Cranberry

[FISHIN AGAIN?]

Oatka will be stocked this Friday morning as long as the creek is in decent shape.

[bassn247]

Nothing like stockies. Last time I fished oatka had to leave after catching 60+ fish. Way too easy

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[Slimy Hooks]

Another slow morning, was better then yesterday mornin as far as keepers go but nothing spectacular...

Half the people say it's done, the other half say it's early...not positive...last week males were leaving white residue in my bucket, although have yet to see a spawned out fish...maybe those three days after ice out were early arrivals with the warm weather, as the fishing in regards to quantity/quality hasn't been matched since...

Try to make fishing for stocked Browns challenging...toss little stick-baits, spinners, use dry flies things like that...it's still pretty easy but makes it more of a challenge...havent fished oatka before, usually various places in irondequoit and have caught a few steelhead on a ultra-light with 4 pound in the process...

[bassn247]

Nothing like hooking up with a lake run stud trout on the ultra light!

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[Slimy Hooks]

Yep,,,surely is a blast catching lake run fish on ultra-lights!!!

Quite a few times have brought a 5' ultra-light to target steelhead/Browns in un-mentionable "ditch" creeks when I used to enjoy fishing them...something different and a new challenge...

Need to catch a steelhead on a dry fly, just about the last way I haven't caught one yet...single/double handed fly rods, bottom-bouncing, float-fishing, planer board with plugs, spoons/spinners, lake trolling, pier casting, ice fishing...not much left for a new experience and still love chasing them...

[Slimy Hooks]

Slow morning, steady afternoon but enough fish for a few meals...

Males were milking and gave a few females a squeeze and eggs were coming out...hate to say/think we could be on the downhill side of the perch action, been enjoying it greatly but time tells all...

[bassn247]

Hope this isnt a new trend. Some guys i know have been fishing seneca, Canandaigua, and say it hasnt been the same in last couple years as before then. Maybe too many perch have been taken as of recent. Ive seen guys keep buckets full of 6-9" which could be hurting population. Duno but runs have been bad last 2 years. Maybe im wrong hope so

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[Slimy Hooks]

Steady pick for the most part with flurries and lulls...morning was best...

Have been reading about the demise of Seneca, can't personally attest to that since have only been fishing there for 2 years...have heard a lot of good about Canandaigua this fall and spring...

Personally 9-10" fish are perfect for eating...while it is nice to catch the big ones, they don't seem to taste as good and just have more meat...could just be my pallet, I think crappies taste terrible after-all...

Hard topic of what's best to keep...there's people that won't keep a perch over 11" as they say these are the breeders and represent the smallest population percentage...

Then there's the guys that love 7-9" fish as they are the best eating and represent the largest population percentage...while we do need fish to grow for future purposes, what's better, keeping fish that lay the most eggs and make up the smallest part of the population, or taking fish from the largest population percentage???

Those 5-7" fish still reproduce and lay a lot of eggs...

Usually only fish perch in the fall on Irondequoit Bay and my first trip or two, will keep 8" fish...relatives/friends take all that is caught and hardly eat any myself but after they get a bunch, become much pickier about what is killed...some days I'll set a 10" minimum and actually measure them and if you see little perch in my bucket, it's because they swallowed the hook...

Guess it comes down to personal preference and doing what the individual feels best...

Edited March 23, 2016 by Slimy Hooks

[bassn247]

Crappies are my favorite fish to catch other than bass. I dont see much difference in taste or texture. I have one buddy who says they are mushy. Duno, all in the pallet I guess. Cant wait for them to start up! Way more fun than perch IMHO. Some good points about personal limits on fish. Just think the average person fish a handful of weekends and keep whatever small or large. Then the rest of us diehards that set limits on size or quantity. More of a conservation approach. Hope there is more of the latter!

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[Slimy Hooks]

Does make a lot of sense about people with limited time being more inclined to keeping whatever they can take a knife too...will not condone anyone for taking smaller perch but keeping 6" fish unless gut-hooked is pretty rediculous...

Crappies are quite entertaining to fish for, seldom do and they are all given away...am with your buddy on the mushiness...tried eating one a week ago and couldn't do it...

Got nothing against bass, used to fish smallmouths during the "hedges" hay day on the lake but that went down the crapper...largemouth's were a nuisance to me last summer grabbing stickbaits before the walleyes had a chance but didn't mind seeing 4-6 pounders at midnight...had a buddy that was into bass fishing and used to go frequently and joined him on those evening conesus lake tournies...flipping is awesome, and loved setting the hook as hard as possible...

Am hopeful that the perch fishing isn't on the way out and the best is yet to come...most people seem to think it hasn't really started yet...

[King Slammin]

Warm water crappie is mushy, just like any warm water fish. Even late summer walleye taste like garbage. But crappie through the ice and into pre spawn is my favorite fish to put on a plate.

[Sk8man]

I'm with King Slammin ....even large mouth bass taste good from ice cold water

[justtracytrolling]

Bleed those summer fish and put em on ice immediately and they will be nice and firm by the time you hit the dock. The crappie the kids get outta 80+ degree water from my dock i throw in ice water alive and they are just as firm as ones caught thru the ice. Largemouth eat fine....Growing up it was my favorite out of our ponds!

[Slimy Hooks]

Hmmm, maybe I should try them again...

The one that was attempted to be consumed was caught out of where this post is titled, in water no warmer then 42 degrees...could tell the fillet apart from the perch and was immediately spat out...only other ones eaten, or attempted to be eaten were from Honeoye during the spring and felt the same way...

Has to just be personal taste as a lot of people love crappies...

[Gator]

Yeah, likely so. My wife thought the crappie were better than perch or walleye when fried side-by-side in grape seed oil with only a little salt and pepper so you could really taste the fish. I think they're okay, but actually my favorite fish to eat is rock bass...weird, I know....but they're so delicious.

[bettieanne]

Justtracytrolling, How do you bleed out your walleyes, Sounds like something I would like to try. I have heard that it helps with taste and cleaning out the meat.

[Pistol24]

Justtracytrolling, How do you bleed out your walleyes, Sounds like something I would like to try. I have heard that it helps with taste and cleaning out the meat.

I cut the gills

[Slimy Hooks]

Yep,,,rock bass are a good eating fish, know people that enjoy them greatly and to me they taste exactly like crappies lol...very scrappy fighters as well...helping a buddy catch rock bass to be sold to fish buyers, they got the same price as perch...

Pretty much just slit there throats to bleed them out...that triangular piece of flesh that runs up between the gills on the underside of the fish...slice through that and you should be able to slice the aorta and the heart will pump the blood out...slicing the gills will be good enough...

Bleeding kings would slice the throat through that piece of flesh between the gills and blood spurts out like crazy...have ripped there hearts out and watched it beat in my hand, pretty interesting...

[Sk8man]

If in the boat just cut them as described and keep them in the net over the side till they drain...keeps the boat a bit cleaner

[Slimy Hooks]

Against better judgement, and lack of a better time consumptive activity, went to cranberry...slowest trip so far, caught 3 and missed a few bites from 1:30-5:00...

Maybe next time will be better...

[Slimy Hooks]

Had a bad feeling showing up at 2:30 to a empty lot and not a sole on the water...tried anyway and it was slow, with small flurries...

Nothin, nothin, nothin, bam-bam-bam and repeat...when the sun hit the horizon couldn't keep a rod in the water for the last part of the day and pulled some real nice fish to 12"...

Haven't bothered with jigs/spikes...as of late been catching fish way out there, flinging a 3/4 ounce sinker on 4 pound braid damn near as far as possible and slowly crawling it back...I'm sure others will say the opposite but that's been working for me...have been using a 2nd rod with varying distances from shore and keep chucking it way out there...

Happy Easter!!!

[scobar]

Were on the way

 

that's funny!! I think there staying the week end   

[Slimy Hooks]

Today's Easter Egg Hunt...

[js003c]

Today's Easter Egg Hunt...

Looks like those females are still full of eggs. Slimy can you confirm? There might still be a bit of the run left.

[Slimy Hooks]

Yes, every female had eggs...

Edited March 28, 2016 by Slimy Hooks