Cayuga Lake out of Long Point 11/9
I wasn’t sure where I was going to fish this morning. Skaneateles was my first choice – it’s a great time of year for some “catch ’em and eat ’em” fishing over there. Might have been a good day to try to nail a musky or two at Otisco or Waneta Lake. Maybe check on the pike around Sampson on Seneca or out of Geneva. But my curiosity got the best of me and I grabbed my pike gear and headed over to Cayuga Lake out of Long Point State Park.
For those not familiar with Cayuga Lake, it can be broken down kind of like some other Finger Lakes; the top 5 to 6 miles of Cayuga basically fish like Honeoye Lake – lots of weeds and plenty of largemouths (though not the population density of Honeoye’s) and pickerel as well (more these days than Honeoye.) There are some nice pike up there too, though they are vastly outnumbered by pickerel. The southern 5 to 7 miles of Cayuga fishes more like Conesus Lake, with good pike and smallmouths, though not the largies that Conesus has and the pike fishing probably isn’t quite as good on Cayuga, though some years it’s debatable. Now these comparisons are a bit of a stretch, but not too far off base. The middle 25 to 27 miles of Cayuga Lake is hard to quantify this time of year. (Keep in mind I’m talking November through April – not the summertime!) Great fishing for lake trout and some decent perch areas though and a few large smallmouth bass can usually be found, but there are loads of areas that appear to be void of fish until late in the spring.
Now that I’m on the east shore of Cayuga Lake I’m much closer to Long Point. Years ago the Long Point area was a hot pike area, not so much anymore. Cayuga AES was great for winter pike too, but that plant looks like it’s about done burning coal. I worked about 3 miles of the west shore of the lake today primarily using jerkbaits and tubes, though I did take casts with swimbaits, spinnerbaits and large streamers as well. I found some great looking areas that I’m 90% sure would hold pike – the right kind of weed growth was there. I landed a chunky 18″ smallmouth of a deep running X-rap. In another area I got hammered twice – once my rod nearly got jerked out of my hand. I’m guessing another large smallmouth or maybe a pike. I had what appeared to be a pickerel follow in a lure. I did land a 22″ pickerel as well. Saw some perch in one area and either a 12″ to 15″ trout or bass in another. But it was tough. I’m sure there are some isolated pike populations around (I’ve been told that – from reliable sources) and I will continue my mid-lake search. Even though I didn’t catch much, this type of fishing/exploring really trips my trigger and I thoroughly enjoy it!