JackstrawIII Posted October 12, 2022 Posted October 12, 2022 Been on a personal quest to catch a pike this year… and so far I’ve not been successful. But, the upside is that I’ve been catching some nice bass on big spinnerbaits, which has been fun. I live between Rochester and Syracuse and fish in Sodus and Little Sodus Bays whenever I can talk my boat-owning buddy into taking me out. I’ve caught bass on small spinners in ponds, but these are real lake fish on real big spinnerbaits, which is new for me. Speaking of new to me, I’ve never fished this late into the fall before. It’s definitely harder to find fish, but if you can find them the bite seems to be pretty good. Anyone else still fishing Lake Ontario this time of year for anything other than salmon? 4 Quote
Super User Jar11591 Posted October 12, 2022 Super User Posted October 12, 2022 Some nice looking bass there. Im in NYS as well, and this year the pike seemed to have disappeared. I don’t target pike, but usually I get a few dozen accidental pike every year, with a few good ones mixed in. This year, I’ve only had one pike bycatch, and it was about 18” long. Very weird. 1 Quote
JackstrawIII Posted October 12, 2022 Author Posted October 12, 2022 Jar, thank you. I grew up in the Albany area and will be there this weekend for a funeral. Was thinking about throwing a couple poles in the truck for the trip... Any tips on a good spot to throw a few lines in the water from the bank? Quote
Super User Jar11591 Posted October 13, 2022 Super User Posted October 13, 2022 3 hours ago, JackstrawIII said: Jar, thank you. I grew up in the Albany area and will be there this weekend for a funeral. Was thinking about throwing a couple poles in the truck for the trip... Any tips on a good spot to throw a few lines in the water from the bank? The Hudson River in Troy has lots of bank access, from the dam - south. There is a really good spot right at the base of the dam, accessible from the Green Island side. Nice parking lot too. You can walk the bank for a good ways when tide is low. I’ve caught many smallmouth and stripers there, including some really nice ones. Current is a little swift there. Rensselaer Lake (6 Mile Waterworks) on Fuller Road also has good bank access. I’ve pulled some decent largemouth there against the bank from my boat, so fishing from the bank should be good. 1 Quote
Kirtley Howe Posted October 13, 2022 Posted October 13, 2022 On 10/12/2022 at 6:36 AM, Jar11591 said: Some nice looking bass there. Im in NYS as well, and this year the pike seemed to have disappeared. I don’t target pike, but usually I get a few dozen accidental pike every year, with a few good ones mixed in. This year, I’ve only had one pike bycatch, and it was about 18” long. Very weird. I live in Owego NY and fish the Susquehanna River often. Come on down here and you can catch pike, Musky, and Tiger Musky with great regularity. Pike to 38" and Musky to 42" are pretty common, and Tiger Musky (those are Pike and Musky hybrids) to 48" are not totally unusual. Most are caught as a byproduct when Bass fishing, but many people in the area target them. 3 Quote
KSanford33 Posted October 13, 2022 Posted October 13, 2022 I can second Rensselaer Lake. Also, if you're near Schenectady, try Central Park pond. You have bank access around the entire thing and it's usually good for a couple bass in the high teens in length. Collins Lake in Scotia isn't bad either, but it's fished pretty heavily. 1 1 Quote
Super User gim Posted October 13, 2022 Super User Posted October 13, 2022 1 hour ago, Kirt Howe said: Musky to 42" are pretty common, and Tiger Musky (those are Pike and Musky hybrids) to 48" Generally the tiger muskies don't grow nearly as big as the pure strain muskies. If there are 48 inch tigers present, I'd be surprised. Its generally the other way around. A 42 inch tiger would be quite large and a 48 inch pure strain would be much more likely. The state record pure strain muskie here in MN is 55 pounds, 14 ounces and the state record tiger muskie is 34 pounds, 5 ounces. Quote
JackstrawIII Posted October 13, 2022 Author Posted October 13, 2022 3 hours ago, KSanford33 said: Also, if you're near Schenectady, try Central Park pond. Is this the one? 1 Quote
JackstrawIII Posted October 13, 2022 Author Posted October 13, 2022 20 hours ago, Jar11591 said: Rensselaer Lake (6 Mile Waterworks) on Fuller Road also has good bank access. This one is like 5 miles from my folks house, I’ll definitely check it out! Thanks. Quote
Kirtley Howe Posted October 13, 2022 Posted October 13, 2022 4 hours ago, gimruis said: Generally the tiger muskies don't grow nearly as big as the pure strain muskies. If there are 48 inch tigers present, I'd be surprised. Its generally the other way around. A 42 inch tiger would be quite large and a 48 inch pure strain would be much more likely. The state record pure strain muskie here in MN is 55 pounds, 14 ounces and the state record tiger muskie is 34 pounds, 5 ounces. Could be....but I caught a 48" Tiger, which was identified by a local DEC officer. I suppose he could be wrong, I just took his word for it. The biggest pure strain Musky I have seen is 46" that was caught by a friend of mine..also identified by the DEC.. The Tigers may not usually grow as big as pure strain, but they do grow faster, and since they have stocked them in our area, I think there are more of them then pure strain Musky. Of course, neither I nor my friend was targeting them. I know that there are some dedicated Musky fishermen around here, and they may well have caught bigger ones...but I can only speak from personal experience. I have caught a lot of Pike in the 25-30 inch range, and a few somewhat bigger. 5 hours ago, KSanford33 said: I can second Rensselaer Lake. Also, if you're near Schenectady, try Central Park pond. You have bank access around the entire thing and it's usually good for a couple bass in the high teens in length. Collins Lake in Scotia isn't bad either, but it's fished pretty heavily. Don't forget Greater Sacandaga lake. Lots of great bass there too. 1 Quote
Super User Jar11591 Posted October 13, 2022 Super User Posted October 13, 2022 1 hour ago, JackstrawIII said: Is this the one? Thats the one. The “too shallow for fishing” thing is nonsense. Ignore that. Place has plenty of bass in it. Like @KSanford33 said it’s usually good for a few bass, and you can walk and fish the entire bank. 1 Quote
Smokinal Posted October 17, 2022 Posted October 17, 2022 Come on up to Maine. I'll take you to Sabattus Lake....pike for days Quote
JackstrawIII Posted October 18, 2022 Author Posted October 18, 2022 11 hours ago, Smokinal said: Come on up to Maine. I'll take you to Sabattus Lake....pike for days That is very kind. I’d love to get up there someday. Thank you. Quote
Smokinal Posted October 18, 2022 Posted October 18, 2022 10 hours ago, JackstrawIII said: That is very kind. I’d love to get up there someday. Thank you. I ain't kiddin'! If you find your way up here, contact me...I'll take you out. 1 Quote
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