Cayuga Lake

[Trouthunter]

Is anyone having any luck catching landlocks or rainbows on the lake lately just trying to see if its worth taking the boat over 

 

[Tom fratick]

Question 

Because  of the flea problem  what do you  think  if say I mark fish at 70 feet down  in 100 feet  of water if I send a live minnow  down  70 foot do you think  it would  work??

Thanks for your  reply 

TOM FRATICK 

[Trouthunter]

It should

 

[bulletbob]

 A minnow?? Depends on what you mean by a minnow..   a fathead or shiner?... maybe but I have my doubts... Those are not what trout are used to eating when roaming deep water... They key on sawbellies this time of year... If you get some live sawbellies and send one down, yes, they will get hit no question if its in the zone and if the fish are eating.

[fisherman21]

I bet a bass shiner would work just fine 

[Sk8man]

I believe the assumption being made is that the fish marked at 70 ft is a trout or salmon.  Smallmouth Bass and other species also inhabit that depth during the summer and at this time of year. I once caught a Bullhead while trolling with good sized spoons over 300 ft of water and it was down 80 ft ...not sure why. I've caught plenty of Smallies on Seth Green rigs on Canandaigua, Seneca, and Cayuga while trolling for trout and salmon.  I've also seen hundreds of Carp migrating across Seneca near the barge area in 500 ft of water. Point is there never is a guarantee out there of your target fish so you could be in for a surprise

Edited September 18, 2022 by Sk8man

[bulletbob]

23 hours ago, fisherman21 said:

I bet a bass shiner would work just fine 

Maybe, but there is a reason they still sell sawbellies despite the fact that they die if you look at them the wrong way, and other baitfish are much hardier.. They simply work better for trout... Not saying a trout or salmon won't hit a shiner, but i can't begin to tell you how many times i have seen big trout or salmon  caught by shore fishermen using sawbellies while guys using shiners or fatheads never got a sniff... By the same token I have personally witnessed a huge  Brown caught on a tiny little fathead better suited to catching 7 inch perch... Sawbellies are  what Cayuga trout and salmon eat the most of , they are used to following big schools of them, and they  are simply the best live  bait for trout in the lakes where sawbellies are the predominant food source... bob

[Tom fratick]

Thanks for the  reply 

[T-Rok]

8 hours ago, bulletbob said:

Maybe, but there is a reason they still sell sawbellies despite the fact that they die if you look at them the wrong way, and other baitfish are much hardier.. They simply work better for trout... Not saying a trout or salmon won't hit a shiner, but i can't begin to tell you how many times i have seen big trout or salmon  caught by shore fishermen using sawbellies while guys using shiners or fatheads never got a sniff... By the same token I have personally witnessed a huge  Brown caught on a tiny little fathead better suited to catching 7 inch perch... Sawbellies are  what Cayuga trout and salmon eat the most of , they are used to following big schools of them, and they  are simply the best live  bait for trout in the lakes where sawbellies are the predominant food source... bob

We call em mooneyes on owasco. Lol. Yeah they work the best, but they are also the best at dying. Buy them in the morning and put them in the livewell as soon as your on the water. Best way to try and keep them alive. 

[Tom fratick]

Thanks