Fishing Report 11/23

[Scott McKee]

Carrie and I fished the river from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

We started in the canal, chiefly because I keep my boat there.  Compared to a "normal" (if any are) year, there are very (and I mean very) few emerald shiners in the canal.  There are packs of the little fellas jammed into the dock areas of Rich Marine off the Army Corp canal, but normally when we troll out, our lures are fouled with little fish by the time we get to Harry's. Strange.

Finishing our lazy troll to the south Grand Island bridge, we had a spread destroying snag just in front of the bridge piling by Collins Marina.  I was completely spooled and had to dredge a Toothy to catch my backing.  I was successful which made me very happy, since the snagged lure was a Toothy custom painted 13" Grandma.  Recovering this lure was the highlight of our day.

We trolled back to Motor along the Grand Island shoreline with a quick stop at the Huntley.  The visibility in UN4 was muddier closer to the Tonawanda side.

We zipped over to the Triangle and trolled for a few hours.  Like John posted in his status, the clarity was about 2 feet.  After tomorrow's wind, we can kiss that goodbye.

We can't buy a hit out there.  I hope we get a chance to break this insufferable cold streak...

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

Yea, I know how you feel! I marked many big hooks yesterday and could get none to go! Water temp being 37 degrees in the South gap is kinda depressing as well.

[John Pensyl]

Water coming out of the canal was ice water. I ducked over to the east side a few times but was met with 39 degree water and a blank screen each time. Even the screen in the strawberry drift was blank and that thing has looked like my fish finder was in demo mode on the store shelf the last couple trips. Warmest water was right on the Canadian shorline but I couldn't find where all the fish were hiding. Even the 45 and 42 I caught weren't the fat pale silvery fish we've been catching. Both were kind of beat up and while they were still chubby fish, the 45 fit on the bump board while the big fish we've been catching hung way over the side. The only hooks I found all day in the west side were on that corner hump and that's where both fish came from. There was also a good screen at the far south end of the concrete loading wall at the Huntley plant in the Eddie but whatever they were they wouldn't play. We once had a 7 fish day just from that Eddie a couple years ago when the screen looked just like that so it makes me wonder.

My triumph of the day came downstream trolling 3 rods down the east river just before Scott and Carrie came up. My plow snagged bottom and I managed to clear the other 2 rods and get back up only to find I was snagged on an anchor rope that wouldn't come free. A lengthy battle followed with the current taking me just out of range of my suspended plow each time I came close. Finally i positioned the boat just right above the snag and managed to get just below the bait on the rope. I frantically slashed at the rope with my pocket knife trying to free the bait and when the final strand finally cut I felt like the king of the world! I'm pretty sure I may have yelled like I just caught a 53 incher. I just kept thinking about the current burying those 9/0 hooks into my hand while it was attached to that rope. I'll keep my 1 man shows to the west side from now on.

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

After leaving the south gap of the harbor back to the river we stopped at the muskie lane, completely Void of anything.Worked our way down river to Beaver Island Marina, each passing in and out from 14 ft to as shallow as 9 ft.Most everything I marked was in 9 to 10 ft of water, that is where the Bait balls were and temp was 41.5 degrees to 40.8 degrees at 14 ft ledge.

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

But then again the South Gap was 37 degree water and there were big thick hooks everywhere in 30 ft plus water down 15 ft, but none active.Coke channel had a carpet of Emerald shiners on the bottom 5 ft, but marked no hooks going back and water temp was 36 degrees.Now I'm sitting at the SBH kicking myself, Ice broke up around the launch dock into very small pieces, launch is use able now.The direction of the wind means south gap is calm as well, maybe 1 ft roll of waves at the dock.If it was not forecast to go up to 60 mph I would race home for the boat.Times are changing we use to fish these winds all the time years back!

[Scott McKee]

I've fished with gusts to 60 (once) and it is not at all fun!  Of course if I popped a horse, I might change my story.

Last night in our desperation troll (upstream along (near) the spine back to the dock), the water was a balmy 42.5 degrees and we marked some hooks.  Were they muskies?  Beats me?  They sure as hell didn't want to hit our lures!

I might fish huge -- almost Dave Martin huge -- for the rest of the year in the upper.  I grabbed my 16-inch, gaudy, orange, Turus Ucko from its hanger where it usually resides for 365 days a year.  I've never caught anything on it, but I did once snag a hump out in the lake that I swore was the biggest musky ever. At least I hoped it was...  Dare to dream, I guess...

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

I'm hooking on my Legend Plows in Golden Sucker and slowing down to 1.75 mph from here out in the Harbor.If I go in the river out come the Wiley's with 15 ft of leadcore and trolling in 8 to 11 ft at 2 mph.