NY Finger Lakes: Honeoye and Hemlock

[Bo_Fish]

Hi,

 

I live in the Rochester, NY area and I'm new to bass fishing (at least on a regular basis).  I recently bought a fishing kayak and I've made four Finger Lakes trips: one to Hemlock, one to Canadice, and two to Honeoye.  All of my trips were between mid-August and last weekend.  I was skunked on my first three trips.  I had some success on my most recent trip to Honeoye Lake (this past Sunday in 85 degree weather...which is hot for this area at the end of September).  I caught three LMB with Zoom baby brush hogs...in the shallows...under cover...opposite from the mid-morning sun.  I fished them weightless whereas my first trip to Honeoye Lake I fished them with a weight.  I also worked the east side of the lake whereas I worked the west side on my first trip.

 

Going forward, I would like to spend the rest of Fall practicing on Honeoye Lake and Hemlock Lake.  Honeoye Lake seems like a good lake because it's where I first landed some bass and it seems to have a reputation as a good fishery.  I want to practice on Hemlock Lake because of the scenery and because I can't believe there aren't some bass in the south end of that lake.  Does anyone think this is a bad strategy for someone getting started?

 

Some questions.

1.  Does anyone have any advice on how to (kayak) fish Hemlock Lake and Honeoye Lake?  I think where I struggle the most is where to go once I get out on the water.  Do I hug the shorelines and fish the weeds with soft plastics? Are there weed lines that I need to find in these lakes?

2.  Is the north end of Honeoye Lake (Sandy Bottom) the best spot to launch?

3.  Is the south end of Hemlock good for bass?  It seems like it should be a good bass fishery (from all of the weed-beds that I saw) but might not be known as one because of boating restrictions.  Is this correct or am I missing something?

 

Any advice is apprectiated.

 

I hope to hit Honeoye Lake this Saturday morning. 

 

Thanks,

Bo_Fish

[Darren.]

Welcome aboard!

 

Used to work in Rochester, lived in Caledonia.

 

Wasn't in a big bass-fishing-phase of life back then,

but did fish Gravel Ponds. @J Francho, @ww2farmer

are just two of the many fishermen in your area that

can provide some great insight into the lakes there.

 

Good luck!

[ww2farmer]

I am useless  for info on Hemlock...never been there because of the boating restrictions. I avoid Honeoye as it's a hair out of my "range" and the few times I have been there it's never impressed me enough to make the effort to drive that far when I have two better lakes closer. I have not been on that lake in probably at least 3 years. Silver on the other hand is my backyard and I am there several times a week. I spend lots of time on Conesus too, and do alright on both.  I have never fully understood the reputation Honeoye gets as a "fish factory" . Sure you can go there and catch 50 bass a day............but you can also go there and catch 3. I can do the same thing on Silver and Conesus, and chances are, that there's going to be  A LOT more big fish that meet me on those lakes.

 

One of the reasons I think Honeoye does have that reputation is that it seems to be more "idiot proof" than the other lakes. As in a complete novice can go there catch fish, and get his feet wet on bass fishing. If your green, Silver and Conesus will be glad to point that out to you. Heck, they humble the area's best fisherman quite often. 

 

I can't offer any kayak fishing tips as I don't fish out of one. 

[J Francho]

I only fish Honeoye in early spring, pre-spawn.  Otherwise, I avoid it.  I've been fishing Hemlock and Canadice regularly, from both a boat and kayak.  Look for creek bed depressions, further out from where the creek mouth, which is usually dried up, and weeds in anywhere from 12-16'.  If you criss-cross the south end of Hemlock, right before where weeds become visible, you'll figure it out.  Mark any fish you catch as waypoints.  It's gonna take some time, but do your homework, and you'll learn whats up.  Depending on the day, you either have to punch through the vegetation, of rest on top.  1/4, 1/2, 3/4 oz. weights.  Watch out for dang pickerel.  On either lake, there's a decent topwater bite at dawn and dusk.  Also, if you get bored, drop a Hopkin's Shorty spoon straight down in the deepest section.  You might catch a laker using the jigging spoon.

[Bo_Fish]

Thanks for the welcome Darren!  I'm looking forward to learning from everyone on the boards.

 

ww2farmer, you hit the nail on the head.  I'm happy to catch three fish regardless of their size.  I am a novice so I am looking for a body of water that will allow me to learn and practice (and catch a fish every once and a while).  It sounds like Honeoye might be a good lake for that.  Do you recommend any other lakes for someone like me?

 

J Francho, thanks for the advice.  I might to try to work in a trip to Hemlock this week.  Is there a reason you avoid Honeoye after early spring?  Also, same question to you as ww2farmer, do you think Honeoye and Hemlock are reasonable lakes for a novice to get started or should I consider a different body of water?

 

Any advice is appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Eric

[J Francho]

11 minutes ago, Bo_Fish said:

Is there a reason you avoid Honeoye after early spring?

It sucks, lol.  It's a dinkfest.  There are pigs to be caught in spring on jerkbaits, though.  I have no idea where they go after that.

 

12 minutes ago, Bo_Fish said:

do you think Honeoye and Hemlock are reasonable lakes for a novice to get started or should I consider a different body of water?

They are good in a sense that they are challenge.  You learn to fish.  You might also take a look at some of the smaller bays off Lake Ontario.  I had what a consider a "slow day" on Port Bay this past Sunday.  25 bass, and one muddy salmon in 10 hours.  East Bay and Fairhaven are good options too.  I generally pick Port, because I grew up with a cottage there, and it's where I learned to fish.

[Subaqua Adinterim]

5 hours ago, J Francho said:

They are good in a sense that they are challenge.  You learn to fish. 

Yes - I fish the 2 smallest Finger Lakes frequently.  Learned how to bass fish here by applying what I learned on this site and trying different things.  I don't use any electronics and am still working away at learning.  These little lakes are a grind at times, but to me they are challenging and fun.

[J Francho]

Rich, a basic graph w/ GPS would be of great value to the process.  Let me know if you need any advice, or even just want to see how I rigged mine up.  I'm probably not that far from you (Empire/Winton area).

[Subaqua Adinterim]

John

Thanks so much for the offer - you are approx. 3  miles from me.  I will need to stop by to see your set up.  I just updated my profile with my email as I am not on Facebook.  If you can email me with your location and a convenient time for you that would be great.

Rich

[Bo_Fish]

J Francho,

Do you anchor when fishing in your kayak?  I recently installed a YakGear anchor trolley on my Predator13 and the first time I got to use it was this past weekend.  It seemed to do the job and allowed me to set my position and direction quite easily.  I bought some chain and a 3 lb anchor from Wal-Mart.  I attached the anchor and chain to a diving reel, which I use to drop the anchor and reel it back it in.

 

RichPenNY,

FYI, I installed a Humminbird Helix 5 Chirp GPS G2 depth finder on my kayak.  It's got more bells and whistles than I know how to use but the install was pretty easy.  I did get lucky in that the transducer for that depth finder is made for the Predator13.  I'm not sure if you fish out of kayak but I thought I would at least let know about my rig.

 

Eric

[Subaqua Adinterim]

 

22 minutes ago, Bo_Fish said:

I'm not sure if you fish out of kayak but I thought I would at least let know about my rig.

Eric

Thanks

At this point I have a lightweight hybrid type canoe (see picture in the ADK vacation report I did in the NE local fishing section of this forum).  I will probably need to put a transducer off the side with my set up or since the Kevlar  is relatively thin, it may read through the bottom .

I have been looking to purchase a more comfortable rig such as a Nucanoe, Feel Free Lure, etc.; as I would like to stand up or at least be more comfortable when sitting than I am now.  I just need to get going and sell my 14' aluminum StarCraft boat and trailer along with the 2HP and 17HP 2 stroke motors. This will probably happen next spring.  Hopefully I can get approx. $1K for this and then I will go forward and buy a luxury SOT kayak.  I just want to get rid of stuff before I get more stuff - especially big stuff.

[J Francho]

45 minutes ago, Bo_Fish said:

J Francho,

Do you anchor when fishing in your kayak?  I recently installed a YakGear anchor trolley on my Predator13 and the first time I got to use it was this past weekend.  It seemed to do the job and allowed me to set my position and direction quite easily.  I bought some chain and a 3 lb anchor from Wal-Mart.  I attached the anchor and chain to a diving reel, which I use to drop the anchor and reel it back it in.

Yes, I often anchor, or drag the closed anchor for a slower drift.  I deep water , I have a drift sock.  I don't use anything special for the line, but I do use a trolley.

19 minutes ago, RichPenNY said:

 

Eric

Thanks

At this point I have a lightweight hybrid type canoe (see picture in the ADK vacation report I did in the NE local fishing section of this forum).  I will probably need to put a transducer off the side with my set up or since the Kevlar  is relatively thin, it may read through the bottom .

I have been looking to purchase a more comfortable rig such as a Nucanoe, Feel Free Lure, etc.; as I would like to stand up or at least be more comfortable when sitting than I am now.  I just need to get going and sell my 14' aluminum StarCraft boat and trailer along with the 2HP and 17HP 2 stroke motors. This will probably happen next spring.  Hopefully I can get approx. $1K for this and then I will go forward and buy a luxury SOT kayak.  I just want to get rid of stuff before I get more stuff - especially big stuff.

You want to use a deployment arm.  The shoot through setups are tidy, but I don't care what anyone says, not as good.  You definitely can't do it with DI/SI.

[Bo_Fish]

I spent a couple of hours on the south end of Hemlock this evening. The weeds were thick. I fished a weedless senko but had trouble punching through. I feel like I was scaring the fish away with all of reel jerking I did to get the senko through the weeds.

 

Have you had better luck with the north end of lake or the south end?

 

Rich, I hear you about too much stuff. I did end up getting a small lightweight Trailex trailer for my kayak. I will say that loading and unloading the kayak is trivial with the trailer. I didn't like car-topping a 90+ lb. kayak on top of an SUV by myself, which is why I got the trailer.

 

 

[Subaqua Adinterim]

I usually go to the south end, not so much because the fishing is any better, but because there is less boat traffic there.

If you take a look at the topo maps on the DEC site, these lakes are an oblong symmetrical bowl, so the depths are fairly uniform as you move from shore on each side.

 

As far as the weedless senko; when I throw one, I go toward the shore where the weeds are less thick or there are voids.  If I don't get hit on the drop or in the first 15 feet of slowly reeling back in, I will then just retrieve it back all the way fast - not really fishing it as much as just getting it back so I can throw it back out.

 

I'm  just offering advice from my experience, which is limited.  You may get additional, better advice from others here with way more experience and expertise than I have.

 

Good luck

 

 

[J Francho]

I wouldn't bother with a weedless, unweighted senko.  Some days, they want the bait to be on the weeds, or penetrate just a bit, so a Texas rig craw or worm with a 1/4 oz. weight works.  Other times they want the bait to penetrate deeply, so you want to go 1/2 oz. or better.  I also would not be looking close to shore.

[clayton86]

On honeoye I launch at the state launch on the south end and usually paddle to the middle of the lake on the West Bank. I've had my best luck there on that point and working back south on the West Bank as well. We had a tournament there this year for NYKBF and I took 3rd working swim jigs around the docks. A few guys got some real nice ones south in the swamp though.  

 

Hemlock and canadice i haven't been to in a few years we had a tournament on both but I skipped them. Guys that finished well we're all drop shotting and flipping weed edges. 

 

I might have some way points still saved on my FF for honeoye to point you in the right direction also I'll have to put the card in my laptop and see what I got.

[Bo_Fish]

Sounds good clayton86. Let me know about the way points.

 

I launched from the north end of Honeoye today. There were a lot of dead walleye and perch all over the north end of the lake. Anybody know what's going on?

 

I caught one lmb today. About 2.5 lbs.  I'll take that over getting skunked.  It was windy today and it finally felt like Fall.

[Bo_Fish]

One more question. Should I target creek inlets or creek beds when Fall fishing the Finger Lakes? I thought about doing this on Saturday but decided against it.

[ww2farmer]

1 hour ago, Bo_Fish said:

One more question. Should I target creek inlets or creek beds when Fall fishing the Finger Lakes? I thought about doing this on Saturday but decided against it.

These lakes are all similar, but have there own quirks.

 

My best results on Honeoye in the fall in the past have been targeting..........surprise....boat docks, and deep or shallow weed lines.

 

Creeks are a bust in the fall on Silver and Conesus, can't say for sure why, but they are. Part of it is probably because these are NOT "creeks" like what you would read about in Bassmaster on large southern man made bodies of water. They attract bass here in the spring for spawning and warm water, but are quick to be vacated after the spawn and the rest of the lake warms up. We don't have the reverse migration in the fall because #1 the forage base doesn't move back into them, and #2, they are usually colder and the first areas to freeze. Also in the fall water levels will be very low in those areas, they are barely navaigable in the spring with the higher water, and by fall, they are just damp mud puddles....until the late fall rains come, and fill them up with cold water (see point #2). I am sure there are some exceptions to this, but this has been my general observation ON THOSE TWO bodies of water over the years.

[Bo_Fish]

Thanks for the info ww2farmer.  You just saved me from wasting some time.

 

I'm going to Fish Hemlock this weekend.  I'll (try to) follow the advice of J Francho and fish a weighted Texas rig craw away from the shore .  I'm looking for bass but it wouldn't bother me if I hooked one of those dang pickerel   If I catch anything worth reporting then I'll post a picture on this thread. 

[J Francho]

Burn a spinnerbait over the tops of the weed beds if you want to catch one of those pickerel.

[Bo_Fish]

I spent about five hours on Hemlock today. I got skunked. I don’t think I even got a nibble. I launched from the south end and headed north. I found a spot where the depth changed to roughly 15 feet.  This looked to be the weed line. I fished this area thoroughly from east to west with a weighted (1/4 ounce and 1/2 ounce) Texas rig craw.  There were fish jumping all around me. Trout? I tried some top water with no luck.  I then paddled to the creek inlet at the south end. I also had no luck.  I did not see many baitfish in the lake during this trip.   I got a couple of bug bites for my troubles

 

Do you have any advice on how I could improve my luck? Should I wait for the water temperature to drop to a certain value? It was about 66 degrees today.  How long do you fish one area? I spent about 30 minutes before I changed spots.

[Bo_Fish]

I launched from the north end of Hemlock on Saturday.  I tried the weed line along the east side.  I threw some weighted soft plastics, crank-baits, and spinnerbaits with no luck.  My trip got cut short by an unexpected phone call after 2.5 hours so I probably only fished for roughly 1.5 hours if you include the paddling.  I ran into someone when I was leaving that said he usually has luck along the weed line on the west side when launching from the north end of the lake (go figure).  He also mentioned that the fish jumping out of the lake are carp.  I didn't realize Hemlock had that many carp.

 

I'm getting tired of getting skunked so I'm probably going to go back to Honeoye or try the Erie Canal.  I live reasonably close to Lock 32 in Pittsford.  Has anyone fished there recently?  I saw some threads from a couple of years ago that stated the fishing in Lock 32 fell off a cliff.  Is that still an accurate statement?

[Bo_Fish]

I fished Honeoye on Saturday and followed the advice of @clayton86.  I'm glad I did.  I caught over 10 largemouth. Most of them were in the 2-3 lb. range, so nothing big, but fun nonetheless.  @J Francho, I even caught a pickerel.  Thanks for the tips guys.

 

I'm thinking about trying Canadice this week.  I'm not very familiar with Canadice so I'll probably start by trying to fish the first weed line I can find.

 

I've been reading up on the Ned rig and am considering getting some Ned rig tackle.  Have any of you guys tried the Ned rig?  If so, any success?  

[J Francho]

14 hours ago, Bo_Fish said:

I'm not very familiar with Canadice so I'll probably start by trying to fish the first weed line I can find.

 You'll hit it about ten paddle strokes from the launch!

 

I've been considering a Midwest Finesse style presentation for this lake as well.  I'm pretty good at other finesse styles, but this is a little different.  Seems like it might loosen that lake up a bit.