Holy Chit Mon ......she is icing over.

[chowder]

I was keeping up with the dismal salmon and brown trout reports all summer last season. I had a miserable brown trout trip in April. My question is what effect did last years cold winter and ice coverage have on walleye, bass, pike and panfish? Nobody really ever mentions that and reports are a litte harder to come by for other species. I had a great June trip fishing for pike and smallies  in the 1000 islands. 

We had a spectacular browns season on both ends of the lake and a great early to mid season on steel and salmon. It was late season that was lack luster for me. 

[baitrigger]

This was exactly what happened to us.We caught a load of kings on our ten day late may trip from Olcott to tbe bar, but we had a tough time with much slower than normal early and late August trips.Even the offshore fishing which is usually very good for us was lousy.The offshore steelie bite thats usually very good sucked as well.

I hope this coming season is not a repeat of that

[baitrigger]

Sept 7 to the 20th the kings were thick in 100'. They were a full three weeks late, on the bar. The lake flipped on the west end on sept 1. The surface temp from the canadian line to four mile was 34 degrees. Forget 2014 and heres to a quick warm up in march. This is gonna be a great year...KINGS RULE!!!

[MikeyP]

Hopefully the predictions for above average temps in March hold true... http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/hamlin-ny/14464/month/5600_pc?monyr=3/01/2015

 

Are those predictions or historical averages?

[Legacy]

Are those predictions or historical averages?

predictions and it changes everyday

[MikeyP]

predictions and it changes everyday

Let's hope it changes for the better!

[RUNNIN REBEL]

Forcast for March is terrible ...................... 2 days all month over the average daily highs and 24 days at or BELOW the average lows......

 

BUT the good news is that there is no way Lake Ontario is ice covered %84 to %85 surface covered.  Living and working on the lake shore everyday, I glass offshore from Orleans co.-Monroe Co. and Wayne co. every week. I travel to Canada virtualy once a week, driving south shore line. ( visability is Much much farther the colder the lake's surface temps) There is also the widest part of Lake Ontario -53 miles Rochester area I see 6 days a week......200' to 300' hard pack shoreline ice at most locations, floating ice packs moving daily offshore. NO WAY ONLY %15 open water out there.

 

Side note: there have been no dead/starvation diving ducks this winter for me. That means open water in closer/shallower waters and sufficient bait there, unlike last winter.

 

Jerry

Edited February 25, 2015 by RUNNIN REBEL

[Silver Fox]

U can drive east along the lake to Webster and pick up a scrap dryer in my basement!

Sent from my XT1080 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[RUNNIN REBEL]

I hate when the people who know my weekly routine chime in here.........

 

Thanks Scott ..................

 

Jerry

[Patriot]

When we were in Oswego last year in early April, there were dead ducks all over the place

[baitrigger]

The 85 percent ice coverage that has been all over the news refers to all five great lakes, not ontario. Most of the 15 percent thats not covered is lake ontario.

Edited February 25, 2015 by baitrigger

[Legacy]

The extended forecast changes daily. Yesterday it looked amazing while today it looks terrible. It's a guess at best. Driving along the lake today I realized there is no where near the amount of shore ice that there was last year.

Sent from my E6782 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[Roughrider IV]

Saw today that February was the coldest on record here in SE pa.

[RUNNIN REBEL]

Lake Ontario ice coverage last Wed. Feb 18th was %82.6 ( if it was that much ice coverage then Syracuse would not receive the near record amount of Lake effect snowfall in Feb) and Feb 23rd  Lake Ontario ice is %59.9  ... They are getting closer to reality...

 

Jerry

[Gill-T]

Modis image shows maybe 30% coverage.....all from Mexico Bay and North.  If the Shove ice gets wedged into Mexico Bay it may be a long time before it is fishable this spring.

[Gill-T]

Could be worse....

[brucehookedup]

All I know is spring of 2014 was by far the best salmon fishing I have ever seen in the Rochester area since  1977. If the ice over made it happen bring it on. We can all speculate what will happen but we will never know until the 2015 season is over.

[baitrigger]

That is true. Rochester has the best spring fishing on earth. I know thats where I would go to catch a trophy king.

[Gill-T]

Yes.....everyone should fish Rochester this spring!  

[brucehookedup]

No way, I would go to the bar on the west end.

[baitrigger]

To much ice in lake erie. The fish are gonna be late to the bar. Like stated in previous posts, you aregonna need some shallow water that shoots up to 40 degrees. The genny, port deluse, oak orchard. No fish at the bar til' may. Port deluse is another great option.

Edited February 28, 2015 by baitrigger

[MooseKnuckle VI]

Anybody have an idea when Sacket's will thaw out? I'm going stir crazy........

[FleetTracker]

likely the first or second week of April.  Probably the latter.

[bout time]

here is a good link to webcams that let you see up to date water / ice conditions of the lake. it is mostly "mid lake" ( Rochester to Sodus ) but it gives a good idea of the conditions. i use the sodus lighthouse cam for checking wave conditions and weather when heading out of Fair Haven.

 

http://weather.weatherbug.com/NY/Webster-weather/weather-cams/local-cams.html?zcode=z6286&stat=WBSTR&camera_id=WBSTR

[Gill-T]

Sodus to the St. Lawrence locked with ice.