike fishing? 22" minimum and limit 5 is pretty liberal. Maybe a 40" and one a day limit would produce some world class pike fishing and with no cost? without tigers to eat the pike will have to chow down on those rudd. I am no biologist I just fish there a lot and I catch 20 pike for every tiger and the biggest fish are always northerns. just a few thoughts.

mostlymuskies

mostlymuskies

Posted
Posted

old man,Yes I would agree with a 40" Northern Pike Sizelimit and 1 per Day Creel Limit! We should open this up to those present for discussion at the next NY Muskies 69 Meeting in May since NSDEC Region 8 Officials will be at the meeting.Anyone else have thaughts on this?

BSmaster

BSmaster

Posted
Posted

I generally like the slot limit idea.   Keep the eaters or the occassional trophy for the wall and let the healthy breeders go back.   I will admit that a 40 inch size limit would create a pike paradise.  It may be too aggressive.  Creel limit at 5 always made me wonder.  Why so many?

GAMBLER

GAMBLER

Posted
Posted

I would say 36" and knock the creel limit down.  I had an old timer arguing with me on the ice at Conesus one day about the pike population.  He was upset that the population of monster pike was way down compared to the 80's.  I told him he was part of the problem.  He had 4 big pike laying on the ice!  I caught and released 2 and he was pissed.  Some guys (like myself) enjoy eating pike.  I try to keep 26-30" fish and let the bigger ones go.  I will keep big ones if they are not going to make it. 

mostlymuskies

mostlymuskies

Posted
Posted (edited)

Maybe inbetween at 38" Sizelimit with Creel Limit of 2,I will bring this up with NYSDEC Region 8 at the May NY Muskies 69 Meeting.Brad Hammers, a fisheries biologist with the DEC’s Region 8 will be in to provide information and updates on the Southern tier muskie fisheries including Waneta lake; as well as the DEC’s activities and plans for Waneta and Lamoka lakes the future. Yes, you heard that right: we said Lamoka lake too! Come down to the meeting and get the drop on what this is all about and join the discussion on MI-NY’s potential involvement. We hope to see you there!

Edited by mostlymuskies
Huntyeraws

Huntyeraws

Posted
Posted (edited)

Alabama Shiners was their bait name.  They look like golden shiners on steroids.  I read that they are vegetarians, however, that doesn't explain why they tear into my beetle spin.

 

I know the DEC won't go for it but I still believe Conesus is a perfect lake to stock Striped Hybrids.  They could be used to reduce the alewive population.  Once that is done, then stop/reduce the stocking.  I don't have an issue with them making it a natural muskie lake either.  That lake has the ecosystem to grow big fish and a lot of them.

 

BSmaster - I agree with you.   I too have thought and have been saying the same thing about stocking hybrid striped bass into Conesus.  These fish will school and devour the suspended schools of alewives.   They would create a sport fishery for stripers and they could not reproduce.   With more pressure on the alewives, it would likely help bring back the copepods, scuds and daphnia population that used to make up a huge part of the perch diet on this lake that have been decimated compared to 30+ years ago..  Also by reducing the alewives, the walleye and perch fry would stand a better chance of survival than being devoured by alwives and help get back to perch/walleye/pike back into balance.  A WIN-WIN!   If they could only try it for about 10 years or so.  <SIGH>

Edited by Huntyeraws

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...