Cayuga lake kayak fishing

[RupturedDuck47]

I'm new to fishing out of a kayak for trout and salmon in the lakes. Any tips or info would be great!

 

I have a 12' fishing kayak and a Garmin striker 4 fish finder. I managed to do some productive jigging in September-October but soon found myself coming up empty handed.....and cold. I usually fish out of Dean's Cove and Vanriper Whitlock area. I do have a dipsey diver but an not quite sure how to use it or if it will work from a kayak.

 

I was jigging bucktails with a 5" soft plastic this past fall amd they seemed to love them in 80-110 FOW until they didn't.

 

I'm not sure what what I'm doing wrong because, well.... I don't know what I'm doing in the first place.

 

What should I be looking for on the fish finder, what frequency should I have it at and what rigs should I run?

 

Thanks

Ben

 

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[Reel Doc]

I have not fished from a kayak or higher, but if you look back on Cayuga lake posts I think you will find many posts specific to both techniques.  Also, if you had success around Deans in September and October then you were figuring things out pretty well.  As the larger Lakers get closer to spawn time they tend to migrate to the South end of the lake and develop lockjaw for a while.  Smaller fish are around, but as lake temps even out in late Fall, they could be anywhere in the column so finding a group on your electronics is less common.  Get started this Spring and with more time on the water patterns will start to reveal for you.  Good luck.

[troutman10]

Not sure if you have a leadcore setup but that would be worth having in your arsenal imo.  Zoom flukes or something similar with 3/4-1 oz jig heads should work for jigging. I use that same fish finder with success. Sometimes fish will be up off the bottom and actively feeding but sometimes they won't show themselves until your jig is about to hit the bottom bc they might be hanging on the bottom. Sounds like your close. Good luck!

[JJBat150]

On the road, so I'll keep it short. Search the site, lots of good posts about kayak fishing. Here's a post where i describe my set-up.

https://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishing-hunting/index.php?/topic/89553-Kayak-Trolling-Help#entry651832

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[Sk8man]

JJ has been doing this for awhile on different bodies of water and knows his stuff so you have a good resource there.

[RupturedDuck47]

Thank you so much! I'll try and put it all together when I get out next weekend

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[JJBat150]

On 3/13/2021 at 1:57 PM, RupturedDuck47 said:

Thank you so much! I'll try and put it all together when I get out next weekend

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Just remember that it's still early in the season - cold water is all around.     I'd highly recommend a dry suit until it warms up some more.   Remember the 120 degree rule when it come to cold water immersion... water temp + air temp less then 120, then thermal protection should be used.

 

The Cold Facts on the ‘120-Degree Rule’ | Waterway Guide News Update

 

I generally wear a dry suit until the water temps are 55-60; get some weird looks from the "Citidiots" in their recreational kayaks, but at least I know I'm protected.   

 

I've had a few experiences with cold water immersion in the past, and have seen the bad effects it can have.  Want to make sure I'm around for my wife and kids in the future.  

Edited March 17, 2021 by JJBat150