Reports

Water levels are gradually but steadily rising on the area lakes. Cayuga Lake is a foot below full pool (for April’s goals) according to the Canal Charts.  Seneca is full.  Surface temperatures are rising too, but cold water is just below the surface.

Lake trout fishing remains good to excellent on Cayuga Lake mainly north of Long Point.  Some salmon and browns are coming from the southern portions of the lake.  Perch action is starting to slow from what I heard.  No reports on Seneca lately, though I’d expect fair to good lake trout action and good salmon fishing over there.  Owasco has perch available and some deep laker action.  Skaneateles Lake is producing some trout/salmon and perch.  A few bass should be moving up there, especially on warmer, sunny days.

4/17 Owasco Lake:  I had a business friend I had bartered with and he wanted to try perch fishing over here, so off we went.   It was darn cold and wet on the drive up but fortunately skies cleared a bit as we set out just after 7 am.  Our perch action was pretty slow.  We found quite a few schools of “dinks” but never really got into the better fish, although we managed to nab enough for a good meal or two.  Water level here was good and the fishing pressure was pretty light.  We used assorted plastics and found fish from shallow out to around 40′.  The weather seemed to have the bite “off” a bit.

4/18 Cayuga Lake out of Long Point:  Had a fun trip out here with Derrick and his son Aaron.  I’d guided Derrick years ago on Keuka Lake and he has kept up with the jigging over there.  We had very steady action on fish in deep water – 130′ to 150′, including plenty around 29″.  The guys landed around 20 fish and Aaron, who’s 11 years old managed to wear out his arms pretty good!

4/19  Cayuga Lake out of Long Point:   Got out here today with Rich and Kevin for a half day.  Another very solid day of fishing with around 15 fish landed and a bunch lost.  Some friends of mine really got into them hot and heavy today, especially earlier in the AM.  The feedbag is officially “on” and the 4 or 5 fish I cleaned today were absolutely loaded with alewives of varying sizes along with an occasional goby.

Rich had been out once with me before – I think it was last August.  Kevin is mostly a perch and walleye guy and it was fun picking his brain on some of his fishing.  Kevin really enjoyed himself today for his first time jigging lakers.  Cayuga Lake’s early season lake trout fishing is really something to experience!   It’s a small world and Rich went to high school with one of my best friends growing up – Jeff, who will be out with me in early May if all goes as planned.

If you do a lot of lake trout fishing, a washdown system is a very good idea!

Always have to have one fish that sucks the jig in too deep.  Always need a photo of that one fish…

My first boat had a carpeted bottom.  I am much older and wiser than that now!

Availability onwards:

May:  9th, 15th, 16th, 24th – 28th.

June:  1st – 4th, 7th – 11th, 14th, 21st – 28th

My schedule is wide-open from July going forward.