Oneida Lake Advice

[Davem]

I have fished from shore and caught perch and small mouth bass but I plan in June to rent a boat for a few days and target walleyes.  I'll have minimal equipment. No trolling motor, sonar, etc.  I'll probably get a drift anchor and also bring an anchor.  I have a map of the lake,

   I was thinking of using crawlers and drift.  What kind of a set up is best?  A single hook? double hook harness?  A worm rig with a spinner blade? What color blade?  Would minnows work instead of a crawler?  It seems some sort of weight would be needed to keep the rig at the bottom if you are drifting.

   It also seems jigs are popular and black/purple is a favored color.   What size/weight jig is best.  If you tip it with bait, a whole crawler or half a crawler or a minnow?

   I've read that around the buoys is good so I've thought about just anchoring and using a slip bobber to keep the bait about a foot off the bottom.

   With the modest amount of gear I have and suggestions is appreciated.  

    

[tugger]

Early or late June?  Where are you planning on launching?

[NymphO]

Following this thread too. I'll be there late June as well. I'll be setup to troll, but I'll also be jigging with the kids. I was just planning to run some stick baits along with harnesses and see what the fish like....

[Chowdaire]

Dragging live bait isn’t your best bet for Oneida eyes. They like a more aggressive approach.

If you want to keep it simple I’d recommend dragging a worm harness behind the boat and casting a buck tail with a piece of crawler in front of your drift. Let it get to the bottom and then rip aggressively up 2-3’ and let it go back to the bottom.

June is a great month. Generally everything works. Not equally, but there are a lot of ways to put eyes in the boat.


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[TrophySeeker]

What week in June? Blade baits are good in May and early June.

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[Davem]

It would be early June.  I thought I'd rent a boat from Charley's and do the west end and the next day Angler's Marina and do the middle/east end.

Right now I'm figuring I would target islands/shoals/buoys in 18' or so and use 1/4oz jigs with black/purple and a half crawler.  And a tandem worm rig with a whole crawler. I'll ask both Marinias for advice once there but sort of needed to anticipate a few things.

    I thought I'd get a drift sock to slow down the drift speed.

If what I am planning sounds good/bad/ etc.- any comments appreciated- thanks.

   I've heard casting over weed beds works but in Early June- I wasn't sure if they were around.

[Chowdaire]

Sounds like a good plan. Pulling cranks like flicker shads around the deeper weeds, 8-12fow, and sticks over the shallow weeds works too.


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[ducks517]

June can be a good mix of all techniques. Worm harnesses may be coming into good technique but I would start with blade baits in early june. The XPS gold or silver are good starting point. Yes jigging is a lot more fun than trolling but trolling some cranks can be really good too. Just keep it around 1.6-1.9mph and you can get some. Very the line out. With limited tackle and boat/electronics I would stick with blade baits. I prefer to slow fish them. Some guys rip them hard. I tend to do short pops then a rip. Best way for blades to work is to use a med/light rod with a braid line and a 2' fluorocarbon leader. You need to have that FEEL. 

[Shane Muckey]

June is when Oneida shines, fish can be in the 8-14 fow shoals and 28-38 fow slopes at the same time, its an awesome time too jig oneida, Southshore has more shallow structure , northshore has more deeper structure.... jigging is not complicated at all, cast ahead of the boat, let jig hit bottom, rip it, let it hit bottom again and repeat, some might not believe this but heavier jigs say 5/8 oz make it even less complicated, as it hits bottom faster and the hops are more subtle because of its weight, beginners on my boat always do better with heavier jigs, grab a few black and purple jigs and pinch a piece of a nightcrawler on the hook, you'll have a good time.  never know what you'll catch, good luck.   if you loose a bunch of bites, put a stinger on it.

[justtracytrolling]

I can't think of many techniques that don't work on Oneida....but without sonar I'd find a  GPS and map app on my phone.   Take a 1/2 day charter your first day and you will be way ahead of the game.

Edited March 14, 2018 by justtracytrolling
Accidentally sent my post before it was done

[Shane Muckey]

3 hours ago, justtracytrolling said:

I can't think of many techniques that don't work on Oneida....but without sonar I'd find a  GPS and map app on my phone.   Take a 1/2 day charter your first day and you will be way ahead of the game.

   I upgraded from my starcraft too a bigger lund in 2014, I've had my boat parked at cleveland the last 9-10 june/july's, only my first two summers on the starcraft did i have a working fish finder, one winter my transducer cracked and left me with only my map chip too fish off of, my numbers actually went up, the next summer they went up more, it became a running joke on my boat about fishin blind  ,I went 7 straight summers with no working graph, map chip is all you need on oneida, your rod will tell you where the fish are, like ice fishing.I just bought a graph finally last summer. back too 20th century again

[justtracytrolling]

A good map on ur GPS is a wonderful tool, but sonar and side imaging tell the story if you can read it.  You don't even need a rod in the water till you find what you are looking for....the first time you find a nice school of big eyes on a relatively shallow sand flat from 100 feet away and work them for days without ever getting over them you won't ever want to fish without side imaging again.  All too often in shallower water big active fish will shut right down if you get in on them.  It does take a 10-12 inch screen to really identify individual walleye on si.

[Shane Muckey]

1 hour ago, justtracytrolling said:

A good map on ur GPS is a wonderful tool, but sonar and side imaging tell the story if you can read it.  You don't even need a rod in the water till you find what you are looking for....the first time you find a nice school of big eyes on a relatively shallow sand flat from 100 feet away and work them for days without ever getting over them you won't ever want to fish without side imaging again.  All too often in shallower water big active fish will shut right down if you get in on them.  It does take a 10-12 inch screen to really identify individual walleye on si.

I could see how that would be awesome, especially in the canal.....I just got a spotlock trolling motor last summer and that was pretty cool tool, man did we have a few massacres shallow with that thing, I been studying sonar units, i'm almost ready too pull the trigger.

[justtracytrolling]

The humminbird helix mega imaging unit is awesome and because it doesn't have a touch screen you save near $1000 over large touch screen models.  Between the auto chart, which allowed me to create my own accurate map, and the imaging the helix has actually changed how I fish and opened many new spots for me.

[Xxx]

Justin’s correct, all the while I’m watching my Lowrance the helix was making my own mapping of the north shore of LakeO and other places, I now have a detailed map of the north shore and other places that could only be a dream in navionics eyes, all done with a $500 depth finder which was watching the bottom contouring, what you think is down and what is down there are two different things, trust me!!.

[johnnywalleye]

maple bay has good structure.if weather cooperates the shack shoals due north of the ssbl is a great spot,dakin shoals out of harris park..what you mention for bait lures,technique will work..gobies will love the worms..try to keep your bait 12-16in off the bottom..worm harness in purple ot chartreuse works well along with gold .purple,wonderbread and brown blade baits will do the trick..good luck and so long 4 now;john

[TrophySeeker]

Anyone been on Oneida lately? Fished yesterday afternoon and this morning so far with no joy... Any help appreciated.

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[reeleyz]

I fished last night for the last couple of hours. 1 keeper eye and kept 9 perch jigging off the north shore. Tossed at least that many small eyes and small perch back.

 

Guys are getting some eyes on shackelton shoals jigging bucktails and sonars.

 

A lot of fish being caught on silver sonars at a wide range of depths from 15’ - 35’.

 

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[TrophySeeker]

I fished last night for the last couple of hours. 1 keeper eye and kept 9 perch jigging off the north shore. Tossed at least that many small eyes and small perch back.

Guys are getting some eyes on shackelton shoals jigging bucktails and sonars.


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Thanks. This week last year I did really well with Sonars off of Sylan beach. A couple raps today but no takers. Found some perch and a bonus pike around Cleveland Bar. No walleye yet. Ran out to Shackleton to find a boat out of gas. Towed them in and now taking a break. Hopefully I'll find them later.

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[TrophySeeker]

FWIW, I have had no problem catching walleye the last 2 days. 20+ but no keepers. 10 to 12" walleye are attacking the large size sonar, but not a keeper yet. I have changed my gameplan and ave been catching some nice 12" perch. Just have this afternoon and tomorrow morning left, so any advice is welcome.

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[NymphO]

any recent news ? me and the fam are all packed up and will be to the lake for our vacation later tomorrow. ive been hearing pretty solid reports of good eye action. hoping to run into a few eaters and enough perch or bass action to keep the kids busy ! any reports / advice appreciated !