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My best night ever on the river

justtracytrolling

justtracytrolling
in Walleye

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justtracytrolling

justtracytrolling

Posted
Posted

Many years ago before I had a boat I got a little bored with smallies and musky in the river so I took up walleye.  It didn't take long and I was addicted.  The goal was always to catch a 30 inch plus walking along the river in the dark with only a few lures in my pocket and no net, no way to really drag one around anyway.  I ended up getting a boat and fishing lakes without ever catching my 30.  I came close many times and lost a few that might have made it.  Since then I've guided many 10+ lbers at Otisco and even a few over 30 but none landed casting over 30.  Last night I had to run to the lake anyway so I figured I'd fish from shore and then hit the river after.  Otisco was a zero, but the river was on fire once we got it figured out.  3 of us caught 3 between 30 and 31 2 in the mid twenties and I think 23 smaller eyes.  Here is the biggest, my first river 30 at 10 lbs and almost 31 inches.  Certainly not my heaviest but what a surreal night.  A strong deep current and a super long cast made for a great fight and then getting ahold of it proved to be an even bigger challenge.  Fish was bleeding a bit so I kept it to mount.  We released all the other big ones along with my other fish, and my buddies each kept a limit of eaters.  The trigger tonight was a very slow smooth retrieve with long pauses every half turn to turn of the reel after cranking our huskies down as deep as possible...even putting the rod tip down in the water.  About a 5 to 7 count on the pause and some even longer.  My big one was by far the lightest tap of the night...hj14 in the lighter perch color, but any hj8 to 14 with a white belly worked, but the big ones all came off the 12s and 14s.

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  • Like 6
justtracytrolling

justtracytrolling

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Posted

I never got bored fighting smallies or muskies...I got bored mentally targeting them and frustrated with trying to fish around lots of people and not be seen catching good fish in my favorite spots so that when the water is right and you hike through the brush and get to your spot there isn't people already there.  It's easy in a boat...you just go some where else.  Walleye provided a brand new challenge and there isn't many people out at midnight shore fishing walleye.  Catching even 4-5 pound walleye from shore on purpose without someone to show you how, and absolutely nobody was sharing even the tiniest bit of useful info back then, was a real challenge!  I only go a handful of times a year because I'm too lazy now that I have a boat and figured I'd probably never get my shore 30 from the river.   It's not just full moons guys...I like a new moon just about as much and it not a coincidence last night was the new moon...

stf65

stf65

Posted
Posted

this may seem dumb to some, but I live near Albany....what river are you talking about?  Susquehanna, Oswego ??

Sk8man

Sk8man

Posted
Posted (edited)

My guess is Susquehanna:smile: long river though....:smile:

Edited by Sk8man
  • 2 weeks later...
EsoxAC3

EsoxAC3

Posted
Posted

When a person says the ‘the river’..... while there are many....there is only one as far as I’m concerned [emoji3][emoji476]

Congrats Justin. Outstanding fish.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

 

Lucky13

Lucky13

Posted
Posted

I doubt he was running from Otisco Lake to the St Lawrence to fish in the same night.  Since he lives in Binghamton, it is a safe bet that he is referring to either the Susquehanna or the Chenango.  There is good musky fishing in the Susquehanna that he could get tired of, great smallmouth fishing, and lots of walleyes, although, as he is saying, not too many monsters.   There is no reason the muskies could not swim up the Chenango, either.  Finally, since he is speaking of shore fishing, walking along casting lures, I go with those two as there are numerous places to access and walk the shoreline on both, the SL, not so much that I am aware of. 

BSmaster

BSmaster

Posted
Posted

I wouldn't worry about it getting blown out.  I took someone hiking thru the brush and climbing down embankments (once) who likes to fish.  They haven't been back since - even in the day time.  These aren't those worn down trout salmon stream trails.  People like to think they want to do it, until they do it.

 

Like I said before, it is the drive home that keeps me from doing it anymore.  Congrats on your fish Justin.  I still remember my first (and only) 30 incher. 

  • 3 weeks later...
stf65

stf65

Posted
Posted

a friend and I drove 3hrs to Binghamton because we heard stories of the great bass fishing on the susquehanna....it was muddy, stunk like sewage and not even the bass would bite.....left there and went to cayuga….not much better but at least we caught fish...

Lucky13

Lucky13

Posted
Posted

When I lived there in the seventies, the Johnson City Wastewater Treatment Plant would blow out to the river with great regularity, and there would be advisories posted to not handle or especially eat fish from the "urban" side of the river downstream to Owego.  I would think DEC would have mandated upgrades in the intervening 40-50 years.  But you are downstream from large agricultural areas, so , along with the mud, you could also encounter manure runoff, and if the Susq was muddy, it had been raining somewhere upstream recently, in dry spells it still flows very clear (based on being down there last spring, and also using the Genesee as a reference for clarity).  I'm told access is more difficult than it used to be, but where is that NOT the case?  Too bad you picked a poor conditions day. 

stf65

stf65

Posted
Posted

a friend and I drove 3hrs to Binghamton because we heard stories of the great bass fishing on the susquehanna....it was muddy, stunk like sewage and not even the bass would bite.....left there and went to cayuga….not much better but at least we caught fish...

 

there's no bait shops to get info from and we tried but....

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