CAPTAIN TONY BUFFA FISHING CHARTERS
Fishing Report #9
06/15/09
Fisheads, Fishsomniacs, Fishoholics, and Fishianados:
Time for a fishing update on Oneida and lowdate on Ontario. Not much happening on the big pond these days. Seems like the big "O" is in transition from easy spring fishing to challenging pre-thermocline trolling with too much good temperature spread from surface to 100+ feet below. As the upper waters warm and temperature stratifies, conditions will be more conducive to effective trolling. The good sign is the abundance of baitfish (alewives) in 80 feet. This is usually the harbinger of better fishing soon to come.
The little "o" has gained a "tempo" so to speak! Tempo being chess terminology, meaning a move advantage in terms of timing to secure a position. It's time to take advantage of better walleye fishing on Oneida. Last week, walleyes lake wide responded to both shallow and deep applications. Trollers were raving about early week catches on the east end. Deep water jiggers from buoy 109 to 113 enjoyed the bite in 29 to 33 FOW; and reports of weed oriented walleyes around Maple Bay and Eel Island kept the shallow devotees busy with limit catches.
My groups took advantage of the early morning bite in the depths. Either a black/purple jig dressed with a nightcrawler or a Bass Pro Shops XPS 1/2 oz. Lazer Blade gold holographic put you just a morning away from a limit of "eyes". These fish were bottom oriented and scouring about on the "pancakes" (iron manganese nodules) in search of zooplankton. It takes hundreds if not thousands of freshwater shrimp to belly up a hungry eye. So imagine, here comes a sizeable morsel in the form of a jig or blade bait and (whamo) "fish on"! One more detail. I enhance the presentation with some pheromone technology in the form of ACTIVATE a Mustad product. ACTIVATE comes in trout, salmon, bass, and walleye flavors, spray or paste. Simply apply to your lure every fifteen minutes and have the advantage of capturing a fish's attention for just a spilt second longer than someone not using ACTIVATE....longer time frame=more strikes!
Ok so how about the catches. On Sat., June 13. it was the story of the loaves and fishes minus the loaves. Rev. Lou Giordano, Church of the Resurrection, Collamer, NY and his son, Jonathan along with his able parishioners: Pete Pucino, Syr., NY, Joe Fullano, E. Syr., Jonathan Vandusen, Cicero, NY and Gary Norsen, Kirkville, NY boated 14 eyes, kept 12 along with 4 yellow perch, 1 sucker and 1 sheeper. You can see the blades in the foreground.
On Friday, June 12, Walt Provost, with Auburn Armature, Tim Wharton with Weydman Electric, Dale Smith (host) from Siemens, Mike Lentz also with Weydman and Ric Labrador, Siemens joined forces against Oneida "eyes" and landed 13 eyes with 11 keepers, and 4 yellow perch with half of the catch on blades and the other half on jigs (black/purple or brown/white).
On Thurs. Dr. David Smith, President at Upstate Suny Science Center, Syr., NY landed his limit of "eyes" and this 22 1/2 big eye for the day.
More walleye outings this week along with the bass opener on the weekend. Somebody's got to keep track of these fish...it's called "REEL" love!
"SEA" you on the water,
cap'n tony