Otisco Fathers Day Weekend

[justtracytrolling]

Well to say the walleye fishing was slow would be an under statement! We trolled Friday to Sunday zero walleyes. We caught plenty of browns, tiger muskies, and bass though and had a great time.

justin

[JGS]

Yeah we trolled from 530 to 1230 Saturday, hit a couple browns and a carp. Definitely slow.

[CaptainEyes]

 I took the weekend off but was afraid its getting to be that time of the year on Otisco where you just cant catch a walleye. It's frustrating because the bait fish is still in close to shore but the eyes belly seem to be full.. I'm not sure what the answers are but I am eager for the 2014 DEC fish survey just to find out what is truly going on in the lake... I personally believe that even with the natural reproduction in the lake that 44,000 released fingerlings a year just isnt enough especially when you look at Delta Lake  (similar in size to Otisco) receives 5million fingerlings a year.  

[justtracytrolling]

I only started fishing Otisco in beginning of last August and have never seen a weekend I couldn't catch a walleye. The walleye fishing in Otisco is slow on a good day, but for me the fact that almost every walleye I catch trolling pushes 24" makes it more than worth it. I figured the reason the quality was so good was that the walleyes aren't over-populated, combined with very few boats really targeting em. Im certainly no expert, but they could probably stock more. I was under the impression that the natural reproduction was low and that the alewives wipeout any walleye fry that hatch successfully making the lake a "put and take fishery". If anyone out there has solid info on successful natural reproduction in Otisco Id like to read about it as I would release more big fish. On the Susquehanna river we don't keep breeders for dinner just little walleyes, but Ive never caught a walleye under about 19" at Otisco, and most are breeder size.

justin

[CaptainEyes]

So last weekend was your first weekend of walleye fishing that you didnt catch one? I'm going with you.lol

I attended the DEC seminar in February and they defiantley do not consider Otisco a "put and take" walley lake like a Delta Lake they do consider Otisco a "good" walley lake. The DEC even quit stocking Otisco for a 3yr period 5 or 6 years ago but found both the walleye and tiger musky population decreased. They were planning on a full fish survey in 2013 but due to funding they are pushing it back to 2014.  I took 9 days off and got back on the water Monday night with a couple of buddies we didnt troll but did manage to catche a 20" walleye and lost another at the boat.  What a difference 9 days makes I didnt see another boat on the water and only a few people were fishing off shore.

[Xxx]

Hello Justracytrolling, If there are a abundance of tiger muskies, and browns, that all those predator fish, I realize that walleye are predator fish also, but those Tigers are animals, do you think that they are raising havoc on the walleye population??. It would be nice to know that the lake is a natural reproduction lake plus a stocked lake also, that board of walleyes you had looked like a western lake Erie picture, and I am a walleye person indeed, I would hit the lake on the way up to lakeO and maybe again on the return in the fall. We have a lake right in my back yard that is loaded with walleye and trophy size also but you have to put your time in for a fish or two, it becomes a recreational lake in the summer and it's only 7 miles long and maybe 2 miles wide, a man made lake, and the boat traffic is just insane all day long so it's a night bite lake, it's a shame but that's the way it is. That being said even before the nuts hit the lake it tough to catch a walleye because it's just loaded with alewives so food is of abundance, but in the spring worm harnesses are the ticket off boards way out. I hope that you find out more about what's going on with the walleyes on lake Otisco. thanks for sharing with fellow members of LOU. PAP

[rnsurfnturf]

I don't think is an abundance of tigers browns or walleyes. Ifanything there is an absolute abundance of forage and BASS.

I feel sorry for anything under say 15" in that lake. Walleyes that are caught in that lake are "roaming wolves" just like the tigers and I don't believe you'll ever find a bunch of them in one spot like Oneida.

Its a very clear, BUSY lake this time of year and agree that it for sure is a nite bite lake.

I consider it a bonus if I catch a walleye  before dark. I don't troll much at all and don't have much equipment to do so. I try at night casting and jigging and if its calm and the moon is out bright like it has been the last couple nights, I don't put much effort in it. Also if I don't hear a lot of bigger fish crashing I wont work l terribly hard. In the fall when we do well on the walleyes, they are stuffing themselves on the 10" stocked tigers!!!! So they hold their own. I've heard that walleys have been seen up in the inlet ...but I dont know how successful that is being very muddy and slow moving? I would guess that the alewives put a hurting on the eggs on the clear side on the rocks and gravel? I'm Not very knowledgeable, just my .02.

 

It is a very tough lake but like Justin said the hard work is rewarding when they are typically 24-26" and 4-6 lbs on average.

 

I think I've only caught 1 or 2 walleye that were under 18" in that lake in all my time of fishing it ..

ITs getting the time of year now and with the heat coming that lake is going to be crazy. I'll get my early early few hrs in and pick the nights to go out to try for them. Other than that probably during the day I'll get the gills to keep me and the kids busy while the boats and jetskis race all over!

 

Currently I think I am 3 for 6 for walleye outings. 3 times out in the evening I caught 1 each time. Last 3 times its been bass only.

[Xxx]

Who ever mad that last post you are spot on with the action on our lake also. Here in PA there is a lake called Beltzville  lake and it's in PA. it is known for trophy size walleye, we natives to the area know some tricks to the trade as a night bite lake it is, although the other day I was buy my self and managed a double about 5-30am, but I started around 1-30am, and nothing all night and a double at the end makes it worth it both were 21 inches, not bad. I know a old fellow that fishes from the bank with an old kero lantern and does rather well, but he plays the moon phases and has a 13#er to prove it with many 8/10/11#ers to prove it. He told me the last 3 days before full moon and the 3 days after then don't waist any of your time in between. I just looked at the moon phase and I couldn't believe it was in that time frame it's almost full moon, so maybe the old guy got something going there with the moon?? I DON"T want to hijack this forum just loved to see those walleyes Justtracytrolling had it's been 3 years since I've been out to western lake Erie and those walleye look just like Erie fish, and this lake fits our lake with it's walleye action. Again thanks for sharing with LOU members as I'm very much a walleye guy and find it very interesting to here other lake predicaments. PAP.

[Roughrider IV]

Hey PaP, also a fisher from pa, use to live in saylorburg and fished beltsville and the Wallenpaupack lake. No longer interested in late night fishing, you can take a few nice eyes from the pack at dawn for an hour then it shuts down till nightfall. I'm also looking to try otisco for eyes. You cannot beat Quinte in the fall, best fishing for eyes in my lifetime. From 2004 till 06 it was amazing. Also fished black river bay for some nice eyes. Best thing about these areas is daytime bites.

[justtracytrolling]

Well Otisco in may was great, but june was as bad as may was good. I too focus my fishing around the moon fishing harder during the new and full moon times.  Last summer we caught fish in the morning and evening well enough that we never fished in the dark.  This year other than the week of the new moon in may it has been more of a night bite.  I missed the new moon in june to fish for stripers in the cape cod canal.  We keep plugging away at it waiting for the bite to turn back on, but many areas of the lake had floating grass mats last weekend and trolling was limited to a portion of the west side.  In the meantime the browns, tigers, and bass pass the time.  We spent Saturday midday jigging fatheads for perch and crappie.  If big walleyes were easy I certainly wouldn't enjoy catching them so much.  Fishless days are part of the deal...but fishless nights are tough to swallow.  Ill head down to the Susquehanna tonight after this storm to make sure I still know what a walleye looks like!   

justin