Keuka LAKERS ONLY. BORING!

[Bigfoot]

14 hours ago, lyk2fish said:

Yeah bigfoot, that's why fish In the tournament this year were 5 and 6 pounders, other than the winner at 7 lbs........5 and 6 pounds aren't 14 yrs old to me...........

Be glad keuka doesn't have walleye or you'd all blame them for your lack of browns and rainbows..........novices!

 

Having fished at least 40 competitive events on Keuka Lake alone sponsored by FLTA, North End Landings, Avon Anglers, Red Cross and others I don't think of myself as a novice.

I don't fish much anymore, but back in the day I averaged at least 20 derbies per year. I also kept Angler Coop Diaries on Owasco. Cayuga, Keuka, Seneca and Canandaigua.

[jerktroller]

You all make good points but I'm so sick of hearing about all the water quality problems in Keuka. I've been following keuka college water testing for a few years and Im not seeing any sign of all these problems. Maybe I'm misinterpreting it but I don't see a problem. They show the lake having less phosphorus than ever  I just think everything is out of whack with so many lake trout. There were real problems when I was a kid in the 1960s when DDT was being dumbed and farming was way less friendly to the environment. 

[lyk2fish]

Apologies big foot, your a good fisherman and a great contributor to this site. I responded out of emotion to an earlier post before yours. We are all good fisherman here, it’s just when it comes to the walleye/trout argument it hits home for me as I have skin in the game at owasco as a land owner. I bought my place based on the benefit of both my love for a thriving walleye population and a great trout fishery.........things change, it was the scapegoating of walleye that I didn’t like, especially having a fisheries background and understanding of what factors were contributing. Regardless, I spoke out of emotion and I apologize. You should be proud of your accomplishments as I was impressed to see how involved you’ve been. I know you said you don’t get out much anymore, but you are always welcome on my boat. Tight lines.

[Bigfoot]

Thanks, I appreciate that lyk2fish. I lived near Owasco in the early 1980's and came close to buying a cottage there a dozen years ago. I always considered Owasco my home lake, even when I lived near Seneca and had to drive past Cayuga to get there!                I think there is a tendency today to look for the easy fix, especially to environmental problems. There are many factors that have changed in our lakes over the years, to pick one such as the introduction of the walleye in Owasco, and blame the resulting changes on that sole factor is usually short sighted and mostly incorrect. One thing that I was surprised to learn from fishing the Fingers was that while they might seam quite alike, they are in fact vastly different.

[shaneo19]

I feel like these same topics have been beaten to death on here but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  As someone who lives on and fishes Seneca almost every day I can pretty clearly see what the main problems are here.  Lack of Lamprey control for a long number of years caused a big decline of the trout population.  This in turn caused a big spike in the alewife population.  This imbalance reverberates throughout the ecosystem.  Alewives can be predatory to small fry of many different fish species.  The amounts I see on the depth finder and that come near shore in spring are just out of control.  If Keuka needs baitfish then just come net them from Seneca.  I personally wouldn't because I don't think they are a great forage fish to have.   I think the most obvious solution here is to control the lampreys (treatments last year were hopefully successful but takes years to see results) and increase fish stocking to control the alewife population.  

Edited June 24, 2019 by shaneo19

[Ray4852]

what we need is a better lamprey treatment.  the one we use now works but need the right weather to work. we can stock more fish. if we cant get a handle on the lamprey. they kill them too. I think we have a better treatment but too expensive right now.

[senecamike]

Hey DEC guys. Listen to Shaneo19!

Net tanker loads of alewives out of Seneca and dump them into Keuka. Brilliant!!

Keuka wins. Seneca wins. 

SOON.

 

So far as I know, nobody has yet reported finding a Keuka cisco in a laker belly!!!

I trolled and caught 6 lakers in 3 hours yesterday evening. Right on my average catch rate.  All small, all skinny.

No rb, bt, or llk.

Fleas are bad this year.

[Bigfoot]

I recall reading somewhere that when DEC found it necessary to stock alewives in Keuka decades ago they netted them from (I think) Waneta Lake. This is not an option today due to the state's own baitfish regulations.....If the solution were that easy, it would have already been done!

[Sk8man]

1 hour ago, Ray4852 said:

what we need is a better lamprey treatment.  the one we use now works but need the right weather to work. we can stock more fish. if we cant get a handle on the lamprey. they kill them too. I think we have a better treatment but too expensive right now.

The only time the lampreys are vulnerable is in the amocoete (larval) stage so treatment timing is crucial to reducing their numbers. The timing and weather conditions can also relate to long term effectiveness as flooding on breeder streams allows the spawning adults to get over barriers as well. It takes several years after treatment to see major results or treatment  impact in reducing their numbers as there are always various year class adults in the lake

[Bigfoot]

On ‎6‎/‎20‎/‎2019 at 7:58 PM, senecamike said:

G'Job DEC! We trollers can now target lakers, lakers….. or lakers. Rainbows, browns and salmon are as rare as hen's teeth!

Plenty of bait though (sawbellies, NOT your phantom ciscos).

No fun! No interest! Lakers only..... and you did it DEC!

Rethink your stocking plans or you'll lose fishermen support, license income, charter guys, etc.

Sawbelly counts rise and fall from time to time. Always have. You panicked last couple years, and started talking about your bs cisco theories (yawn).

You shoulda just waited for the sawbellies to resurge (it only took 6 months) then re-stocked the game fish.

Please.

 

Actually, DEC did rethink their stocking plans. They had been stocking Cold Brook with fingerling rainbows- and getting zero returns. This Spring they switched to stocking yearling rainbows (goal was 2,470 fish 8-9" long). Hopefully, these bigger fish will fare better than the small ones did and should start showing up in the lake catch next year. 

[Lucky13]

On ‎6‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 12:31 AM, Ray4852 said:

I started the walleye talk on this thread. years ago we had a nice walleye fishery on canadagua lake. I  saw the tail end of it during the later 60s. it was very popular on that lake. the old timers fished for them at night with lights hanging over the boat. they caught nice size walleye and trout there. the walleye and trout manage to live together.  lake trout in that lake were big. plenty of bait. as the lake started to develop around the lake the walleye fishing decline and the fishery died out. our fingers lakes today is mostly trout and some panfish. I think the DEC could take one of these lakes and turn it in to a walleye lake no trout just walleye add the right bait and see what happens. keuka and canadagua I think could work. we need a good walleye lake. just a thought. we need a good walleye lake in one of these finger lakes. I think we have enough trout. walleye are good eating. the local economy would benefit too. 

Do you really believe that DEC should eliminate all competing species, even ones that are native, in order to stock one that is marginal in that habitat, or even think that it would be possible, not to mention cost effective?  There are walleye lakes, Oneida and Chautauqua immediately come to mind, oh, and Conesus, lets see, shallower, warmer, than the "standard" oligotrophic steep sided cold watered Finger Lake.  Or maybe we should turn one of the natural walleye lakes into a trout lake for the locals around there unwilling to travel to a Finger Lake, and unhappy with those big perch.  Or, why not do as close to what Ma Nature set up to begin with.  Or I want the guvment to install a trout stream in MY backyard!!!

[lakebound88]

Location. Location. Location.

 

Yes the silver numbers are down. Direct relation with the lamprey presence in the lake. Attend the meeting this past fall? You will see the relationship in the decline of the fishery. Fishing the north end? Theres a definite higher population of lakers here, however the rest of the lake has plenty of silver action. The browns were killed off via eels but they are here and will come back. Same with salmon. I have yet to see a rainbow decline as we catch plenty.

 

By 2021 the fishing should balance out once the lamprey are under control.

 

My .02 (for seneca) i know guys have been struggling as well here too.

 

Nick

 

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[Sk8man]

On 6/24/2019 at 12:21 PM, Sk8man said:

The only time the lampreys are vulnerable is in the amocoete (larval) stage so treatment timing is crucial to reducing their numbers. The timing and weather conditions can also relate to long term effectiveness as flooding on breeder streams allows the spawning adults to get over barriers as well. It takes several years after treatment to see major results or treatment  impact in reducing their numbers as there are always various year class adults in the lake.

 

1 hour ago, lakebound88 said:

Location. Location. Location.

 

Yes the silver numbers are down. Direct relation with the lamprey presence in the lake. Attend the meeting this past fall? You will see the relationship in the decline of the fishery. Fishing the north end? Theres a definite higher population of lakers here, however the rest of the lake has plenty of silver action. The browns were killed off via eels but they are here and will come back. Same with salmon. I have yet to see a rainbow decline as we catch plenty.

 

By 2021 the fishing should balance out once the lamprey are under control.

 

My .02 (for seneca) i know guys have been struggling as well here too.

 

Nick

 

Sent from my SM-G960U using Lake Ontario United mobile app

 

 

 

 

I hope you are right about 2021 but it may be quite optimistic given the numbers seen of adults already in the fishery. Also it will depend on any further planned treatments and the subsequent success/failure of them;one treatment isn't going to do it.

 

[lakebound88]

Treating again in 2021. Also, the graphs don't lie. Agreed the lake is tough and other factors play a big role, but from a fishery standpoint those factors won't be addressed.

Nick

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