Cayuga out of Taughannock 1/8
Today was an exploratory day. Try to find what the lakers are up to and find a few new pike areas. I started north of Taughannock and worked the west shore for lakers. I had calm conditions and some sun – perfect! No sign of lake trout in 60′ to 110′. Marked a little bit of bait and a few scattered suspended marks. Went north to Millican/King Ferry area. Again, there were a few marks and some bait but nothing great. I decided to work deeper and found a concentration of what were probably lake trout in 150′ of water on steep ledges. I wasn’t able to get any of the fish interested in my offerings. It was a little tricky since my bow depth finder is in the shop, but I don’t think that was a factor. Fish seem to be semi-dormant. Many of the fish may be further north. Either way I had very few marks that were shallower than 140′!
As for pike/pickerel I worked the same King Ferry shoreline and one area further south. Nice shelves over there and it looked promising for toothy critters. I missed one decent fish that I caught a glimpse of – most likely a big pickerel, but that was pretty much it.
Water level is high for wintertime – more of a fall level. Water temps are around 39/40. Cayuga just seems slow now. Pike/pickerel is still the best bite until we see some north winds. Other lakes are fishable now including Keuka, Seneca, Owasco and Skaneateles – so there are some great options available….