Reports

Guided Don for close to a full day today. He has a place on Keuka Lake and we were originally planning on some Seneca Lake salmon fishing, but the winds and water conditions weren’t conducive to it today. On Keuka Lake the water level was high, but not flooding yet. Last year he jigged lakers and we had cold conditions and tough fishing with a couple landed along with a salmon follow and 18″ smallie. Don wanted to cast today for bass and maybe a bonus salmon. Water was muddy on the N. end due to the inlet. I had Don work some of the muddy water with jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and spoons. He’s pretty sure he had a few hits, but no takers. Some pickerel chased in his jerkbaits in some clearer water. Fishing was not easy with water temps around the low 40s. Eventually he picked up a decent smallmouth bass on a jerkbait. I also showed him dropshotting.

I did some casting after the trip and during a warm-up break or two and managed a few smallmouths around 16″ to 17″+. The bass were lethargic and it took a lot of concentration to feel the hits in the deep water – not an easy task by any measure. Smallmouths in cold water are enjoyable on some levels, but the lakers generally fight better this time of year. The bass we encountered were on breaks from around 15′ to 30′ of water. White size-10 X-Raps and alewife tubes did the trick today. Jigging spoons might still be a good option as well.

bass Chain Pickerel keuka lake