Seneca...

[vicarious]

Up for my normal 4th of July trip and have been spending some time on the water with my oldest daughter, Mayson (9) with good (for us) results.  We've been concentrating a mile south/north of sampson.

 

Monday, 7/2

Lines in by 6:30 and off the water by 8 before the sun got too hot.  went 4 for 6 with 3 lakers and a land lock.  If I recall, 2 came off of sliders and the ll came off 5 color leadcore.  Fished 80-90 feet of water. Found 55 degrees was down 55ish feet.  Orange and copper were the best colors and fish wanted 2-2.4.

Tuesday, 7/3 am

fished 6:30 to 9.  went 3 for 5, but seemed to be a tougher bite.  One laker, one bow and one ll. started out 2-2.4, but couldn't get anything to hit until we bumped it up to 2.7 downspeed and moved out to 100-120 fow.

Tuesday 7/3 pm

Went out with my father, wife and two girls (9 and 5).  Went 4 for 5, all lakers between 7 and 8:30.  All were 3 lbs and over with the biggest around 8/9.  4 on spoons and one off of a dipsey.  Standard sized Mixed veggie as the main spoon took a couple with no hits on the cheaters.  My wife and oldest daughter landed a double to start the action, so that was really cool.  I fought a big fish on the dispey for about 5 or so minutes.  Could barely get it to budge.  It took a few nice pulls when it first hit, then just dug in deep and didn't want to move.  My 5 year old was helping me reel it in, but we ended up pulling the hook.  The fish were feeding hard with many puking half digested sawbellies all over the boat.

Wed 7/4 am

Got up a 5 to put a pork butt on the smoker, woke my daughter and had lines in just south of the sampson marina by 6:20.  didn't even get the 3rd line in when a nice LL hit a copper/silver hammered sutton 31 down 61 feet.  Slow after that with a laker coming on the same spoon about 45 minutes later.  Turned back south about a mile north of sampson and popped a 3 lb bow in 105 fow on a cheater with rigger parked at 45 feet.  Put it back down and about 10 minutes later, the other rigger at 61 fired.  Fish stayed deep at first, so we thought it was a laker, then something jumped so we thought it might be a bow or ll.  Got it to the back of the boat and when I went to net it, realized it was both.  We hooked a 2lb laker on the sutton and a small bow on the cheater.  Decided to pull lines at that point and had a small bow hit the 3 color to finish the morning.  2.6 was the best speed and 105 fow produced most of the hits.  6/6 with 3 bows, 2 lakers and one ll.  off the water by 8:45.

 

Had a couple fleas show up on the dispsey, but not a problem yet.  Marked a lot of fish on bait in the 15-45 foot range over 80-120 fow each day. 

We fished during the derby and struggled, but the lake seems to be turning on with a lot of silvers in the 2-4 lb range.

 

We're only a brown short of a Seneca slam for the week, so we may try to change things up in the morning.

 

Happy 4th!

 

 

 

 

 

[vicarious]

Couple of pics



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[Sk8man]

Great report and wonderful pics Brad. Sure looks as though you've proved that Seneca is far from dead despite what some folks have thought. Very encouraging report and glad the fleas weren't too terrible. Please say hello and best regards to your folks for me and same for you. Tight lines bud and have a great vacation.

Edited July 4, 2018 by Sk8man

[trouthunter24]

Pics are fantastic! Great trip

[DWHJR]

Thanks for the post.  Great to see some good news on Seneca.

[markyb63]

Nice fish great job!!

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[treerat]

Great pics .good luck rest of the week

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[vicarious]

Thanks guys.  @Les, always good to hear from you.  My dad says 'hello' and wanted to know how you've been.

 

I was planning to head out this morning, but the strong south wind kept us off the water.

Decided to head out around 4:30 pm after the storms came through.    Headed down to Lodi with my father and daughter to attempt to catch a brown.  No luck.  We found 55 degree water about 60 feet down and tried to focus on where it met bottom.  We marked fish on bottom, but didn't catch any browns.

We trolled all the way up past the house to the old Officer's Club and went 5 for 6, but it was slow going.  Didn't get a hit until I popped the release to change a spoon and a laker hit it while it fluttered up.  Dragged another small laker for a while on a rigger that we didn't realize was on until we decided to change spoons.  Had a small bow take a watermelon spoon on 5 color.  Tried changing spoons, depths, speeds, everything, but never really zoned in on a pattern.  Decided to change out the rigger spoon again to a honey bee pattern and had a laker hit as soon as I set the rod in the holder.  Reset it, added a honey bee scorpion cheater, and it was quiet for a while.

Turned back south to head towards home before we pulled and doubled up shortly after.  Had a laker take the main spoon on the deep rigger, dropped the speed to about 1 mph and while my daughter was getting ready to net it, the other rigger released.  I took the net while she got the other rod.  We landed the laker while she brought in the other line, got it to the back of the boat, one last jump and the spoon flew over the top of my head... fish was gone.  

Landed 4 lakers with the biggest being about 3 lbs, one small bow and another small bow that tried to take my eye out.

I was very surprised that the last bow hit the cheater while we were only going about 1 mph.  Makes me think that we may have been 

going too fast (2.0-2.8) the entire time.  We marked a lot of fish and while we caught, they were all small and didn't hit aggressively.  Obviously, late afternoon, between storms isn't the best time to fish, so maybe they just weren't actively feeding fish.  who knows...

 

Just a few more days and we've got to head back to NJ, so we'll be at it again in the morning (wind and weather permitting).

 

good luck!

 

 

[vicarious]

Didn't fish Friday due to the wind, but headed out this morning with my father, daughter and wife.  Pulled out of the hoist at 6:30 and started on a north troll.   Got lines in and immediately hit a scum line full of weeds.  Spent the next 20 minutes resetting lines and trying to find clean water and fish.

It didn't take long.  We got a little too shallow, made a sharp turn to head for deeper water and the inside rigger popped with a decent brown (with 4 lampreys attached).  My daughter reeled it in and completed the Seneca Slam for the week!!!!

I don't remember all the specifics, but it was pretty steady action after that.  We fished 6:30 to 9:30.  Ended up with 4 bows, 2 lakers, 1 brown, a break off at the back of the boat, and a bow that spit at the back of the boat.

Took 3 bows on a 5 color lc with 3/4 ounce snap weight attached, and a purple/white scorpion took 2 fish as a cheater off the 45 rigger.

Temps moved up 20 feet from earlier in the week with 55 being 38 down.  Weeds were a nuisance, but no fleas.

 

 

Edited July 8, 2018 by vicarious
Corrected time

[Sk8man]

Priceless Brad! The lake has been tough this year so you sure are doing all the right stuff (all the way around).

Edited July 7, 2018 by Sk8man

[fisherdude]

Nice land lock . Looks like it was torpedo darn lampreys

 

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[treerat]

Nice way to go with your daughter . definitely a decent week for you

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[vicarious]

Thanks guys!!
We had a great week. My daughter is hooked, and hopefully created some memories that will last a lifetime!!!
Everyone slept in this morning and we’re heading back to NJ in a few minutes.

Fisherdude, I could be wrong, but I’m almost positive that was a brown in the pic. It had 4 lampreys attached when we got it in the boat and was in bad shape. Only ones we saw all week.

Good luck and enjoy the rest of the summer!



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[Sk8man]

Brad he may be referring to the one in the first set of pics to the right of the rainbow. can't see the adipose clearly to see if any spotting and the distribution of spots on body look like as much like landlock as brown.Can't tell just by looking at tail especially in pics as it relates to how someone is holding the fish as much as anything.. Could have told for sure looking at the roof of the mouth; only one set of vomarine teeth for the landlock two for browns

[fisherdude]

went back and l at the pic on the lap top you most certainly right i would say that be a brown . guess i was looking at the hole from the lamprey more than the fish . glad your family and you enjoyed your trip . i believe i'm truly blessed living around the finger lakes .

[vicarious]

Thanks.  My daughter’s Seneca slam hinged on that fish being a brown, so I’m happy you were able to confirm.  Might seem silly, but matters a lot to a 9 yr old.

And, I agree.  those of you who live in and get to experience the finger Lakes on a daily basis are truly blessed.  Hence the reason for my screen name.  This site allows me to experience the fishing vicariously through all of you!

hopefully, I’ll be up later this summer to enjoy them again in person.  Until then, I’ll be checking the reports, so good luck and keep’em coming.