Reports

Owasco Lake continues to be the “weak sister” regarding lake trout jigging at this point in time. We’ve had great action on this lake over the past 3 to 4 years in July and August. This year they just are in a very neutral to negative mood. We have caught fish on every trip, and we’ve been marking plenty of fish – so the fish are there, but they just aren’t hitting like they are capable of. I’m going to take a “wait ‘n see” approach to this lake. Guided Frank and Carol along with their son Craig. They each landed one fish and each missed a few hits. That was about it. We marked plenty of fish and some bait.

I had to take a surprise drug test in the early afternoon. Coast Guard requires that all Captains be on a random drug test program. So I got my notice in the mail the day before and had 24 hours to go to a nearby testing facility. Given that caffeine (coffee) is my drug of choice, I should pass with flying colors. 😉

At 4 pm I met Jeff and Abby at the Taughannock launch. Conditions did not look good – threatening T-storms and rain was in the forecast, but that can mean HOT fishing, and sure enough it was. Abby started things off with a nice 25″ laker. She did a good job for someone who has pretty much never fished before. She lost another then Jeff took over. They landed a bunch of beautiful lakers – mostly 26″ to 29″ fish. Fish were in around 57′ to 80′ of water – and there was plenty of fish around. We quit early due to a rainstorm that cranked up quickly. Great PM fishing!

Today was Ed and Bill. Bill is a longtime Cayuga Lake “copper puller” and while fishing on Cayuga Lake a few weeks ago, someone recommended he contact me to learn about jigging lake trout. I was happy to oblige. We set up our 1/2 day a few weeks ago and the guys couldn’t have timed things better. The weather was unsettled and the lake trout bite was terrific! They landed 7 nice fish in about an hour and a half, then another 9 fish over the next hour and a half! Nearly every fish was in the 27″ to 29″ range – 7 to 8lbs or better! Great action and we were a short boat ride away from Taughannock Park. Fish were aggressively chasing as well as hitting on the bottom. Baitfish are everywhere. The guys loved the jigging and how hard the fish fought on the medium bass tackle. These lakers are really putting up a battle; the bigger fish are making 2 to 3 searing runs – almost like a salmon or steelhead. I’m not sure why – because some lakers certainly can fight like “duds” but these big fish have been fighting GREAT.

cayuga lake Owasco Lake