Ruff Rider Live Report Sodus 2015 Aug 28 - Sep 7

[tiogafishaddict]

Amen .. I'm out now.. some hooks shallow

[ben schroo]

Screen was lit up when setting up, blank now. 54deg down 90, better temps at least!

Nick did the temps come up at all during the day? 

 

Best of luck this week!  I live vicariously thru your live reports while I'm stuck at work. 

[Sweet Caroline]

They are out there. We have been getting matures with regularity spring-summer. This past weekend we found that staying on the bait and marks until they turned on was better than searching for active fish. With the calm water a lot of turns produced strikes. meat rigs and dodgers took most of our matures. Early morning bite was OK, then dead mid-morning, and then they picked up after 11am again.

[Finders Keepers]

They are out there. We have been getting matures with regularity spring-summer. This past weekend we found that staying on the bait and marks until they turned on was better than searching for active fish. With the calm water a lot of turns produced strikes. meat rigs and dodgers took most of our matures. Early morning bite was OK, then dead mid-morning, and then they picked up after 11am again.

We've experienced the same thing as of late, except most of our fish have been on FF's.

[wicked salmon]

Picked up a mature fish in 95 fow straight out from the chute. Down 80' on a purple and black spoon. Just getting ready to pull the last rod when it hit. About 23lbs and full of eggs.

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[elevatorman]

Nice! Thanks for shareing

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[Fishtails]

 

 

I've been hoping that things are just running late but at this point I wouldn't be betting my house on it.....just can't help but think that a year class or two may have been decimated by whatever means and at this point in the season there certainly have been much better results for sure.

 

We are all entitled to our opinions and I do respect that but It's just too easy to say the fish aren't there. Problem is that hurts the local economy by keeping fishermen home. These days guys sit home and read these reports and if they sound bad then guys will hold back until reports improve. A lot of boats ARE catching, just not reporting.

 

As for the fish being decimated, the lake wide fishing at points this year don't support that IMO.  Last year was different, as lake wide salmon fishing sucked - yet at the very end and seemingly from nowhere they appeared after most had packed it in for the season.

 

This season, at certain points, and in certain locations of the lake fishing has been outstanding. Canadians whooped on them for a good while. We have A LOT of bait, and nobody can convince me that doesn't play a role. A hungry fish is just flat out easier to convince with metal and mylar.  If you want to create bites this year, you need to step up your game because most of these fish are not wanting for food.

 

The constant wind shifts and changing lake conditions really pushed the fish around and thinned them out this year.  Salmon fishing in a lot of south shore ports was tough this season and Sodus was REALLY tough.  Like a few of us are preaching, some fish are there but if you find them those who have had success don't leave them. 

 

My last trip (full day) out this past week in Sodus I had 15 bites fishing solo and I fished about a one square mile piece of water right in front of Chimney Bluffs in 110-130 making small circles and figure eights, leaving only twice to poke out to 250 and then right back to work it some more. It's been a really tough bite for sure and I can't remember having to work so hard for the whole season, but hard work and experimentation while staying on the fish will pay off eventually. When they are there early and then disappear keep in mind that they most likely dropped to the bottom.  I run one wire and one rigger right on the bottom, literally, with J plugs, meat and flasher/fly or dodgers and a spoon or two and a FF in 55 - 60 degrees to keep rods moving. Less is also better this time of year. Just keep changing out chit till they fire.

 

Sorry if this comes off as a rant or self promoting. My intent is very much the opposite but I keep hearing fishing in lake O is soooo bad and it's just not true or fair to local business.  True,  It's a tough bite and requires more work and finesse than we've seen in the past, but Lady O is alive and well and in her belly lies a world class fishery that is both extraordinary and very healthy.  Ya can't catch em sitting on the puter

 

Fish on my LOU friends!!   

Edited September 1, 2015 by Fishtails

[thumbburn]

Well said fishtails......internet fisherman can stay in the chair... I'm going regardless

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[TOP SECRET]

Hmmm Rod I see your point, but I think there is the other side of the coin...

If there's a fishermen reading these reports and it allows him to make the decision not to drive the 3+ hrs to the lake, take vacation, spend money on a hotel, etc and allows him to chose to fish a different weekend, then that is good. Most folks are not like us and able to get up here multiple weekends a month. If nothing else, they may see the East end fishing is tough and go to the West end instead.

While there are fish out there, it is definitely not an easy bite. Staying on a pod of fish can be difficult if it is rough, a smaller boat, or if you fish with someone who doesn't like rough water. We circle very little if the waves are more than 2ft, because Theresa doesn't enjoy it. I would rather catch less fish and have her enjoy her time out there. Do I catch less fish that way, absolutely.

Right now, the fishing in Sodus, is miserable. Can someone still catch a fish, absolutely. It is however nowhere near what it should be at this time of the year. I personally blame the west wind and warmer than I have seen before water. Do I believe there are less fish in the lake than last year, no. Do I believe fishing will pick up this year in Sodus, I don't know. The only thing I do know is I will continue to fish Sodus, hoping for the bite to turn on, and will provide my honest opinions and experiences for others to interpret as they see fit

[bulldog63]

take a look at the loc salmon 2 fish over 30 lbs. with 5 days left pit-i-ful

[john1947]

Hey ine been fishing since it started here back in the seventies,I still run my own ship,even with Parkinson.haha

The way you survive PD is to keep moving,no retreats or surrenders.Fish to the last fish and hunt to the last duck

[plecos4sale]

I thank you all for your post... Good and bad that's fishing. Had the girls out today and they working a laker and a Atlantic

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[Fishtails]

 

Hmmm Rod I see your point, but I think there is the other side of the coin...

If there's a fishermen reading these reports and it allows him to make the decision not to drive the 3+ hrs to the lake, take vacation, spend money on a hotel, etc and allows him to chose to fish a different weekend, then that is good. Most folks are not like us and able to get up here multiple weekends a month. If nothing else, they may see the East end fishing is tough and go to the West end instead.

 

 

 

Absolutely agree Nick,  I was in no way referring to your reports OR suggesting we as a whole should not report bad days as well as good days. IMO reports should reflect current trends and conditions without bias and with integrity and honesty. If it's tough, it's tough and we all want to know that so it's great you and others are willing to report both the good AND the bad.

 

What I AM saying is I see a lot of good folks blaming the DEC, etc suggesting the fish should be here and therefore something is amiss......as if the fish run by a date on a calender.  None of us really know exactly what the heck is going on but the one thing most of the better fishermen all agree with is that the fish population lake wide is healthy! Those numbers will likely be confirmed sometime this fall.

Edited September 2, 2015 by Fishtails

[Sk8man]

Rod I actually was just kind of thinking out loud when I wrote what you quoted and I'm fishing Sodus in the AM as I have since 1975 and my son is going with me so I sure haven't given up on fishing or specifically fishing there either.. I agree with nearly everything you said and I certainly didn't mean to turn anyone off to fishing or in any way impact business of any sort as this sport means very much to me as I know it does to you.  I also have a real feel for Nick's view on this as it relates to Sodus and I believe his perception is valid as well.  Of late I have only been fishing Sodus and Hughes and not way west where I used to fish so I also understand it is a small sample size of the lake especially considering that it is also only the south shore as well. I do know however that during the mid to late eighties and during the first part of the nineties the fishing was way beyond what it is today in that area and the fishing techniques were quite primitive and potentially less productive by today's standards too. I think that is why I am unsure about the status of things right now out there and why I said what I said (which was related to Sodus basically). We all love to think about the high points in life and may even want them to all be that way but realistically these levels of available fish have always been cyclical and for a variety of reasons and some not having anything to do with man's interaction with the environment or ability to control things through either actions or "policies" or stocking plans. The serious fishermen will not be deterred by these ups and downs and businesses are always subject to the whims and cycles of hobbies or sports popularity.

 

plecos4sale - It is very gratifying to see young ladies manning the rods and especially since they are at an age where they have already discovered boys and all the other  "life distractions" WTG

Edited September 2, 2015 by Sk8man

[Xxx]

Hey guys not to change the subject but in the readings above I have a question. When salmon are stacked up like they were out by Henderson then they disappeared, the temp was 70* from top to bottom in 120 FT do you guys think they went back out to colder water of did they make the trek towards the Black RIver. Do they have a biological time clock that tells them when to make the run towards the river or can they wait till the conditions are right for them. The reason I ask is my uncles were up all week bass fishing and were on the Black River and didn't notice any activity. So they were there and now there not, what's your take on this. Thanks pap.

[insufishent]

guess thats why they call it fishing!!!!

[Xxx]

guess thats why they call it fishing!!!!

And not catching. LOL

[Fishtails]

 

 

 I do know however that during the mid to late eighties and during the first part of the nineties the fishing was way beyond what it is today in that area and the fishing techniques were quite primitive and potentially less productive by today's standards too

 

Good luck Les.  Hope you get a few 

 

As you do,  I remember years when fishing was much easier, but did we have this much bait lake wide those years ?  I can't answer that. Simple logic would support that even a fraction less food in the system would make fishing easier and raise angler harvest rates. Too many alewives in the system right now IMO, but that's just my opinion and the wife has said half the time I'm clueless and the other half of the time I'm sleeping 

 

Either way, last time out I took this pic of the screen I was fishing in Sodus and I had the same screen all day until around 2pm. Then I lost it until it came back around 6:30 pm.  It's bait with fish in the bait having a buffet. That pic was taken at 12:30 in the afternoon.  Many bait pods were much larger and my screen was rarely blank. 

 

 

 

Hopefully all hell breaks loose soon. Good luck out there tomorrow Nick !!

 

 

 

 

Hey guys not to change the subject but in the readings above I have a question. When salmon are stacked up like they were out by Henderson then they disappeared, the temp was 70* from top to bottom in 120 FT do you guys think they went back out to colder water of did they make the trek towards the Black RIver. Do they have a biological time clock that tells them when to make the run towards the river or can they wait till the conditions are right for them. The reason I ask is my uncles were up all week bass fishing and were on the Black River and didn't notice any activity. So they were there and now there not, what's your take on this. Thanks pap. 

 

 They either moved out just a little or more likely they are laying on the bottom. They will tolerate warm water right now, but I wouldn't expect them to do much short of laying on the bottom except before the sun pops up. I can't comment on if any have run the black, but I know there have been small runs in the Salmon river.

Edited September 2, 2015 by Fishtails

[Xxx]

Thanks for the info Fishtails, I suspect they are laying tight to the bottom. I have a feeling after this major heat and the mornings are in the 40's things will commence forward.

[tiogafishaddict]

Hard to disagree with anything I've read. I don't expect to box out. Or catch fish every trip I love to fish. But being sept 1... its not good. I had one good bite in 9 hours out today. Not saying I know how to catch fish but. Damn I usually find a nut here or there lol. Back at it tomorrow

[john1947]

going out this morning ,wish you all good luck

john

[Sk8man]

Heading  for Sodus in a few to give it a whirl. Rod I feel the same way about the bait situation and Vince has repeatedly made great points about the bait situation that I feel are right on target. Good luck to you other "die hards" going this AM

[TOP SECRET]

Let's go fishing!

[Finders Keepers]

C'mon Nick let's see that new LOC leader today!!

[Adk1]

A new day! Sure beats going to work!

Edited September 2, 2015 by Adk1