Skaneateles Lake 5/13 + Cayuga Lake out of Dean’s 5/14
Skaneateles Lake 5/13: I guided Peter here for the full day. It was a weird weather day with fog and cool conditions in the AM, then the sun came out and burned off the fog, clouds rolled in. The wind came up a little, then died – and so it went. Pete had never caught a smallmouth bass before and within maybe 20 minutes he managed a gorgeous 18″+ fish. A great first smallie! A green pumpkin tube jig did the trick. We worked areas along the entire lake on both shores. He managed a few more chunky bass and a bunch of nice perch incl. a couple over 14″. No trout today in the mix. They were definitely around, but we just didn’t get into them. One bass came on a stickbait. The jigging technique I use takes practice and at times it can be tough feeling the jigs in deep water. That may have played a part in the lack of trout. Water temps are around 46. Pete’s a kindred spirit and I really enjoy conversing with him. Last time he fished lakers and pike on Seneca, so it was time for something different. All in all just a nice day spent on the water!
Cayuga Lake out of Dean’s Cove 5/14: Guided Jim and his 11 y.o. son Griffin today for 1/2 day. We timed things perfectly – avoiding the rain in the AM and missing out on the strong westerlies that came up in the PM! Jim’s a fly-fisher but I recommended a laker trip since Griff would be with him. Lakers are so strong and so much fun – it feels great to have fish that can really put a bend into the rod and rip out some drag. Lakers (esp. this time of year) excel in that department! Water temps are 47 – perfect for lakers! We tried deep to start using the electronics. Didn’t mark too much. Moving in shallow was the key – we found good #s of aggressive fish from around 65′ out to 75′ or 80′. Fishing was very, very good. Around 8 nice fish were landed incl. a monster 32″ beast! Just one of the biggest, girthiest lakers I’ve seen for its length. It hit a 1 oz roundhead jig with a white reaper tail. Great fight and we released everything but one mortally wounded fish today. Expect to find a lot of shallower fish now, with water temps reaching the upper 40s and lower 50s on the surface!