I will probably bump into you sometime. I have a seasonal campsite at Chaumont. Look for an old white ProCraft.Originally Posted by BAM
I will probably bump into you sometime. I have a seasonal campsite at Chaumont. Look for an old white ProCraft.
Fish Bump!
1997 ProCraft 180
2021 Mercury 150
We are going to Cayuga at the end of May, i'm really looking forward to it.
fun times !! awesome fishery
Otisco then northern Champlain for a week in July
Nitro Z18
175hp ProXS
I love Oneida because it's only a 3hr+ drive but it's not what it used to be for a Topwater bite for Smallmouth anymore. I'm not sure what happened? Gobies and Quagga mussels would be my guess? Along with tournaments.
Last edited by BillsFan; 01-30-2024 at 11:22 PM.
im only 45min from Oneida and I barely fish it anymore. While the ramps packed there’s still a lot of room to avoid the crowds. I just prefer to not deal with the pressure and tournaments altogether so I fish elsewhere. But Oneida went through a very similar transition that Ontario went through back in the early to mid 2000s.
my family had a camp on little Sodus bay from 2005-2010. At first it was a great smallmouth fishery. We’d drift with minnows, crayfish, and troll for smallies. Having doubles was common and triples on weren’t unheard of either. but then the goby population boomed around 2006 and the smallmouth fishing was at its worst for years. It didn’t start turning around until I’d guess 2013ish and it’s now the best it’s ever been.
My parents sold their place on Ontario and bought a camp on north shore of Oneida around the Cleveland area. They had that place from 2010-2017. It was an awesome smallmouth fishery early on. Could catch them on everything (topwater, jigs, swim jigs, swimbaits, crankbaits, tubes, DS, etc). Then it turned and became extremely tough, around the same time we started catching gobies while drifting for walleye. And now Oneida has turned into a mini Lake Ontario.
while the smallmouth don’t chase topwater or jerkbaits like they used to, they just transitioned to more bottom baits. I might give it a try this year again.
1995 Ranger 481v
1995 Johnson Fast Strike 175hp
We recently bought a camp on the St Lawrence, down the rd from the 1000 Islands Bait Shop so I’m looking forward to learning the river in that area. It’s also nice to be in closer proximity to Chamount and Lake Ontario to chase those big smallies
fish have been conditioned to feeding down not up due to gobies. Still can be a decent Topwater bite there just have to hit it right however agree nothing like what it used to be.
The walleye population is near an all time high. Walleye population up, SM down. SM up Walleye population down. Remember it’s managed as a walleye lake.
18 inch Oneida smallmouth in June can exceed 4+ lbs
The walleye on Oneida are all dinks.
Per NYS DEC email Fishing Hotline:
The Fishery: Oneida Lake is the largest lake entirely within New York State and is third only to Lake Ontario and Lake Erie in total angling effort. Walleye are the primary focus of the Oneida Lake fishery, followed by black bass (smallmouth bass and largemouth bass) and yellow perch. Walleye adult abundance is currently near the long-term average, and the yellow perch adult abundance is near a record high. Anglers harvested over 100,000 walleye from the lake in 2022.
Just booked Chautauqua Memorial day weekend.
Hoping to hit Champlain in May.
I have 4 days middle June on upper saranac lake, then 6 days on Champlain 3 north, 3 south.
Upper Saranac area is my happy place. You’re not going to catch big fish, but if I’m only focusing on the fishing then I’m missing out on the best parts. The scenery and stillness is what draws me to there
1995 Ranger 481v
1995 Johnson Fast Strike 175hp
Cayuga, Cross, Oticsco, Onondaga.
solid lineup
I fish a pretty steady diet Onondaga lake because it’s close to me. The others I fish s few times a year but I plan to fish them more this year.
Probably just me, and I've only been there once, but I couldn't catch a cold on Cross Lake.
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