Otisco Lake 12/23 PM
I got out on my own onto Otisco Lake today from around noon til dark. I’ve been meaning to get out here for awhile, mainly to just work my way around the lake to see what I could catch this time of year. I brought some musky gear, a 10 wt. fly-rod and some tackle that I could use for walleyes/bass. The weather held out for awhile, but it was windy. By 3 pm the rain started falling. No action on muskies for me today. I had one hit on a deceiver (fly) and it wound up being a chunky 17″ to 18″ smallmouth. That was it. A good portion of the lake was muddy due to rain – I always tend to forget how quickly this lake muddies up. Weed growth varies – there are still some nice weedbeds around. The first ice bite for muskies is typically very good here from what I’ve heard, but I have yet to capitalize on the “late open water pre-freeze up” musky bite. If the weather patterns keep holding up, I may give it another shot. I had fun casting my 10 wt. Diamondback Backwater, which I haven’t used in a good 12 to 14 years since doing some striper fishing on the North shore of Massachusetts. No other boats were out here today. Water level was surprisingly good and launching was easy at OLM. 44 degrees was the water temp.