We spent our day in the lower 1/5th of the lake, also hoping to get a brown today. We had a follow or two from what were likely browns, but no takers. First fish of the day was a small wild rainbow that John landed. After that, he added a lake trout or two. Fishing was good throughout the day with a nice, steady pick of lake trout running up to just under 30". High point of the day was working some shallower water for browns when I looked over and saw that Kevin was hooked up with a good fish! The north winds of the past few days made for some odd temperature profiles. Yesterday (with Dave and Dapper Dan) we had 70 degree water down to 75', then 44 degree water! There wasn't much of a thermocline - just a sudden temperature break. Today was the opposite with plenty of cold water in shallow, so we were catching lake trout in 45' of water today. We had a ton of bait under us when Kevin hooked up. The fish stayed down but fought well. I figured we were in warm water, but when the fish didn't come right up, I knew it wasn't a brown. There was only one species I felt it could be, and I was right - it was a sturgeon! I slipped the net under the fish - which gobbled a chartreuse silk Lunker City Shaker in the 3.25" size. Sturgeon are best left in the water and de-hooked there and let go, but this was a smaller fish (around 32") and I wanted to get it onboard to check it out for any tags. The fish was clean and they just lay there in your hands without moving. They're a very gentle fish. For young Kevin (and most of us!,) a fish like this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so I had him hold it for a few seconds while we snapped a couple photos before letting the fish go. The scutes along the back are very sharp! It was cool having a chance to really look over the fish. I dehooked my big one from around 6 or 7 years ago and never took it out of the water. Prior to that, Dawn Dittman at the Tunison Federal Lab let me hold a little 10 incher for a few seconds that she had in a fish tank. They are a tough fish! Very primitive! Needless to say, this fish made our day and I notified DEC of our location and sent them a pic (that isn't necessary, but why not? They like to know.)
After that fish, the rest of the day was more lake trout. The past two days were both double-digit days and Cayuga appears to be getting back into the typical August/September swing of things. I still have a day or two open in August, but am tempted to close the month of after this run of trips and enjoy a day or two out on the water myself. September is starting to book up, but still features good availability. Book now for best options!
