Sabrespace Rod and Gun Club

[Brawndo]

Hey Brawndo........

 

What port did you fish out of? How deep was the water you were fishing in?

 

We've recently had some east wind on Ontario, which pushes colder water into shallower depths, and that can make fishing tougher. So I'm thinking conditions were not optimal today.... not to mention, it had to be pretty rough...... good job just for sticking it out.

 

  

 

We left out of Wilson Harbor. We were fishing 7-12 miles offshore in about 400 feet of water. Had spoons set at depths 75, 85 and 110. We caught the most on 85.

 

And I was hurting yesterday and the waves usually never bother me. I'm embarrassed to say I had my head over the side of the boat thinking I was about to taste my breakfast the second time.

 

Gander Mountain is closingits doors. Our hotel this week d happens to be less than a mile from a Gander Mountain so we stopped in. 70%-90% off everything. I literally bought an armful of steelhead jigs, and at least 20 Thill slip floats. And a LH holster. All for about $40.

There's not much left in the stores, but what's left is dirt cheap. If they happen to have something you use, you'll won't see prices like that any time soon.

There are some great deals

 

Quite a few stores will be reopening under the name Gander Outdoors. The new owner is Marcus Lemonis who also is heavily invested in Camping World and Overtons. He plans on having RVs and boats for sale at every location. The Tonawanda Store should be open by February.

[hsif]

It's nothing to be embarrassed about........ Happens to everybody.

Wilson is a great port. I love it there.....  

[hsif]

  Not the biggest king in the lake, but the most recent...... from yesterday. 4 browns and 2 kings.

We've is on the other end of the camera, and he boated a beautiful male brown a little earlier in the day....

[Weave]

Hsif always manages to get onto fish.  It is damned difficult to not catch fish on his boat.  Although I have managed to pull off that feat......

 

Here is that pretty Lake Ontario brown trout he mentioned.  Gorgeous color on this fish.  We boated another that was pretty similar in size as well.  It was damned cold on the water yesterday AM.  43 degrees when I got out of the truck.

 

The second pic is a nice Chinook salmon I got the week before.  The big kings were biting last week.  Since then the lake had flipped., scattering the big fish.   Made yesterday's hunt for mature chinooks much more difficult.

 

 

[North Buffalo]

Damn envious, only caught a big sunny and smaller perch on lake Canandaigua

this summer. Havent made it out to the local ponds for large mouth. Last couple years my son and I caught a bunch of5-7 pounders

Edited September 4, 2017 by North Buffalo

[Weave]

Damn envious, only caught a big sunny and smaller perch on lake Canandaigua

this summer. Havent made it out to the local ponds for large mouth. Last couple years my son and I caught a bunch of5-7 pounders

 

Panfish are hella fun to catch.  I'm buying a fishing kayak this Fall mostly for catching perch, crappies, and sunfish.  Well..... walleyes in the western Finger Lakes too, but my plan is to turn it into a boat that panfish will fear.

[SwampD]

I found a new fishing store not 10 minutes from my house. It's awesome. Stocked up on a bunch of lures and hooks for Raquette Lake this week. Can't wait to try to new circle hooks out on the Crappie so I don't have to rip their guts out if I want my hook back (relax, I don't really do that).

 

Panfish are hella fun to catch.  I'm buying a fishing kayak this Fall mostly for catching perch, crappies, and sunfish.  Well..... walleyes in the western Finger Lakes too, but my plan is to turn it into a boat that panfish will fear.

I have to update this with two words.

 

Circle. Hooks.

 

They are the best. Every fish we caught, from the smallies to the smallest of mouth sunny, the hook right in the lip. Not a single fish swallowed the hook.

 

And Senkos should be outlawed. They just catch fish.

EDIT:Awesome brown, btw.

[Weave]

I'll have to look into circle hooks. Although generally perch fishing with minnows doesn't result in many deep hooked fish.

 

Swamp, one thing that has reduced the number of deep hooked fish for me is using braid instead of mono. No stretch and much more sensitivity, so bites are detected easier. Braid main line and floro or mono leader.

Edited September 4, 2017 by We've

[Ducky]

Circle hooks are big up fere for Channel Catfish but I rarely use them. Guys I know swear by them.

 

So, went out on the 31st of last month and without scouting we walked out to our spot that produced dozens and dozens of ducks last season. When we got there, the water levels were down and half the water had mud showing. To make a long story short, we shot 6 ducks and 1 goose between two of us...probably the worst opener I can remember for a few decades. Got home and cleaned the birds and went to bed. Sick ever since...just feeling well enough to go out this weekend. Probably go for ruffed grouse. Almost killed me to be sick in bed and all my hunting partners are sending me pics of all the birds they were getting.

Two hour drive (only 20 minutes of no pavement) to get to where I want to go for grouse on Sunday. I hear there are lots there so I hope to put a limit of 6 in the freezer. I might go for a quick shoot on Saturday evening if I am up to it and my buddy clears the dead trees from his launch. A quick 10 minute boat ride and you are setting decoys but it is hit and miss. It is usually either hardly a bird coming in or birds all evening.....there doesn't seem to be an in between.

[Weave]

Indoor shooting league started up this evening.

 

Course of fire is three 10 shot targets.  Slow fire.  Olympic style.  My first target was a dog.  By the third target my groove was back and I improved over my first target by 14 points.

 

I'm signed up for 3 different shooting disciplines this Winter season.  Bullseye, Sporter Rifle, and Silhouette.  Shooting silhouette with both rifle and handgun.  I'm hoping all that trigger time pays off on the scoresheet.

 

Momma ain't gonna like the ammo costs.

[Weave]

Sunrise this morning on Chautauqua Lake. Lots of panfish this morning, but mostly small. Was out before sunrise with a heavy fog on the lake. Watched the sun come up and the fog lift.

 

This is my paradise. If heaven isn't exaclty like this I don't care to go.

[SabresFanInRochester]

Sunrise this morning on Chautauqua Lake. Lots of panfish this morning, but mostly small. Was out before sunrise with a heavy fog on the lake. Watched the sun come up and the fog lift.

 

This is my paradise. If heaven isn't exaclty like this I don't care to go.

That's quite beautiful!

 

I have been getting my out-of-shape ass out of bed early the past few weeks and walking some trails behind my house. I witness the sunrise most of the time, and those mornings really help me get the day going the right way. In awe of such beauty! I don't have the benefit of Chautauqua Lake, but some of the foggy mornings, and conditions have been spectacular.

[SabresFanInRochester]

I noticed a lot of fishing posts have been to the West of me -- I am in the Rochester, NY area -- but I did see some mention of fishing on Lake Ontario. I thought I would share a story and ask a question...

 

I bought a property that had a pond on it about 7 years ago -- the pond is about 200' x 85'. The owner told me it was a spring-fed pond and really touted its beauty. At that time, the dock was beginning to fall apart, and I had intentions of fixing the dock and stocking the pond.

 

Before I did anything, a friend of mine went fishing at the pond and told me it sucked -- no fish, and the water wasn't even 1' deep. I was crushed. I lost all interest in doing anything with my pond that had evolved into a swamp.

 

Fast forward to this past summer -- a friend said his family was "out" in our pond. I asked if they were wading or what they were doing and he thought I was crazy. He said swimming... flips off the dock... they couldn't even touch in the middle and estimated the pond to be at least 10' or 12' deep! Unfortunately, the dock is now a skeleton, but I am inspired to change that. My family is into hiking/camping/fishing, so I am going to build a lean-to overlooking the pond with pines from the property. I have a full coverage of watermeal, as the water is pretty stagnant so I need to get an aerator.

 

I am now motivated to stock the pond; or maybe not. We invited a family back to fish last weekend and the first cast brought in a 12" largemouth bass. Nothing to hang on the wall, but how exciting to think one struck that quickly. The rest of that day was okay. I just went out again with my son last night -- 5 worms and 5 sunfish. It was basically cast and real it in. (We didn't have the right gear to cast away from the shore and I think if we can get into the middle and deeper, we might encounter the bass.

 

This is a long post, but I would love to hear from some of my Rochester fisherman: Where can I take my kids to fish without needing a boat. I would love for them to have a great experience with trout and salmon. This might not be the season, but I would love to put it on the calendar and have them do the same. I am VERY novice, and love our pond, but I know my son is looking for the big fish. Thanks for reading!

[Weave]

Depending on time of year, any of the piers on Lake Ontario offer good fishing opportunities.

 

This time of year is perfect for catching trout and salmon from the piers but the crowds on the piers right now are large.

 

Send me a PM. I can get you enough info to get you started, but I'm on vaca right now and it will be a burden to type it all out from my phone. I'll answer when I'm home and can use my laptop.

[SwampD]

I noticed a lot of fishing posts have been to the West of me -- I am in the Rochester, NY area -- but I did see some mention of fishing on Lake Ontario. I thought I would share a story and ask a question...

 

I bought a property that had a pond on it about 7 years ago -- the pond is about 200' x 85'. The owner told me it was a spring-fed pond and really touted its beauty. At that time, the dock was beginning to fall apart, and I had intentions of fixing the dock and stocking the pond.

 

Before I did anything, a friend of mine went fishing at the pond and told me it sucked -- no fish, and the water wasn't even 1' deep. I was crushed. I lost all interest in doing anything with my pond that had evolved into a swamp.

 

Fast forward to this past summer -- a friend said his family was "out" in our pond. I asked if they were wading or what they were doing and he thought I was crazy. He said swimming... flips off the dock... they couldn't even touch in the middle and estimated the pond to be at least 10' or 12' deep! Unfortunately, the dock is now a skeleton, but I am inspired to change that. My family is into hiking/camping/fishing, so I am going to build a lean-to overlooking the pond with pines from the property. I have a full coverage of watermeal, as the water is pretty stagnant so I need to get an aerator.

 

I am now motivated to stock the pond; or maybe not. We invited a family back to fish last weekend and the first cast brought in a 12" largemouth bass. Nothing to hang on the wall, but how exciting to think one struck that quickly. The rest of that day was okay. I just went out again with my son last night -- 5 worms and 5 sunfish. It was basically cast and real it in. (We didn't have the right gear to cast away from the shore and I think if we can get into the middle and deeper, we might encounter the bass.

 

This is a long post, but I would love to hear from some of my Rochester fisherman: Where can I take my kids to fish without needing a boat. I would love for them to have a great experience with trout and salmon. This might not be the season, but I would love to put it on the calendar and have them do the same. I am VERY novice, and love our pond, but I know my son is looking for the big fish. Thanks for reading!

By the sound of it, your pond is already stocked. A pond that size can't really support bass much bigger than you are already catching, except for the one, maybe two, Big Daddy basses that will be in there. One or two grass carp can help keep vegetation down but can be kinda creepy if you are using it to swim, as well.

 

Black Mr. Twisters are like crack to those bass (I think they think they are dragon flies when they land) and top water poppers are a blast when it's calm.

 

 

And what's wrong with a swamp, they can be beautiful, too. :blush:

[Weave]

Last morning here in paradise. Fishing was a washout yesterday. High winds kept most everyone off the lake, and this morning it is 34 degrees with a heavy fog. I didnt pack for 34 degrees......

 

Headed back home in a couple hours. We talked about maybe 3 or 4 four day weekends here next year. We love this lake.

[Weave]

Hsif and I got out on Lake Erie yesterday to fish for perch. We didn't clobber them, but we did pretty well. First hour of the day was pretty fast action, with alot of of the big, chunky perch that Lake Erie is famous for. Then the action quickly died off and we had to move around to find small, scattered pods that were roaming. These fish were mostly smaller, and we threw back about as many as we kept.

 

Most surprising to me was a fairly large rock bass that got caught in about 60' of water. Didn't think they ever went that deep. It was the largest rock bass I've ever seen.

 

The lake was rolling a bit at dawn, but settled down to dime flat in the aftenoon. And it was a gorgeous day. Nevermind gorgeous for October.

 

We left the harbor at 6:45 and pulled in around 3:45. Full day on the water.

 

Didn't finish cleaning fish until almost 10pm last night.

 

Our view leaving harbor as dawn was starting to break....

[Ducky]

We got into some diver action on Friday while out looking for some northern mallards.

The Buffleheads were in color.

The marsh will be frozen in a week or so if the forecast is right.

Edited October 29, 2017 by Ducky

[Ducky]

mallard stew

[ubkev]

mallard stew

I see mushrooms, onions, 'maters, 'taters?, celery?, What else? What kind of broth? Looks good.

 

Edit, obviously Mallard is in there.

Edited October 29, 2017 by ubkev

[Ducky]

I see mushrooms, onions, 'maters, 'taters?, celery?, What else? What kind of broth? Looks good.

 

Edit, obviously Mallard is in there.

Hy's seasoning, beef broth, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 kinds of tomatoes, potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms and mallard.

Forgot the corn.

Strong winds tomorrow so we probably won't go back out until Tuesday.

[Ducky]

We went back on Tuesday after the winds let up and the marsh was frozen...busted through ice for about 1 1/2 miles to get to our "pothole" to discover it was frozen right across.

[Weave]

Spent a little time on the water with Hsif on this cold, windy day. Action was slow, but we did land this beauty of a steelhead.

 

Hsif had a nice fish on as well, but the guy working the net was a bit slow on the switch and we lost that one.

[Ducky]

Nice fish

Do you keep them for the dinner table?

People have been ice fishing here for well over a week now.

[Weave]

Nice fish

Do you keep them for the dinner table?

People have been ice fishing here for well over a week now.

I seldom keep steelhead unless they get hurt. No particular reason why. They are decent eating. Not great, but decent. This one got to swim away after the pic.

 

Some years the slower moving creeks are starting to freeze over about now, but it has been a relatively warm Fall and there is warmer weather coming this week, so I dont think the streams are going to ice up for a few weeks at least.