Cayuga Lake out of Dean’s Cove 10/6
Got out on my own today for around a 1/2 day on Cayuga around noontime. I’m pretty much whipped from the guiding season and Cornell going full-out, so it’s been tough trying to get up early and head to Otisco or some other distant lake! Anyways, Taughannock’s launch was loaded with debris, so I decided to launch out of Dean’s Cove. I’m getting ready to smoke up some lakers, but first I need some lakers! I motored towards Sheldrake and found good numbers of fairly active lakers ranging from 80′ to 110′ of water. Fishing was very good and I lost two fish at the boat and landed two in around 2 hours. A lot of fish were hitting on the descent of the jig while jigging the bottom. The two I landed were both Keuka sized fish – around 22″, but not spawners. No sign of milt or eggs in these non-stunted fish – just bait in their stomachs. In Skaneateles and Keuka Lakes, 17″ fish often have eggs or milt in them – these are stunted fish.
I tried a little perch fishing before I had to go and caught some small ones in around 20′ of water. Water temps midlake are around 64 on top. Perchin’ is reportedly very good to excellent in the northern portions of the lake.
Propagation netting is going well at Taughannock Park. Around 30 to 40 females have been handled per day. By-catch has been minimal with one 5 to 6lb channel catfish so far. My buddy Mike works the eggtake and he saw a few very nice lakers – some 11 to 12lb fish. Best one handled thus far was a 36″ to 37″ male, probably weighing 14 to 15lbs. Shore fishers are catching lakers on jigs and eggs.