The Cayuga Fisher

One Heck of a Fishing Report 11/7

A report for the ages. Please read- it's a great argument for not taking more than your share.

First Bump Was Best 10/30

I can't say I saw any new fish today, the second rain didn't appear to change things much. I also wasn't planning on trip reports but I'm so happy to be getting out I'll post a few.

A beautiful day with perfect 1' visibility but the mother lode (if it's coming) isn't here. Got two fabulous browns- almost had a pic but the larger one took my woolly bugger as I reached for the camera.

I slacked and paid! Don't forget to check everything about your leader, not just the hook point and fly knot. My line broke at the splitshot, upon inspection it was frayed from the rocks. Figure 22" and 26" or so, 4-5 and 7-8.

Didn't see anyone else hook up but most came out with the sun and I didn't do anything after that either. Of course that doesn't mean a whole lot as nobody saw either of mine but it is data. Hopefully I'll get into a few salmon soon, it's been all browns so far... good luck folks.

Rain, Snow, I'll Take It 10/29

I love fishing in the rain and snow- mostly because most people don't. I've also done more fishing this week than all summer and it feels gooood!

Well the dry summer took a toll on the creeks and they are finally getting up to and above average with the rain in the past week. If the rain keeps up conditions look good until the fish are gone. (As in, they are starting to come in.) I'm 2 for 4 so far with a pair of browns, one an easy 7-8 lbs and gorgeous. Hooked something nice today I couldn't hold onto in the high water.

On a side note, hooray for PT! I didn't think I'd be able to fish due to a knee injury but lots of physical therapy made a huge difference.
An exercise bike is a great way to strengthen your knees- good for general health but also to stand in current for hours. Worth a try for those with weak knees like me. Movies (or TV I suppose) and exercise bikes go hand in hand, a great distraction. I went from thinking I wouldn't be fishing last month to wading in thigh high water this week. Anyway... good luck and please obey the regs! (Sorry about the double post I'm too lazy to fix it.)

Rain, Snow, I'll Take It 9/29

I love fishing in the rain and snow- mostly because most people don't. I've also done more fishing this week than all summer and it feels gooood!

Well the dry summer took a toll on the creeks and they are finally getting up to and above average with the rain in the past week. If the rain keeps up conditions look good until the fish are gone. (As in, they are starting to come in.) I'm 2 for 4 so far with a pair of browns, one an easy 7-8 lbs and gorgeous. Hooked something nice today I couldn't hold onto in the high water.

On a side note, hooray for PT! I didn't think I'd be able to fish due to a knee injury but lots of physical therapy made a huge difference.
An exercise bike is a great way to strengthen your knees- good for general health but also to stand in current for hours. Worth a try for those with weak knees like me. Movies (or TV I suppose) and exercise bikes go hand in hand, a great distraction. I went from thinking I wouldn't be fishing last month to wading in thigh high water this week. Anyway... good luck and please obey the regs!

Happy Fall! 9/28

First good rain in a while! As dry as everything was I doubt the streams will bump much, but it's definitely time to be thinking of the Finger Lakes tribs.

Let's see, what news... did a little fishing last week with a friend near Rochester, that was a great time, thanks man. We fished Hemlock one evening and Conesus the next morning. Picked up a few bass and a perch in Hemlock casting jigs, overcast and frontal.

Conesus was a first, I don't think I've even seen the lake before. My first impression was "cute" and in a good way. Looks like fun for warmwater species but to be honest I don't know much about the lake at all. Conditions were tough, post frontal, crystal clear and flat calm. Only bite we had all morning was when I dropped a Silver Minnow to the bottom "just to see what's there" and found a 36", just-10-lbs pike!

That's my biggest pike yet in, say, eight trips or so. I'll get a pic up shortly. Pike are pretty new to me in the past few years and my attempts have been sporadic, definitely will be out on Seneca looking for more very soon.

Hmmm out of posting practice... hope most of you had a good summer! I'm spending the rainy day tying a few flies and jigs and daydreaming of big browns and salmon. Rain is being fairly persistant this morning which is nice and making me wonder...

Have fun, stay safe in the cooler weather, and good luck!

Best Thing In Years

Hey folks, here's the best product in years! The Reynolds Handi-Vac works wonders and has been sucking the air from my freezer.

I've always wanted a vacuum sealer but couldn't justify a hundred bucks and the counter space. I almost laughed when I saw this, "what a silly thing" but Consumer Reports said "it's the real deal" so I went and bought one, along with many boxes of bags. A $10 vacuum sealer that fits in the same drawer as the bags!

Since then I've sealed fish, chanterelle mushrooms (good season, just about over), lots and lots of blueberries, "sheets" of pesto, ah, and other stuff I've since forgotten. If anything goes in the freezer and it fits in a quart or gallon bag, it gets vacuum sealed!

The bags are reusable, so with the pesto, open it up, break off a piece, reseal it and toss it back in the freezer. The pesto sheet stays bright green. Pre-freeze the pesto before sealing with the vac to keep it from sucking up the olive oil and making a mess.

I used to store fish by faux-sealing it with saran wrap, carefully laying the wrap over the fillets to keep out air and then wrapping tightly in foil. Worked well enough but the airtightedness was pretty variable depending on how good a job you did.

This vacuum sealer is super amazing, go buy one it's only ten bucks! The bags are a little more but are reusable with care. I supposed if you did massive amounts of vacuum sealing a countertop model with rolled bags might be more economical but I dunno, the small size, ease of use, and availability of replacement bags are all huge positives for the Handi-Vac.

Great job Reynolds! You did a stellar job with this one and made putting up a whole lot easier this summer.

Hey Folks... 6/30

It's been an interesting spring. While I won't be posting any reports there will be some hermit sightings on the local waterways soon!  I needed that break; at times I get so involved with one thing I ignore most everything else, including important life "stuff". 

It's tough when you literally can't stop thinking about something for years on end!  So I've actually enjoyed this time off where I've barely thought about fishing.  Haven't tied any flies (sorry guys, see rants) or checked any reports since the end of April. 

In one way it's nice- the addiction is broken and I can go on to plain ol' fishing a lot.   The trick will be to get myself out there!  Just as I was in the obsessive habit of fishing nearly every day, now I'm in the habit of not fishing.  A friend did take me out for the first time since April on Friday afternoon and I had a beast get away, never saw the thing but it was an order of magnitude larger than any fish I caught last year! 

That's enough to bring me back out this week.... if you see me, say hi, there are many of you I miss chatting with but due to extreme shyness I have trouble approaching folks.  Good luck to (nearly) everyone!