Trophy bass season on Lake Ontario?

[BP Swing]

Does Lake O. /St. Lawrence R have a trophy bass season similar to Erie?

I wouldnt keep anything anyway but would at least want it to "count" if I got a good one. Thanks BP

[GAMBLER]

I don't think so. I really don't think you will see it either because of the population being low in the lake.

[T_barb]

Do you really think the numbers or down or has the lake just changed dramatically?

My opinion is that between the water clarity (zebra mussels) and the new forage base (Gobies) the habits of the bass have changed significantly...

I see some of these huge SM that people are catching trolling for browns and believe that is an indication of the quality of fish in the lake..

I think the fish are living in deeper water and there is so much food around that it is tought to compete.

I think the quality and size will conitue to improve, as fewer fish are caught and taken from the lake...

I miss the days of going to hedges and Chimney Bluffs and having all the action you could ask for...

[GAMBLER]

Tbarb,

2 - 3 years agothousands of dead smallmouth washed up on the shores of Lake Ontario from the Niagara the the St. Lawrence. The population is down a lot from what it was 7 -10 years ago. The habits of the smallies has changed some (staying deeper once they are off the spawning beds), but the numbers are missing.

[BP Swing]

The big fish kill 2-3 yrs ago I think was limited to sodus to eastern basin. I dont recall any big die off from the niagara to Rochester, then again the rochester area sucks for smallmouth compared to points west and east. Yes I know there are some spots but minor compared to east and west.

The bass I got last year in the lake were much bigger than years past. It used to be school bass but now they were 17-19" range and very fat (gobies).

[T_barb]

10 to 15 years ago, I would have put Webter Park/Hedges area up against any where east or west in terms of numbers and quality of fish...

I fished Sodus, Pultneyville, Port Bay and 100 Island areas, but once I got the hang of the area , jsut east of rochester, there was no better place to me...

Just my opinion

[GAMBLER]

BPSWING,

There were plenty of dead smallies on the shore in the Rochester area. I walked the shore along Braddocks and there were a couple dozen in that small stretch.

[BP Swing]

Most of the smally kills are extreme temperature related. There was a huge die off at Sodus 2-3 yrs ago and boy did it show the next year. It was horrible. I used to catch 80-100+ bass a day and it went to 10-20/ the next year. If you saw 12 dead bass at braddocks, it doesnt surprise me. Anybody do well at Wautoma anymore?

[LongLine]

JH - FWIW, The DEC did a special study on Smmouths in that area last year. They found numbers were up. Not like they were 20 yrs ago but definitely up. (Think I wrote some notes on it in the State of the Lake article in the Article section)

Tom B.

(LongLine)