From: fak9957@ritvax.isc.rit.edu (Frank Kruppenbacher)
Subject: Western New York State Report
Reply-To: fak9957@ritvax.isc.rit.edu
Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 12:23:30 GMT

    THE FISHING LINE
    
    Information provided by the New York State Department of Environmental
    Conservation Region 8 Headquarters and local anglers
    
    Friday July 24, 1992
    
    THE HOT SPOT
    Canandaigua Lake, Canandaigua, New York
    	Wet weather has challenged trout anglers everywhere, but some have
    found fair to good success in spots.
    	Rainbows and browns are 35 to 50 feet below the surface off
    Tichenor and Menteth Points, and 15 feet below the surface along the
    northwest shore. Try toplining with #7 and #9 Rapalas, or downrigging
    with small pearl-finished spoons, set close to the weights.
    	Lake trout fishing is good in front of the Pump House in 90 feet of
    water on the bottom, and also as shallow as 15 feet below the surface.
    Use sawbellies for bait. At the south end, very good lake trout fishing
    is reported from Cook's and Long Points, and in the middle of the lake
    from Whiskey Point straight across to Cook's Point. Use Suttons at at
    40 to 50 feet below the surface.  Try night fishing with sawbellies off
    Coy and Cook's Points. A 10-pound laker was reported this week.
    	Two largemouth bass showed up on the east side of the lake, just
    north of Easy Bay. One weighed 5-pounds and the other 6 1/2-pounds.
    Plenty of panfish can be found on flathead minnows.
    	Public boat access for northend fishing can be found off Routes 5
    and 20 in Canandaigua.  For southend access, use the NYS DEC launch in
    Woodville on Route 21, just north of Naples.
    
    Weekend Prospects in Western New York State
    
    Lake Ontario, Olcott to Sandy Creek
    	Salmon and trout are holding at 40 to 70 feet below the surface,
    over a variety of water depths.  Chinook catches continue to increase,
    but not for everyone.  Spoons with bright tape are popular, try
    chartreuse with silver laser tape Northern King 28s, or black and
    silver Pirate 55s with glow laser tape.  Other anglers are starting to
    have some success on J-plugs, and Dodger with squids or glow flies.
    Creel census takers report an increase in 28- to 30-pound chinooks this
    week. The largest chinook weighed 36 pounds and was caught in 530 feet
    of water off Point Breeze.  Some anglers have found good fishing in 70
    feet of water, at 40 to 50 feet down, but most were far offshore. There
    appears to  large numbers of farage fish.
    
    Lake Ontario, Port of Rochester
    	The waters off Braddocks Bay to the Genesse River have good fishing
    for chinooks, rainbows and lake trout.  Work 50 to 70 feet down for
    chinooks and rainbows, although some took chinooks as deep as 100 feet
    down. Drop deep to 90 feet for abundant lake trout. There are also
    reports of brown trout near the bottom in 70 feet of water.  C5
    Northern Kings will take these fish.
    
    Irondequoit Bay
    	Smallmouth bass continue to be active at the outlet and near the
    buoys on crayfish and jigs. Perch have shut off. Largemouth bass
    fishing continues to be good in the earlt morning hours on weedless
    artificials and surface lures. Recent rains have made an improvement in
    the bullhead fishing.
    
    Lake Ontario, Wayne County
    	The Bear Creek area has little to report this week.  Sodus area has
    spotty fishing for chinooks and trout.  Some brown trout were found at
    175 feet of water at 70 feet down. An average take for most charter
    captains was only four fish and patterns were hard to find. Smallmouth bass
    have moved out to 40 feet depths.  Port Bay and points east report
    great lake trout, rainbow and brown trout fishing in 80 to 110 feet of
    water at 60 to 90 feet down. Use silver and rasberry Northern King 28s
    and Magnums.
    
    Sodus Bay
    	Bait dealers have seen a few nice bass, and the heartier anglers
    are getting lots of hits.  Pike, bluegill, and rock bass can be found
    in the weeds.
    
    Conesus Lake
    	Bass fishing is good on plugs and minnows in the weeds. For
    largemouth bass, try rattlebaits, tube jigs, topwater lures, and
    spinnerbaits in 8 to 10 feet of water. For smallmouth bass, use
    chartreuse Rapalas and spinnerbaits between the docks, and tube jigs
    under the docks.  The weeds will yeild easy takes of pan fish
    lake-wide.
    
    Erie Canal
    	Some locks remain closed due to recent high water conditions. 
    Smallmouth bass and walleye are taking worms and minnows.
    
    Honeoye Lake
    	Slow moving lures, rubber baits or jigs are taking walleye.
    Pickerel can also come to these same baits.
    
    Fishing Notebook
    
    Fishing Records Fall
    	Giant records thought to be unbeatable have been falling recently
    in the world of fishing.
    	The most recent broke the 27-year-old mark for lake trout of 65
    pounds. A Tennesse angler boated a 66-pound, 8-ounce lake trout on the
    Arctic Circle in the Northwest Territories of Canada.
    	Alaskan waters recently turned up a 97-pound chinook salmon while
    two catfish more than 100 pounds each went on the records last year.
    	These records and other freshwater fishing records are kept at the
    National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wis.. The phone
    number is 715-634-4440.
    
    Easy On Cormorants
    	New York State biologists say a noticable increase in cormorant
    sightings in the Finger Lakes region doesn't mean they're eating all
    the trout.
    	Responding to recent inquiries, fish and wildlife biologist Jim
    Eckler of the DEC Region 8 headquarters in East Avon said that most
    scientists discount the potential for serious impact on the sport
    fishery.
    	In the most recent survey of the Finger Lakes, in 1986, no
    cormorant breeding colonies were found but migratory and non-breeding
    sightings increased.
    	Since cormorants prefer isolated islands (like Little Galloo in
    northeastern Lake Ontario) or other protected sites with trees for
    nesting, the scarcity of these in the Finger Lakes limits nesting in
    the area. Also, few game fish have been found in cormorants' stomachs.
    	Most of their diet consists of minnows or forage fish. Cormorants
    dive to depths up to 25 feet and can remain submerged for more than a
    minute (although more commonly 30 seconds or less.)
    
    
    Good fishing!
    
Xref: sparky alt.fishing:2759 rec.backcountry:5496