Cayuga Lake out of Long Point State Park 5/8 – 11

I've nearly completed a 6-day run of trips on Cayuga Lake targeting lake trout - it feels like the early to mid-2000s for me, as I'm usually not quite this busy this time of year.  Lake temperatures remain cold and the water is still very clear.  We had around 48/49 degrees today on top.  Some fish are gradually moving shallow and versatility along with an open mind remains the key to successful trips

5/8:  Today I guided my old friend Chris - we go back to elementary school and Jim, whom I've known since high school.  We had a very solid double-digit day today anchored by Jim's massive 34" beauty!  Jim also had a 31" if I remember right.  The guys kept three fish and they were packed with alewives.  Fish came from around 110' to 135' if I remember correctly.  Best action was during the west winds and light rain.  Once the winds died down and the sun came out, things slowed down.  Usually I like sun for these fish - especially during the winter and early spring, but once May kicks in, it usually isn't as important.

5/9:  Had a great day of fishing today with John, his son Jeff and grandson (Jeff's son) Josh.  The guys were up here for a "guy's weekend" and it correlated with Josh's first time fishing and desire to complete the requirements for the Fishing Merit Badge in Boy Scouts.  I was a scout from late-1976 right through the summer of 1980 and I had some of the best times of my life there.  I really honed my fishing skills at Camp Massawepie in the Adirondack Mountains and had a lot of fun visiting Griffiss Air Force Base, shooting .22s, archery and so on.  We had a great troop - Troop 230 in Penfield NY and many of the scouts I knew back then really made something of their lives.

We wound up having a very solid day and quit 2 hours early once the bite died down.  Everyone caught fish, and Josh caught the first, the smallest and the largest!  It was another good double-digit day.

5/10:  Today I guided Ron for a full-day.  Fishing was tougher today than during the past four days.  It took us two hours to put one in the boat.  Ron wound up with a half-dozen good lakers for a full-day trip.  We had to work for them today!   We had fish from 80' out to 150' or so.  It was a chilly night and the winds blew fairly hard out of the northwest.

5/11:  Today was a half-day trip with Jack and Jack.  Today started out tough until I made some adjustments and we moved up shallower.  After that, the guys had some very good fishing going 9 for around 24 if I remember correctly!  Jack likes to keep track of missed hits!  Jack smokes up his catch and the guys were one fish short of their limit.  Fun day!  Jack Henke's terrific Oneida Lake Books are a must-read for anyone curious about the rich history surrounding the lake.  I really enjoy his latest book and was hoping it wouldn't end...  Jack tells me he has begun another book!  We had another fun day with some good fighting lakers.

I am back out tomorrow and then as of this writing, I have 5 prime open dates.  Wednesday does not look good weather-wise, but Thursday 5/14 is open, as is the 16th through the 18th.  I plan on getting out during the week if I don't book up.