Cayuga 1/9

[Reel Doc]

Hoped to get out Saturday but Dean's had iced up and didn't hear a status report for Taughannock.  

So.... today with the warm up we headed to Dean's this afternoon and despite a snotty surf from a South wind gave it a go.  The chop was less near shore so put out a board and worked in tight for an hour but only picked up 1 Laker.  The wind started to turn and the surf let up a little so snuck out past 75, dropped a couple dipseys with flies and game on.  Non stop from 3:30 until dark, the flies had most of the fires but the rigger went a couple times too.  A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon in January and still watch a great football game tonight.

[egcuth]

Nice job!!

[Sk8man]

Have to hand it to you.....some hardcore fishing

[finsntins]

nice job reel doc,frostbite fishing on the finger lakes,love it!!!!!

[Gill-T]

Awesome!  Note fin clip. 

[Reel Doc]

The luxury of living close to the launch allows for last minute fishing trips.  I use the wind finder app and it's pretty reliable, but yesterday the lake surf was still coming strong from the South even though the wind started Southwest and an hour and a half later turned to come out of the Northwest.  Definitely a lag between change in wind direction and the waves.  Glad to get out as this time of year you never know when the next opportunity comes up

[Reel Doc]

32 minutes ago, Gill-T said:

Awesome!  Note fin clip. 

Yes, 95 % of Lakers I get from Cayuga are clipped.  Been doing a diary for the DEC for a few years now..  Always look forward to the results when they post in March.  I would love to know their system in order to get an idea on ages of some of the bigger ones

[Sk8man]

Usually they have sent plastic things that look like book markers with that info on it in some of mine depending on the lake. I imagine the Region 7 office of DEC might send ypou one for Cayuga if you contacted them.

Edited January 11, 2022 by Sk8man

[BrookTrout]

Nice, love the winter reports!!

[Reel Doc]

3 hours ago, Sk8man said:

Usually they have sent plastic things that look like book markers with that info on it in some of mine depending on the lake. I imagine the Region 7 office of DEC might send ypou one for Cayuga if you contacted them.

Thanks for the tip, I'll ask about it!

[troutman10]

Reel Doc...sent you a pm

[Pair of Jacks]

Woohoo…you are making me jealous!!! This sound crazy but her in central Virginia, The upper Pamunkey (where we live) and South Anna branches of Lake Anna are frozen over so our typical winter striper fishing is on hold till ice out…even the sea gulls and Herons are confused.  
 

keep on keeping on!!!

 

 

[Reel Doc]

2 hours ago, Pair of Jacks said:

Woohoo…you are making me jealous!!! This sound crazy but her in central Virginia, The upper Pamunkey (where we live) and South Anna branches of Lake Anna are frozen over so our typical winter striper fishing is on hold till ice out…even the sea gulls and Herons are confused.  
 

keep on keeping on!!!

 

 

We know how you feel as a deep freeze here for the past few weeks.  Winter river Stripers sounds great.  Post some pics next time you go out!

[Pair of Jacks]

Will do our stripers are landlocked …stocked by Virginia Department Wildlife Resources…we actually have a full time DWR Fishery Biologist assigned to our Lake to manage the fishery.  We have a superb striper, hybrid, and largemouth.

 

[Pair of Jacks]

Reel Doc…yes i know about your deep freeze their in central NYS/Finger Lakes…our best friends live year round on Seneca Lake.  I also grew up there myself… many moons ago.  I remember the two of the worst winters were January 1967 big blizzard and 10 years later 1977 Seneca Lake froze completely for the first time in over 100 years. Stay warm, stay safe.

 

Pair of Jack

[Pair of Jacks]

Reel doc—I should have included my numerous spring nighttime excursions to Taughannock Falls to dip for smelt.  It’s my understanding that this no longer happens or at least not like back in the 60s and 70s.  That was both fun and good eating back in the day….although I don’t miss cleaning 500 or 600 smelt at 2am.😎😎

 

Keep on keeping on!!

 

Pair of Jacks

[Reel Doc]

I'm a transplant so my first Cayuga smelting was in the mid-80's when came to Ithaca for college.  Salmon creek was the East side hotspot.  With the invasion of alewives and gobies the smelt numbers have really fallen off.  Last Spring a few guys were filling buckets at some small streams but otherwise, not big numbers left.

[Pair of Jacks]

Yes I recall Salmon Creek being a spot as well.  Similar issues on Seneca Lake when the Zebra Mussels invaded…change the ecosystem and now their are only small numbers of Sawbellies and smelt.

 

Keep on keeping on!!

 

Pair of Jacks