Lake O

[kwatchi]

For giggles I took my father out to hedges for old times sake. If nothing else it was fun just talking about how much fun it used to be to fish out there. Well we didn't land any smallies but a 13lb brown took a crankbait in 8FOW which made for an interesting fight on bass tackle!

[fireplug]

Nice fish, especially on light gear!

[Tomb]

People don't believe you these days when you tell them that "back in the day" you used to be able to go out by hedges and catch 50 bass in a few hours. It was fairly common for us... It was a lot of fun growing up out there fishing with my father!!!

[xdbcx]

Went to hedges today. Only 1 bass in 4 hours. Drop shot, tubes, and cranks. Fished 6-20 feet of water. The one we got was a hog though.

[kwatchi]

Glad you at least got one! I know they are out there. They keep saying numbers are up but they have definitely changed. I'm figuring with the clearer water and different food source (gobies), that they must me much more attached to structure than they were in years past. Unfortunately the Rochester shoreline line has little.

[Has Been]

I use to live for going out to Sodus or Fair haven to jig bass. All i would take were !/8 oz Brown, Brown /yellow, Blk/purple leadhead Buctail jigs w/ 4-6 # mono. We would get 50 bass in a morn on them. Tried it last year, same spots,  for 3 hrs without a strike.

 

 Heard lately that the bass are deeper 30-50 ' to get away from the gobbies stealing their eggs. And w/ the water temp we have been having , I think they are still spawning. I heard big tubes  & dropshot are the way to go & also trolling.

 

 Maybe something to try. I do know after about 25 ' it is harder to jig w/ what I like to use. Maybe Braid & flouro would be better to get down with less line stretch.Also I use to modify a 5-6wt Fly rod blank by putting a spin guide where stripper was & cut 6 " off the tip & add a 4-6" fighting but , kind of like a small steelhead drift rod for long casts & good hookset.

Edited June 29, 2014 by Has Been

[panfisher]

This topic of the downturn in numbers of smallies along the south shore of Ontario is still a very intriguing subject for me, I know the bass are still there as we pick them up occasionally trouting close to shore in early spring. Not this year though, obviously because of weather. Sometimes in the cold water we would see a small group (3 or 4 fish) of smallies cruising by in the relatively shallow and very clear water. I'm talking within the last 5 years. And that's anywhere from Webster to just west of Sodus Point. But those crazy numbers, like at Hedges, where  you could look down in 25-30 fow or so and see the large numbers of smallies down there amidst the backdrop of the cribs and boulders.......makes me wonder where and why they were there for years and then recently left. Timing with the show up of the gobies makes sense. But what exactly happened to those numbers? What we used to see there at Hedges did not appear to be fish guarding nests. More like some social gathering (courtship...?). Like the movements and relocation of human families and whole cultures of people for various environmental or socioeconomic reasons, this kind of thing happens with much of life. Still would be interesting to see if those numbers can rebound, as bass are very hardy and adaptable.......

[xdbcx]

I myself am intrigued as well. As far as I know there are gobies in Erie and the bass fishing out there is still phenomenal. I will be trying a few more times here in the near future. I will also be trying a few different areas as well. Hopefully I can find an area with more than one in it. Will continue to update here and hope others will as well.

[fbg14619]

I remember those days too. Anybody that could hold a rod could get a limit of bass there.

Used to be a regular armada out there. You could start seeing the sunlight reflecting off

the boat windshields before you got to Webster pier.  Hedges and Sodus point are like ghost towns now. When I hit the lake, I am gonna try trolling for them above the gobies.

[xdbcx]

So I have tried some well known spots in central lake o the past two weekends with nothing to show for it. Tubes, cranks, drop shot rigs, spinner baits, and live bait all for one fish in the past month. I guess I either need to wait it out, bite the bullet and go far east or west or hit up the finger lakes for smallies.

[john1947]

Some guys are using leadcore.I know of one good fisherman who always limited out with trolling leadcore in deeper water.I got a rig now and experming with it.I guess you need light flocarbon for leaders and heard small shad raps work well.I have caught many bass deeper using riggers and rubber band release on roamers.storms.deep diver plugs,different colors .One day blue andsilver ,other days perch,crawfish design.

changes alot.I do know some diver teams who see quite q few,a good source of knowing where they are

lakr erie I have been told the bass congregate alot around the plentiful wrecks there in summer.

Hey maybe the state will start stocking a few here..        

[copperpin]

My cousin and I hit Hedges this past Friday.  We went out of I Bay and were seeing a ton of fish surfacing hitting minnows, so we thought we would troll for bit.  Yeah nothing then we drifted with drop shot and Carolina rigs nothing then we switched to live bait gobies then we went out to 50 feet of water gobies then after cursing out every invasive species that has hit the Great Lakes we went home.  I won't be going out for smallies again in the lake for a long time and when I do it will be strickly trolling or throwing tubes early and late in the season.

[panfisher]

My cousin and I hit Hedges this past Friday.  We went out of I Bay and were seeing a ton of fish surfacing hitting minnows, so we thought we would troll for bit.  Yeah nothing then we drifted with drop shot and Carolina rigs nothing then we switched to live bait gobies then we went out to 50 feet of water gobies then after cursing out every invasive species that has hit the Great Lakes we went home.  I won't be going out for smallies again in the lake for a long time and when I do it will be strickly trolling or throwing tubes early and late in the season.

That ton of fish you saw at the surface might have been sheepsheads.....maybe. We used to see them at the surface when getting  the smallies and some sheepies below them. All before the gobie invasion.

Edited July 29, 2014 by panfisher

[copperpin]

Yeah definitely could be.  Either way I am not to hot on eating gobies and sheepshead LOL. 

[EsoxAC3]

I have heard that the smallie fishing,this year in particular, has been very spotty all over. I too am waiting for the late season bite that is soooo awesome! Cant wait!! As an aside, sheeps head are pretty good eating and a blast to catch on med/light tackle:). Good luck and tight lines.

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

[panfisher]

EsoxAC3.....you claim the sheepsheads are pretty good eating. A lot of folks, not even knowing, are quick to dismiss them as good table fare. Talk about prejudice. Probably because they mildly resemble carp in some manner to some folks. But one of their saltwater cousins, the redfish (red drum) is known for its excellent eating quality. They were over-fished commercially not too long ago and big limits were put on them to bring back their numbers. Care to say how you have enjoyed them, other than a chowder...? And in a chowder, the fish used should have good flavor, texture (not easily broken up into tiny unnoticeable bits) with no off flavor to take over the whole thing from flat out delicious! Have a fav recipe or method?   

[rw6788]

I rather eat sheepshead then salmon caught in fresh water?

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[Consigliere]

The answer to the smallies is they are deeper. Mussels clearing the water up results in fish moving deeper for more stable light conditions. The gobies are inconsequential to where they reside during the summer.

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[BSmaster]

The answer to the smallies is they are deeper. Mussels clearing the water up results in fish moving deeper for more stable light conditions. The gobies are inconsequential to where they reside during the summer.

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x's 2

[JimB]

How much deeper?    Used to go fishing at Wautoma Shoal.  Worm harnesses would literally produce 20+ nice smallies a day, in anything from 25 to 15'.      

 

Would love to find them again.    If we go deeper, what do you think the rig should be?

[Jammin]

Last time I went four years ago was in 60 fow one ounce drop weight #2 circle hook 30 inches off bottom drifting put rattles on weight if slow day

[copperpin]

EsoxAC3.....you claim the sheepsheads are pretty good eating. A lot of folks, not even knowing, are quick to dismiss them as good table fare. Talk about prejudice. Probably because they mildly resemble carp in some manner to some folks. But one of their saltwater cousins, the redfish (red drum) is known for its excellent eating quality. They were over-fished commercially not too long ago and big limits were put on them to bring back their numbers. Care to say how you have enjoyed them, other than a chowder...? And in a chowder, the fish used should have good flavor, texture (not easily broken up into tiny unnoticeable bits) with no off flavor to take over the whole thing from flat out delicious! Have a fav recipe or method?   

I didn't know that about eating the sheepshead.  I am always open to trying new things.  I have had carp (smoked) and it was pretty good.  So I guess why not sheepshead.  Ill give 'er a shot next time I get one.  thanks

[panfisher]

Yes.I have never tried to even bring one home, as they were not noted as being any table fare whatsoever. They have notable eating and fighting fare cousins though. I have seen sheepsheads on ice in certain fish markets occasionally. The last tine I saw them was a  in June and labelled as "gaspergoo"....one of their AKAs. These were beauties, all about 3-5 lbs. whole, with bright fresh gills and clear eyes. And only $1.29lb.! Tempted as I was I procrastinated and the selection was gone within a week, not to return again. I have read online (Wikipedia I think) most of these are commercially caught out of the Mississippi or other Great Lakes. Of note as well, I saw a program on one of the cooking channels I believe, of a restaurant in Texas that specializes in preparing carp in many different ways and understand they are all very tasty. I've tried cooking carp when I was a kid and it was just OK, but I was quickly moving up to tastier (for sure!) stuff such as perch, sunnies and even pickerel, which were always good eats. Now, what about bass.....?          Oh, and BTW,the folks at this facility were not from Asia or Europe, just regular Texas folk, and the fish used were common carp, not the supposedly pretty good eating asian carp scourges, the bigheads......

Edited August 3, 2014 by panfisher

[devoknevo]

Yes.I have never tried to even I have seen sheepsheads on ice in certain fish markets occasionally. The last tine I saw them was a  in June and labelled as "gaspergoo"....one of their AKAs. These were beauties, all about 3-5 lbs. whole, with bright fresh gills and clear eyes. And only $1.29lb.!

...

I

I'll get you some Bay Drum from : " Bottomfeeder seafood and transmission svc." .......$1.25 per lb.!

dE\/()///

[john1947]

saw a bunch today at 50 ft..Look for structure .Tomorrow Im breaking out the riggers and leadcore.I also did talk to a few guys who caught a bunch of smaller ones in shallow5 to 10 ft.

A few years ago i fished the dropoffs nw of port and caught quite a few on riggers  up to 60 ft.

bass are around ,al we need is to adapt to their new surroundings

Edited August 3, 2014 by john1947