Reports

5/17 Conesus Lake: Picked up my 2013 Crestliner at Silver Lake Marine and met my buddy Terry over at Conesus Lake. I don’t get over here much anymore, since moving to the Ithaca region back in 1995, but I used to fish it on a semi-regular basis in Terry’s boat back in the mid-late 1980s and 1990s. The lake is a half-hour drive from Silver Lake Marine so I figure I’ll fish it twice a year in the future – when I go to drop off my boat for storage and when I pick it up.

Unfortunately we weren’t able to spend much time here – only about 3.5 hours midday. I had a few things that needed working on and Terry had to work early on Friday, so no nighttime walleye fishing for us. We did some casting for pike and each caught a decent fish – pike running 27″ to 29″. At least I was able to restore a couple walleye waypoints I had that had been lost years ago when I sent in my Lowrance for service (I know good areas by day but it’s nice to have waypoints when motoring out in the dark.) Terry also picked up a bass. Water temps were in the 60s. Water had some color to it (algae/plankton color) and the level was good.

5/19 Owasco Lake: Met Ron and his son Matt over at South Shore Marine at 8 am. The forecast was calling for miserable weather but the guys were up for it. In foul weather, I will cancel or postpone trips depending on the client. A little rain shouldn’t be a big deal for anybody. Ron and Matt wanted to fish; they drive up here from a long ways away. Hardcore outdoorsmen generally can handle various weather conditions, but I don’t expect a couple casual anglers – let’s say a couple up to do the wine trail in the summer, to want to go out in pouring rain and gusting winds. For what it’s worth I have top-notch rain gear and can handle a lot of rain and wind.

I picked Owasco Lake’s south end based on the forecasts. The guys love lake trout but Long Point on Cayuga would have been really rough going with wind gusts out of the south upwards of 26 mph! I had the guys work spoons, stickbaits and Sworming Hornets for pike. On our first pass of one area Matt had 3 follows/hits and landed a small pike. We hit the area again then made a move. In the second area Ron nabbed a 25″er. In our next area Matt caught back to back (almost) smallmouths in the 20″+ range. Other follows were had from nice pike. Some good perch also grabbed the stickbaits. We checked on lakers later on around the southern portions of the lake and didn’t do anything. We tried a last area for pike and wrapped up. Weirdly I took a final cast (I don’t fish on guide trips but just had an urge to make one cast as the guys put their stuff away) and nabbed a 32″ pike.

I think we’ll see good pike fishing here over the next 3 weeks. Water temps are still cold. The bass Matt caught were tremendous fish. Really stellar specimens.

bass Conesus Lake Northern Pike Owasco Lake yellow perch