Owasco 7/7

[rusty1034]

Howdy all,

 

Trolled Owasco today from about 9:30- 1:30.  Nothing on the north end.  Moved outh and picked up a 10" rainbow from 54* water, wich varied from 40-55.  Got two 25" lakers when I hit a bait pod. Couldn't revive 'em when I tried to release them, so they came home with me.  I filleted ? them , and soaked them in icewater for an hour or so. I did the egg wash, seasoned bread crumb thing, and pan fried them in butter and EVOO. To my suprise, they were good !

 

I don't keep much of a fishing log, but it seems to me that the lakers are getting bigger, and fewer.  Seems like I used to be able to catch a bunch of 18" ers, now I get one or two per outing, and they are generally in the 23+ range.

 

Oh yeah- remember the flea flicker. The little bastards were even attaching them selves to the dipsey wire.

 

Rusty

[alex1young]

Way to go Rusty!  All the lakers I've taken from Owasco this year have been very fat.  Recently the state starting reducing their stocking numbers of lake trout in order to promote a strong Brown and Rainbow population.  

[rusty1034]

That works for me. You hear of any one catching browns ? I've done a few rainbows there this year.

[justtracytrolling]

Tracy and I started on the north end and trolled the west side from 9 - 2.  We had a ton of good marks from 90-160 fow, but couldn't find any takers.  I worked from 20' above the thermoclime to 20' below it with riggers and dipseys, and from the surface down to 45' off boards.  Have to say I loved Owasco, but its busier than I thought possible with very loud very fast boats that really were annoying.  Seemed like everytime I raised the ball it was swinging violently from the massive wakes from a few people that have no courtesy what so ever.  My son finally saved me from the fleas and confrontation when he got out of work and we went bass fishing on Otisco.  Switch to walleye trolling at dusk and they were biting reef runners in gold clown down 25-28 0ver 60.  My son got a personal best 24" football, and I lost my biggest walleye this year and maybe ever, just leaned on him to hard trying to get him to come up.  Took it while I was laying my third rod.  2 big walleyes in 30 min then the weather looked too ugly for the family.  Great day overall and ended with lemon pesto walleye over rice....and NO FLEAS on Otisco.

justin

[alex1young]

Rusty,

 

I have talked to a few guys who have been catching a few small browns.  I only hooked one very nice rainbow right below the surface, but I have been jigging primarily.  

[Hockey8]

We have four browns so far this year all have been on a 3 color lead with a bright orange Michigan stinger.

[Hockey8]

[rusty1034]

Thanks for the info guys. 

 

The fish look like they might be from the same stocking .  Last year maybe ?

 

It would be great to get that lake back to a 3 trout fishery.  Lakers, Rainbows and Browns. Head to Oneida if you want Walleyes.

 

I have a 4 color lead core I'll try next time. I've got to have an orange spoon somewhere in one of the tackle boxes.

 

Rusty

[justtracytrolling]

We have been catching a brown or 2 almost everytime out at Otisco for walleye all season. They have been 13-16 inches with the exception being a 12 lber I saw caught right next to me as I passed back in May. tdd 11s mostly...didn't catch any last summer or fall.

justin

[lyk2fish]

Rusty wrote     " Head to onieda if you want walleyes"    Tell you what, you pay my gas and I will go.  Interesting how the state claimed walleyes were the problem. They havnt been stocked since 2007. and the browns and rainbows still arent back strong........hmmmmmm....maybe too many laketrout???????   thats all the state wanted to stock for a while, even admitted to stocking too many.  Havent even seen a laker over 11lb caught in a couple of years. Talk to the old timers, owasco was a walleye lake way before it was a trout lake.  Also what is interesting when someone catches a walleye out there it almost never gets released were as the lakers most people throw back. dont get me wrong man, I love all the fish, but both walleyes and trout can survive together in that lake. the stocking ratio needed to be controlled better. between the smelt and alewife, there is plenty of bait over the last few years compared to the other fingers. Walleye may have competed with Browns and Rainbows but they were not the sole reason for that lakes rainbow and brown decline.

[rusty1034]

Well, there are two fewer lakers there now !  I think soaking them in ice water may have removed some of the strong flavor. Either that, or frying them in butter- yum.

 

I didn't even think to check the stomaches of the two lakers from Sunday. I doubt there would have been anything except alewives because they came from the middle of the lake, 80' down.

 

I remember reading that pollutants from Groton ? sewage treatment plant were being blamed for some of the changes in the lake.  Do you know if that has changed ?

 

I still think Oneida is the place to go if you want to catch walleye. A couple people I work with report great catch rates. 

 

I don't fish Oneida because 1) its an hour drive, and b) I typically am a catch and release guy, so catching fish that are good eating is not a concern.

 

Hope to get out again soon.

 

Rusty

[justtracytrolling]

Ill take otisco over oneida for walleye everytime! Catch rates are much higher at oneida if you like little walleye...but how many 5-8 pounders do you hear of per fisherman...I. have 6 this week and im on way back out after an 8 this morn...

Justin

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[rw6788]

I prefer the little walleye for eating, We normally release walleye 23 inches or over . We caught 20 today and put 12 in the box between 17 and 22 inches. The eight were too big, had one 30 inches ( 9 lbs) off coarse these fish were caught Lake Erie ( from the small boat harbor) all bottom bouncing with worm harnesses

[justtracytrolling]

Nice!! Thats what im talking about...big eyes...Im still dreaming of my first trip to big water, but its a long haul for me and a 8mph pontoon isnt the boat...

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[CaptainEyes]

Ill take otisco over oneida for walleye everytime! Catch rates are much higher at oneida if you like little walleye...but how many 5-8 pounders do you hear of per fisherman...I. have 6 this week and im on way back out after an 8 this morn...

Justin

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Nice week I had a great week myself.  How many of the breeder walleyes did you put back?

[justtracytrolling]

Well due to the fact that i dont know how to catch a non breeder sized fish from otisco i eat almost all of mine. I know nobody wants to hear that, but they are yummmy. I drove 600 miles last week commuting to otisco so to say i earn them is an understatement. I fish hard and my fish are my families main source of protein after our 6-8 deer are gone. So to answer your question of the 8 i caught....zero...

Justin

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