Frustrated in Fair Haven

[Billy V]

You have no idea how much I hate to post reports like this, but I'm committed to posting both the good and the bad. It's starting to get to me and I'm growing increasingly frustrated with the fishing in Fair Haven but it is what it is. So here goes....

We went out on Saturday morning and found a few marks and some bait NW of port in front of the silos in 325-500FOW. We worked really hard for what little we managed to scrape outta there. The majors that we're all looking for just aren't there in any sort of numbers yet. Jim Jared from Shade Tree Charters did manage to boat a beautiful 26 lb major just as they trolled past us. Jim's been putting in as much time as anyone out of Fair Haven the last month or so and he certainly deserved to have the big fish of the day back at the dock.

I saw the fish on the scale at the docks and it was a real beauty. I heard rumor of a couple of 30lb + Kings out of Oswego yesterday too.

There were some small hooks up around 90-110' and we threw everything at them including the proverbial kitchen sink. The only set-up that we could really get to go was a simple white spinny/white crinkle Sigg's fly fished off of our 110' rigger. That set-up took 80% of our hits for the day. The other set-up that got bit was a chartreuse pro-chip/Sigg's Mountain Dew Pulse fly that we had down 135' on another rigger. We didn't have a single spoon bite all day long, and we didn't have a touch on any of our 4 wire divers. We moved 'em up out of temp, down into the middle of the temp, and down in the ice water and we couldn't trigger a bite. We sped up, slowed down, messed with colors, lead lengths, direction of troll, you name it. It just wasn't gonna be our day no matter what we did.

The good news is that I talked to Andy Bliss from Cold Steel several times over the course of the morning on Saturday and they continue to light up the browns east of Oswego in 100-115FOW. His best spoons were the same ones he's been using all week: Stinger Frogs, Tuxedo's and the Mongoose. Andy said that they had consistent bait and hooks in there and they've been getting some fat browns up to 12 lbs or so. I ventured in to 100-120FOW east of Fair Haven and we definitely don't have the same screen that they do East of Oswego for the browns. In just over an hour's time in there I saw exactly one bait pod and one fish. Needless to say we couldn't get it to go in there either.

I didn't fish on Sunday but I did talk to a few guys that went out of FH and it sounded like more of the same...lots of two and three fish boxes, with a few intermittent majors reported. Shade Tree dropped three or four majors this morning so he's at least feeling like maybe they're starting to show up here and there. I sure hope he's right...we'll be fishing every day from the 16th-25th and I could use a good dose of BIG Kings to get me out of the fish funk I'm in.

Talk about a frustrating season.

[Tim Bromund]

Bill,

Nice to finally meet you yesterday. Too bad on the tough fishing. I suppose you can take SOME consolation that it's not just you struggling. I can remember some days for me out of Olcott several years ago where we absolutely couldn't buy a fish, but back at port there were people lined up at the cleaning station with full boxes. Now THATS's frustrating.

Hope the fish show up in the next couple weeks or it'll make for an interesting if not frustrating Fairhaven Challenge on the 23rd.

Tim

[FISHINMAN]

Billy remember that topic way back when? What did I tell ya :?:

Just kidding, hopefully you'll get a bunch of the big fellas soon down there.

With that said how much of this (not as many big fish 20+lb's) being caught lake wide it seems compared to past years, do you attribute to all the fish being taken out of the lake with "ALL" the tournaments being done :?: Seems like there's some sort of tournament going on every week now somewhere :roll: :x. There's a lot of fish being taken out of the lake every week it seems for these tournaments and that's all on top of the general fish taking from rec. boat's and of course charters too. With less salmon being stocked now too I hope it doesn't get worse in the future :shock:

[Guest Cheers]

According to NYS DEC, there are not enough kings being harvested throughout the year. Everyone's hard times will be rewarded soon.

[Billy V]

Tim,

It was nice meeting you too. Thanks for sticking around and shooting the bull with me.

Tom,

I certainly hope that it's not the tournaments that's causing us to have this many fewer Kings in Fair Haven. Personally I don't believe that's the issue. I think the lake has been a mess all season long with the screwy winds that we've had and that's what's causing the East end to suffer. Or at least that's what I hope it is.

I'm monumentally frustrated with the fishing out this way and I hope for everyone that relies on the fishery for their income that it improves ASAP. There aren't nearly the number of boats on the water that we used to see. I'm sure some of it is gas prices, but I'm equally sure that lots of guys are loading their boats on their trailers and heading West to catch fish.

[Chromeslayer]

hope things pick up for you guys down there.. there is def NOT a lack of fish in the lake.. the west end has been VERY good and producing some big fish.. didnt have any problems finding the kings down here this weekend!

[keithg]

I don't think the tournements are a factor.on any week-end i haven't seen as many boats as years past.i believe that is due to gas spiking the way it has,and guys saving money till the reports are better.i do a lot of catch and release and am definatly in the minority.almost all the boats near me kill every legal fish that comes on board whether in a tourney or not.and yes,in warm water i do keep most kings and any other fish not likely to recover.

[Fishtails]

I'd agree it's not the tournaments. Most of us who fish them would be fishing anyway. Personally, I just work my schedule so that I'm fishing those weekends.

In fact, during a Pro Am I can only catch 6 legal fish and I gotta quit fishing. How many might we have caught had we continued to fish ? Many days it would have been twice as many or more. Most of your tournament fishermen are very committed to the well being of this fishery. Our boat caught and released more fish this season than any season I have fished in the past. We will continue to do so, releasing most fish except for those caught on tournament days.

Really...I think the fish have migrated over the deep water and some have traveled the north shore and may not show in Sodus or Fairhaven this year in any great numbers.....hope I'm wrong Bill!!!!

Just my 2cents.

[Billy V]

I hope you're wrong Rod. But in all honesty I don't think you are.

[CBish]

It is a wierd year. Chrome is right there are lots of fish to the west, but even so there have been some frustrating days. Last week I had a one fish day sandwiched between two 5 man limit days.....what is that about??? One of the days we did great another capt struggled the day we got one he limited by 9am every time by me he was hooked up and I could only buy 4 hits all day..............wierd!!!! He called me and thanked me for the "King Spoon" I gave him (carbon-14) he was fighting his 3rd fish on it .. I had 3 out and never took a hit on them all day.

On tuesday last week the NK purple dalmation (a KING spoon!) took 8 fish ... I only had one, bought 6 more and didn't catch another fish on it the rest of the week. Why?????

Start every day fresh and keep pulling steel the fish will show up.

Fish smart,

CC

[Diversion]

Capt Carl,

On your Carbon 14, do you run a lazer ladder or is that a glow ladder on the front? Saw a pic of it with a big king on the oak site.

Thanks

[CBish]

It is a laser ladder, but the lure is awsome just out of the pack as well. I add split rings to them, but just because of the type of snap I run.

I just taped one up with a purple stripe, but it did not go today.

CC

[Diversion]

Thanks for the tip