flashers for Skaneateles?

[Meoj1234]

Hi All

 

Was wondering if anyone uses flashers on Skaneateles and if so what kind?

[skipjack]

Good luck. Not saying they won't work, but my dad and I have dragged them all and have yet to catch a fish with one on skaneateles. That's with 20 plus years fishing the lake almost every weekend. From what I hear some have,but not many.

[Meoj1234]

Skip Jack -

I have a cottage on the south end and have been rigger fishing the lake for a few years but my success rate is less then optimal.

 

Do you guys put in on the south end coming from Binghamton?  I must have run into you before.  I am in a cuddy cabin Chaparrall.  Would love to catch up sometime next spring and learn from your experience.

[Sk8man]

I guess it may be a good idea to sort of go back to square one on Skinny in terms of basics. The usual effectiveness of lures and trolling techniques usually depends on trying to match up the types of things used with the indigenous bait or baitfish in the body of water. To my knowledge there aren't any sawbellies there (or supposed to be anyway) and when I have ice fished it in past years  the lakers hit on shiners and fatheads considerably smaller than sawbelly size. Although there have been occasional lakers of huge size (and very old) taken from there most are pretty small in comparison to other Finger Lakes such as Owasco, Cayuga, and Seneca etc. The rainbows there at least in the streams have responded to small marshmellows drifted so Skinny is not your typical fishing situation and I even caught a small one through the ice with a piece of cut up shrimp in the past. I guess I have felt that it is not an optimal trolling lake and that stillfishing techniques and live bait seem better suited to it. With that said if I were trying flashers I'd be downsizing considerably from what I use on the other lakes and go with the smallest flashers possible and 2-2 1/2 inch lures and perhaps even drag worm harness sized spinners instead especially in the Spring. I always fished the northern part of the lake and not the south so that should also be taken into consideration.

Edited December 21, 2015 by Sk8man

[skipjack]

My dad lives in Spafford. Yes I fish the south end the most. You have to remember perch is the primary forage in this lake. You most definitely want to fish the marks and not the temperature. Anything you do on other finger lakes rarely work here. If you do not have a down speed probe I highly recommend getting one. The currents can be terrible. Generally I use long leads and light line since the lake is so clean. Don't give up skaneateles doesn't give up it's fish easy. Every time I fish another body of water I can usually pick up at least one fish not so here. I have been skunked more than I care to while trolling on this lake. Don't plan on really big fish either. The biggest Laker I have got out of it was almost 8lbs. I have hooked much bigger but never landed one or personally seen one bigger caught. But as for eating them oh boy!! I would almost eating a carp out of it.

[skipjack]

Double post

Edited December 21, 2015 by skipjack