Blogs > Oneida Outdoors

An online space for outdoorsmen from CNY and beyond. Tell us about the one you caught or the one that got away.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Fishing fair despite weather


Usually by this time of year, the weather has been a predictable pattern and the fishing is the same. A lot of it depends on the water temperature and levels as well as the biological clock from some species like salmon. Typically the warmer weather means tougher fishing for bass and walleye but anglers compensate by fishing deep. Warm temperatures and low water conditions usually force many trout fishermen to concentrate on late evening or night fishing.
But this year the water temperatures, at least on the larger bodies of water and rivers, are still cooler than normal. And the rapidly changing weather temperatures and frequent windy conditions have meant that there is little pattern to locating fish or predicting their behavior.
In some cases this can be good. When I recently returned from a two week trip, I checked with some local anglers about Oneida Lake fishing. The reports that I got indicated that with more moderate temperatures the fish were more active than they normally are at this time of year.
Several have said that walleye fishing has been better than it normally is in August. They have been catching walleye in the deeper area using stickbaits, bucktail jigs tipped with nightcrawlers or worm harnesses. Others have been taking walleye in the shallow water by using jigs or spinner and worm harnesses worked through the weeds.
Trout fishing on most of the areas streams has been decent but you have to fish in periods of low light and cooler conditions like early morning or just before dark to have any consistent action. Deeper pools or areas of aerated water like deep riffles at the heads of pools are best. However some areas of the southern tier or different parts of the region have suffered from a lack of water and trout fishing action is practically non-existent.
Salmon are scattered all over Lake Ontario and have not concentrated in pre-staging areas yet. But frequent strong winds will mix the layers of water of different temperatures and the salmon move frequently. This makes it very difficult to have any general pattern of depths or areas to find them in.
While talking with my friend Billy Hilts of Niagara Tourism earlier this week, he said that some nice salmon were being taken in the local derbies in Niagara and Orleans Counties. But the same variable and ever-changing weather makes it difficult to pin point a location or specific depth to find them. Early in the week people were catching salmon about 80 to 100 feet below the surface in areas over 300 to 450 depths.
Most of the salmon were being taken on Magnum spoons or Pro Troll E Chip Flashers with a green glo fly behind. Steelhead out west were being caught in the same areas but 40 to 60 feet down on spoons.
On my recent trip to Cranberry Lake in the Adirondacks, the St. Lawrence River near Ogdensburg and the Golden Crescent area of eastern Lake Ontario, I encountered a variety of fishing conditions. While we were at Cranberry Lake it was rainy and windy so my searches for smallmouth bass were usually short and rather fruitless except for some small bass.
Up on the St. Lawrence River, I fished with my good friend Mike Seymour, who guides out of the Ogdensburg and Waddington areas. Mike said that the colder water there has disrupted the pattern of smallmouth bass and they were tougher to find on a regular basis. We drifted with worm and spinner rigs for walleye in the deeper areas of 50 feet without much success. Other anglers were having similar results.
We later trolled stickbaits over shoals about 25 feet down surrounded by deeper water and had a little better luck. None of the fish were monsters but Mike pointed out that the 18 to 20 inch sized fish were the better eating ones. While we filleted the fish on a friend’s dock, Mike showed the lateral red line that he removes to improve the taste. He said that large walleye have that red area all through the meat so it gives the fish a different flavor.
In his opinion the colder spring hurt the local population of walleye because the fish had not finished spawning and moving to deep water by the time the season opened. Thus a lot of people were catching many big fish for a long time and probably impacting the population of walleye for this year.
Conditions change, individual anglers have different tactics and different lures or baits make a difference. That is what makes it interesting and challenging. But even if it isn’t as great as we would like it to be, remember that it still beats painting the front porch or sealing the blacktop driveway.
SHORT CASTS
Youth Goose Hunt: The Oneida County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs and the Madison County NWTF are teaming up to offer a special youth goose
hunt again this year. Following the successful youth turkey hunt in May and the goose hunt in 2013, the Federation and NWTF are following a similar plan to introduce youngsters who may not otherwise have the opportunity to goose hunting.
The dates are September 20 and 21. Saturday, September 20 will be the meeting with parents, ECOs, and hunter mentors, target practice and other preparation for the next day’s hunt. This day starts at 9 a.m. until done. The actual hunt will take place on Sunday, September 21. Youngsters will have the opportunity to learn the skills necessary for goose hunting and then actually experience it with the guidance of an ECO or hunter mentor in the field.
The program is open to youth age 12 to 17. A small game license is necessary for youngsters age 12 to 15 (they do not need a federal wildfowl stamp for this hunt) plus a HIP Number. Youth ages 16 to 17 will need all three. Interested participants should contact Scott Faulkner 315-225-0192, ECO Steve Lakeman 315-734-6648 or ECO Ric Grisolini 315-240-6966 for an application for this program. Space in the program is limited so be sure to register early.
LOC Derby: The Annual Lake Ontario Counties fishing derby will kick off its Fall Derby on August 15 and run until Labor Day. There will be over $52,000 in cash prizes, including a $25,000 prize for the top salmon. Register at www.loc.org or register in person at All Seasons Sports on Route 13 in Pulaski.
One Square Mile of Hope: Have fun, be part of a Guinness World Record and support a great cause at the same time. Join in the world’s largest “raft of canoes and kayaks” to regain the world record and raise money for breast cancer research.
One Square Mile of Hope – 2014 will take place on Saturday, September 13 at Arrowhead Park in Inlet. Boats will launch from twelve put-in places around the head of Lake by 11:30 a.m. and head for the rafting-up area (with all paddlers wearing PFD’s).
Special Opportunity to Visit Restricted Wetlands: The public will have a special opportunity to visit restricted portions of three Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties starting Saturday, Aug. 16 and continuing through Friday, Aug. 29. Opening these refuge wetland areas to the public for a limited period gives visitors a chance to connect with nature through hiking, canoeing and bird watching, with minimal impacts on wildlife.
For additional information, bird lists and maps, contact DECs Regional Wildlife Office at 315-785-2263 or visit the DEC web page at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8282.html.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Sink your way to success


Are you one of those bass anglers who has a ton of plastic lures, most of which you rarely use? Many of us are in the same situation and most of my other plastic lures are used even less since I started using sinking worms a few years ago.
Several years ago I was complaining to my friend Frank Tennity about fishing some Adirondack lakes that contained nice bass but I was not catching a lot on the traditional lures that I normally used. I was catching a few bass but ended up snagging a lot of weeds, even on plastic worms rigged Carolina style.
Frank replied, “Have you tried Senkos?” When I admitted that I hadn’t, Frank said to come down to his camp on Honeyoe Lake and we would get an lesson on using them. Since Frank is a avid bass angler, a tournament angler and a fishing guide, I realized that this would be a golden opportunity.
It proved to be a great time and a great education. We fished about five hours that day and caught approximately 50 bass of all sizes. I learned a lot about sinking worms and, more importantly, gained the confidence to use them.
Unlike the normal plastic worms with curly tails or other modifications that are meant to be dragged or skipped along the bottom through vegetation, sinking worms really look like fat nightcrawlers. They are heavier and can be easily cast without any weight. As the name implies, these heavier worms will sink slowly when they hit the water.
Actually “Senko” worms are a brand name for the ones developed and marketed by bass pro Gary Yamomoto. However many anglers, including myself, use the copy-cat “sinking worms” made by other companies at half the price. There may be a difference but the bass haven’t noticed.
They come in many colors and sizes. Some are even salted and scented which some anglers believe makes the bass hold on to them a little longer giving you more time to set the hook. I have the best luck with black, green pumpkin, watermelon or motor oil colors. I prefer the five-inch size although some prefer shorter or longer.
Although sinking worms can be rigged and used Carolina or Texas style like other plastic worms, most people prefer to use them “Wacky style.” Simply use a large worm hook, size one to four, on the end of your line and hook it through the middle of the worm so the ends flop on either side.
Cast this out to likely bass cover such as over submerged weeds or along the edge of dense lily pad areas. As it hits the water, flip the bail on your reel and take up slack. Frequently, you’ll get a strike as the lure falls.
If there is no strike on the initial cast, lift the rod tip, take up slack and let it fall again. Retrieve it this way or by keeping the rod tip high and retrieving it slowly. Hits may be subtle such as the line moving sideways or they may be powerful when a big largemouth inhales and dives for the bottom.
When I asked my friend Frank why they are so effective he said that part of the reason is probably that when bass are in submerged weeds they can see the bait sinking slowly above the weeds and have a chance to hit it. With other plastics being dragged across the bottom you may not reach as many bass due to visibility. Other anglers have different theories but they agree that sinking worms are pretty effective in many situations. Ed Noonan - an outdoor writer, bass fishing guide and tournament angler - says that sinking “Wacky’ Worms are his go-to bait in most situations.
One bass tournament angler with an attitude commented that they are so simple “any idiot can use them.” But the last time I checked they did not give points for degree of difficulty in fishing, like they do in diving or aerial skiing competitions!
A couple people have commented that sinking worms cause untold numbers of bass to die from ingesting them. Of course, this is overlooking the fact that most bass are hooked in the lip when striking this lure, unlike the regular plastic worms which are often taken deep in the throat. And most of the sinking lure brands now are made of bio-degradable materials. Keep in mind that one of these persons is a weather reporter from Syracuse who is wrong more than he is correct and the other one believes in Bigfoot.
Like all lures or baits, these don’t work on all days or in all situations. But if you are frustrated by weeds or not having much action, grab some of these and “sink your way to success.”
Adirondack Loons Need Your Help
One species that continues to fascinate many people is the Adirondack loon. This bird is seen as the iconic symbol of the Adirondack waters and its calls and habits are entertaining for locals and visitors alike. Thanks to BRI Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation, there is an increase in population due to research and publicity that has led to increased protection in many ways.
But loons only lay one or two eggs a year and there are many hazards or obstacles to successfully hatching and raising a chick or two. Many of the loons in the central Adirondacks have not raised any young in the past four years for a variety of reasons. Some of this was due to infertility of the pairs but more of a factor was high water or disturbance of the nests.
Biodiversity Research Institute’s (BRI’s) Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation is pleased to announce the launch of a new campaign on Adirondack Gives, www.adirondackgives.org, the crowdfunding site for Adirondack region nonprofits. This campaign will provide support for the placement of trail cameras near approximately 30 common loon nest sites in the Adirondack Park to document nesting behaviors, clutch size and hatch dates for Adirondack loons, and to assess the primary factors (e.g., predation, human disturbance) impacting the birds during incubation.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) provided the cameras for this project. Support from this campaign, which is seeking to raise $1,100 over the next two months, will cover the cost of the lithium-ion batteries and high capacity SD cards used in the cameras.
“By placing cameras at a variety of loon nest sites, we are better able to assess the impacts of such factors as water level fluctuation, shoreline development, human disturbance and predation on loon nesting success,” explained Dr. Nina Schoch, Coordinator of BRI’s Adirondack Loon Center. “A pilot study we did in 2013 documented the failure of one loon nest likely related to intensive human disturbance on a busy campground lake, while another nest on a remote lake hatched two chicks successfully.”
Images collected in this project will be utilized by the NYS DEC to better manage loon nesting sites in the Adirondack Park to help ensure the successful hatching of loon chicks. This project is conducted under BRI’s federal and state scientific collection permits, and in collaboration with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
The nesting period is one of the most critical stages during the annual life cycle of loons to ensure continued survival, long-term sustainability and potential growth of their populations. Thus, it is highly recommended that boaters and paddlers give incubating loons their privacy, and watch them from a wide distance with binoculars, instead of disturbing them and potentially causing a nest to fail. It is important to learn about the normal behavior of loons (and other wildlife), so one can properly interpret when a bird is stressed by your presence.
To learn more, or to contribute to this campaign, visit www.adirondackgives.org, and click on “Help Unveil the Secret Lives of Loons.”