Keuka Lake 9/14 AM + Cayuga Lake 9/15
Busy, busy and more busy is the way things have been getting for me. With classes having started at Cornell and a full guiding schedule in September, the fall is already whizzing by. Here’s how things went:
Keuka Lake out of Keuka State Park 9/14 AM: Met Kerry and Ann at the launch around 7:30 am. After semi-slow fishing on the Branchport arm on 10/5 I decided to run right over to the Bluff. The Bluff might be the best jigging area in the Fingerlakes in terms of steady year-round action and a slow sloping bottom that makes for easier jigging/bottom contact. Fishing was great with solid action from start to finish. Kerry and Ann don’t do a lot of fishing, but they had no trouble getting the hang of the jigging. Thirteen solid fish were landed in 4 hours and many other hits and hookups were had.
Wild lakers in numbers that beg for more harvest isn’t something to take for granted! We’re blessed in the Fingerlakes with this caliber of trout fishing within such a short drive of so many people. Not to mention the amenities and other activities in the region. Kerry is one of the funniest people I’ve guided (and I’m over 1000 trips now!) so that is saying something. He kept me laughing throughout the day and my job didn’t feel a bit like work.
The number of seagulls hanging around Keuka Lake is a testament to the large amount of bait in the lake now. The numbers of 22″ to 23″ well-proportioned fish in our catch are also a testament to the solid quantity of alewives. Expect to see larger perch and bass on this lake in the future, along with increased survival of other salmonids. A couple of their lakers are swimming in my chowder pot now!
Cayuga Lake out of Long Point 9/15: Did a full day with Bill and his wife Valerie, who happen to be renting a place north of Long Point for the week. They do some lake fishing, but Bill was primarily a stream fisherman. The goal was to see a bit of the lake and learn a few patterns.
We started with laker jigging north of Stoney Point. Fishing was slow to start, but picked up to a decent, albeit not spectacular pace within a couple hours. 5 fish were landed, 2 of which were small (16″ to 17″) and three that were in the 22″ to 24″ range. One good one was dropped.
A run up north resulted in some fun action with some solid pickerel. One nice bass also chased in Bill’s swimbait. 7′ to 12′ was good. A bass tournament was going on, as is nearly always the case on Cayuga during the season. On the way back down the lake dropshotting produced a chunky 13″ to 14″ smallmouth for Val. Pickerel hit Rat-L Traps, spoons, X-raps and Sworming Hornets rigged with swimbaits.
Temps on the main lake were around 67 on top. A little cooler on top up north. Laker action was best from 95′ to 105′. Barney’s Derby was today and again, smaller lakers dominated with very little non-laker action from what I heard. We did not enter. My prognosis for fall salmon/brown runs isn’t good on Cayuga. Rainbows will probably be very good. But lampreys have taken their toll on the non-lakers this year. Can you say “Seneca?”