Saw bellies?

[Skidplate]

Lol

[Frogger]

We've run them behind cowbells and Hemlock spinners for years at the north end but not with the plastic heads. I ran a couple of the Lake O setups during the derby last year and they work Didn't do anything on the one with twinkies though.

good ole Keuka Gang! Memories......

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[Sk8man]

  Mike

[Ahab]

as I read the regulations. If you had a friend who lives within walking distance of the lake (like maybe a new camp) that will let you use some freezer space or bait tank you are within the regs to do what you want with alewives.  DO NOT transport them away from the water body by motorized vehicle and then bring them back.

 

 

 

 

No you can not use my freezer

[Grady19]

We've run them behind cowbells and Hemlock spinners for years at the north end but not with the plastic heads. I ran a couple of the Lake O setups during the derby last year and they work Didn't do anything on the one with twinkies though.

Sk8man, 

did you use herring or sawbellies with those Lake O rigs? I ran them last year with sawbellies and had no luck.  I was using the twinkies on them though.  Where can you get Herring, and also someone told me that you cant use it durring the Derby because its not a native fish to Seneca.  Any thoughts on this?

[rolmops]

I always thought that saw belly and moon eye are just different names for herring

[lakebound88]

We use bellies.

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[Grady19]

We use bellies.

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Nick, do you use the meat harnesses, or just the hooks run through the sawbills like the old timers around here do?

Edited April 21, 2016 by Grady19

[lakebound88]

Depends. I do both and even some other tricks. There's days it works great and days they will not touch it.. But days it's a struggle, that's my main go to. Fresh is best.

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[Sk8man]

There are a number of different Herring sub types in the species but the ones in Seneca are called sawbellies or alewives and to my knowledge you can't introduce any other types of baitfish other than those listed on the DEC syllabus that you get at stores or bait shops etc.  

 

Last year I ran both a fresh frozen sawbelly and just slid his head in the meat rig and put a toothpick in the holes and then broke it off to hold it in place for one of them on the other that I also caught a laker on I made an artificial bait from a salt water jig body bait like these below. I placed a fairly rigid copper wire inside so I can bend them to twirl the right way

Edited April 21, 2016 by Sk8man

[Grady19]

Thanks. That's exactly what I was wondering.

[Sk8man]

Grady 19 I got the sawbellies from the lady  on 5 and 20 between Geneva and Waterloo. She is a certified dealer. I think she gets them a day or two before the derby

[Ray4852]

Capt Johns magnum bait heads are the best heads I have ever used. All I do is stick the meat in the head. No fussing around making it spin. You could add a little herring oil to the plastic to give it a natural scent.

[ERABBIT]

Where do you get them Ray.....

[Ray4852]

You gave me a couple magnum heads. I bought 30 more from capt John

[lakebound88]

FYI guys Catherine valley has them in Montour.

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[NPike]

BTW how big does a Finger lakes sawbelly get (alewife). I all caught one at nearly 6" one time.

[perchjerk.jb]

Hook Line & Sinker has them

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[Skidplate]

BTW how big does a Finger lakes sawbelly get (alewife). I all caught one at nearly 6" one time.

 

 

Seneca one get bigger 7" and 8"

 

Cayuga seem to avenge about 6"

[bulletbob]

 The bigger the water the bigger the Sawbelly.. they can  grow to 10 inches in the Great lakes, and to about 15-16 max in the marine environment where  they originated. In the ocean,they have a lot more food, a lot more space, and a lot more critters that like to eat them.. Those massive schools of   Alewives  we see on our fish finders  would be decimated in minutes by a couple hundred bluefish, not to mention the stripers and weakfish that pick off whatever the blues don't get.. Actually  one good   size whale would do an even better job than the blues.. They love herring and herring like  fish.. Our local FL sawbellies, are the lucky ones.. bob