Canistear NWCDC

[Scientist]

Fished Yesterday from 6 am to 1 pm. Water temps were 78 to 83 and the water was a pea green color. Never seen the water that color on Canistear before.  All fish caught before 9 am.  Pickerel, largemouth, small mouth, and a perch. Fish were average size. Only kept the perch for dinner.

[projoe]

the only time i saw water that was green was in the ocean, never saw green in a lake.

[Scientist]

It was an extensive algae bloom, the NWCDC are trying to find the source of the added nutrients in the water. Possible sources are fertilizer run off or phosphorus chemical contamination. I believe that a river enters the reservoir but I did not go there to see if the water coming in was the same color.

[kuz]

even if it is fertilizer or phosphorus as run off through a feeder creek, the alage bloom wouldn't occur untill it was contained in the reservoir. the moving water wouldn't allow for a bloom like that. also the feeders there are like little trickles.  unfortunately, algae blooms are a natural occuring event, sometimes enhanced by the fertilizer or phosphorus or other contaminats. although it looks horrible, its not "pollution" per say just an accellerated growth of algae. Has anyone experienced a fish kill due to a algae bloom?

[metaliczombi]

Fished up here yesterday, caught a lot of pan fish and bass but no walleyes.  I found one hump out in the middle of the lake that isn't very big that was producing large perch and bluegills.  Perch were 12-14in and the 'gills were equally large.  I also got one bullhead off of this hump.  My biggest bass(~3.5lbs) was a lmb that was deep, +25 feet trolling a harness.  I also got my first fish off of a side planer, a smallie (~1.5lbs.)   I was fishing with some expert competition though, a juvenile bald eagle, that snatched a fish out of the lake and flew up to a dead tree to consume its meal.

[projoe]

thats kool how those birds can see into the water so fell. did u see wat it scooped up

[metaliczombi]

I couldn't tell what it was but watching it was incredible.  It circled around the bay a few times then it went out into the main lake and it turned back towards the bay and swooped down to snatch a fish.  The tree it flew to was too far away to get an id of the fish.  Last time I saw a hawk/eagle swipe a fish was at the Ramapo and it was a Redtail snatching a stocker rainbow and that one flew right over my head with the fish in it's talons.  Good stuff.

[Scientist]

Fished on Friday 9/14. Caught lots of smallmouths in the range of 8-12 inches. Kept two perch for dinner. Both were caught in 30 fow. Had 3 walleye misses in 40 fow. Herring tails were all chewed up but none were brought up to the boat.

[metaliczombi]

The last time up here I had a couple real light pick ups deep but I missed them.  Did you have the walleye bites early/late or during the day? 

[Scientist]

That is exactly what I had; a light bite and nibbling of the bait. Keeping a bait down 40 feet in a drift is very difficult add to that a finicky fish and it gets frustrating missing them. All hits were after 11 am, go figure, and the perch were before 9 am.  Smallmouths were biting all day. Even tried stinger hooks and they chewed the bait right up to the hooks but not further.  Next time I’m switching to jig heads, unfortunately forgot that tackle box at home on this past trip but I won’t make that mistake the next time.

[kuz]

how are you guys hooking the herring. for most species, I hook them through the nostrils, but i found my hook up percentage went up with walleye when I started hooking them in the back. primarily with a slip bobber my hook ups shot up, but if you are on a quick drift, the herring last longer through the nose.

[TK from NJ]

I hook em in the back, just in front of the dorsal fin.  They seem to do OK this way even on a fast drift or troll.  tom.

[Scientist]

how are you guys hooking the herring. for most species, I hook them through the nostrils, but i found my hook up percentage went up with walleye when I started hooking them in the back. primarily with a slip bobber my hook ups shot up, but if you are on a quick drift, the herring last longer through the nose.

I used to hook the herring just above the dorsal fin but I found that while drifting it twists my lines too much even with a ball bearing swivel. I only hook them through the back in the situation as you described when using slip or fixed floats. While drifting  I hook the herring through the upper lip only. I found that hooking them through the nostrils will keep them alive longer but many times the hook twists on itself and buries the point into the mouth of the herring and makes a hook set almost impossible. I have lost some large fish with that mistake.  I would have to say that 80% of all my walleyes caught are on jig heads.  I tried a couple of new techniques this past trip but none of them produced fish only strikes and misses.

[metaliczombi]

I do not use herring, mostly nightcrawlers and plastics.  A large portion of my walleyes come trolling or drifting up here and I've seen it over and over again that the plastics will out produce live bait while pulling harnesses.  Same harness only difference is live vs plastic and plastic wins.  I wouldn't have believed it till I started seeing it myself.  I still like live bait for real slow approaches though, still fishing or slow drifting when the fish gets a better look or the scent attracts them. 

[bigfish]

going to hit canistear on saturday with my brother. was up there last week
to check out the ramp. looks ok the water was clear and the water level looked
good. only fished this lake once back in the late 90's.