Wind, wind and more wind - November thus far is looking very reminiscent of May. It's one thing to have 10 to 15 mph winds in the fall, but recently we've had peak gusts going into the 30s and even the 40 mph range. Certain areas are fishable, but these conditions aren't much fun to fish or boat around in.
Water temperatures are quickly sliding into the low-50s. It's been one of those years where we only get two to maybe three weeks of water temps in the 50s. We basically drop right down from the 60s to the 40s.
Skaneateles Lake Walleyes: Last time I was out here, I talked to a couple of anglers who'd driven a couple hours to fish here for walleyes. They did not have any luck. They told me that they'd read online that the lake was full of walleyes and the liberal harvest regulations (10" minimum size limit, no closed seasons, no bag limit) were put in because of the huge illegally introduced walleye population. I talked to a Region 7 Fisheries Biologist who's very familiar with the lake. I asked him how he'd assess the walleye population there. Usual DEC terminology includes words like: Abundant, Common, Uncommon, Rare and Present, in declining orders of abundance. He said "established." They are there but not abundant. They are not going anywhere. A buddy of his just saw a school of young of the year walleyes swimming around near the lake's north end. Spawning there has been successful and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
I loved that lake's rainbow trout fishing and fly-fishing. Someone might ask, "What does it matter? Cayuga and Owasco Lakes are all full of mostly wild rainbows." The difference is that Skaneateles Lake rainbows fed nearshore on crawfish, terrestrials and perch fry. They would suspend during the summer and be out on the thermocline, but during the cold weather months they were relatively easy to catch on fly and spin fishing tackle. The rainbows in the other lakes do get caught with spinning gear, but they spend most of their time suspended and out over deep water. The Skaneateles fish were a fly-fisherman's dream. I miss them! There are still some around, but not nearly in the numbers that used to be present. I like walleyes and I love to catch and eat them. A lot of guys are targeting them on Skaneateles Lake with varying degrees of success. By keeping the bag limits liberal, we can maintain somewhat of a rainbow trout/landlocked salmon population here. Walleyes can live to be 20 to 25 years old. Every walleye you kill for supper from this lake is potentially saving a LOT of trout!