Seneca Lake Trout Derby! 2024

[FASTEDDIE29]

Took the ride north to fish with Mikey and his dad for this one. A mutual bud booked a great house right on the lake. Scenery is always awesome in this neck of the woods. There were 8 of us in 4 different vessels. The grind was real when it came to finding a big fish to enter. We may have hooked one but it unfortunately spit the hook. Ouch! We fished all day Saturday, got caught in a storm. What a mess that turned out to be!? Ahhhhhg, it happens when the weather upstate is so unpredictable. We got swallowed by this front and wound up hiding in a cove with another house angler that was trying to avoid the big waves. Good times! Day 2 we grinded again but didn’t really find anything good til we got away from the crowds. Couple of really nice LL Salmon went in the box along with some Bows and Browns. Biggest fish we could find were around 5 lbs. This place has me thinking that there’s gotta be a local way of fishing to find the big ones. We trolled spoons both days with good action. I’m confident there’s another way to crack em’ on Seneca! We gotta figure this out. All in all a great time with some really awesome anglers. Here’s a few pics! TIGHT LINEZ!!!
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https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/t599/fasteddie2927/IMG_4110.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds
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https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/t599/fasteddie2927/IMG_1196.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds
https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/t599/fasteddie2927/IMG_6310.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds

[hammer4reel]

Looks like ya still had a blast and made the best of it .
Seneca is a nice lake .
Stayed in the cabins there shooting archery tournaments up there many times .
Bucks in the lodge are impressive

[bulletbob]

Right now, Seneca has problems.. Yes there are some big fish, but try catching them... That lake is LOADED with Lampreys, has been for several years, and the state seems to have dragged their feet regarding trying to get rid of some of them.
Looking at your catch, you guys did very well actually, as the lake is not close to what it was at one time,and even "locals" don't always do well these days...

Lampreys are out of control right now, Zebra Mussels, and now for the first time , Gobies have finally gotten into the lake ,and have been confirmed in spring 2023.. They will become the dominant species for a while as they do in every lake they invade, until the native fish start to adapt.. Any fish that grow to maturity will then have to deal with hordes of "protected" Cormorants as well!

When I moved here in 91, Seneca and Cayuga were paradise for a fresh water fisherman.. Lakers, Browns, Salmon,Rainbows, Pike, Large and Smallmouth, and a host of the biggest panfish in the northeast.. Rock Bass and Perch a foot long, 9 even 10 inch sunnies, no problem...Didn't even need a boat,,, I fished without one for several years, and caught more fish than I could have imagined right from shore year round... Then the Zebra and Quagga Mussels, Gobies, and the high effluent load from the farms, resorts, Wineries, and thousands upon thousands of private homes took their toll... I can recall pitching worms into Seneca and after sinking less than a foot. it was attacked from every side by dozens of foot long flashes... Today I pitch a worm in, and it sinks slowly to bottom, wiggles around and is never touched, not even by a small sunny or minnow.... Cayuga is not quite as bad, but is not close to what it was at one time. The fish are adapting to the negative changes there it seems, Seneca not so much...

So, I think your guys had a very respectable showing, especially not knowing the lake that well, and competing against great anglers that have fished the lake for 50-60 years!!!

The state FINALLY got around to treating the feeder streams for Lampreys,its scheduled for 6/4/24 if conditions permit...

Here's a very interesting, In depth, short read of some of the things that happened to Seneca.. Its from 2016 but the sharp decline started long before that, and has gotten considerably worse since then, and now with the Gobies to boot?....

It will be all put and take trout trolling, as the stocked trout don't have to worry about billions of Gobies eating all their eggs like the warm water species do...

I hope I see Seneca turn around in my lifetime....

https://www.fltimes.com/news/something-s-fishy-seneca-lake-anglers-worried-about-lower-fish-count/article_ff95a77a-40b6-11e6-afb5-d3d339d2f86f.html

[Mikey topaz]

Right now, Seneca has problems.. Yes there are some big fish, but try catching them... That lake is LOADED with Lampreys, has been for several years, and the state seems to have dragged their feet regarding trying to get rid of some of them.
Looking at your catch, you guys did very well actually, as the lake is not close to what it was at one time,and even "locals" don't always do well these days...

Lampreys are out of control right now, Zebra Mussels, and now for the first time , Gobies have finally gotten into the lake ,and have been confirmed in spring 2023.. They will become the dominant species for a while as they do in every lake they invade, until the native fish start to adapt.. Any fish that grow to maturity will then have to deal with hordes of "protected" Cormorants as well!

When I moved here in 91, Seneca and Cayuga were paradise for a fresh water fisherman.. Lakers, Browns, Salmon,Rainbows, Pike, Large and Smallmouth, and a host of the biggest panfish in the northeast.. Rock Bass and Perch a foot long, 9 even 10 inch sunnies, no problem...Didn't even need a boat,,, I fished without one for several years, and caught more fish than I could have imagined right from shore year round... Then the Zebra and Quagga Mussels, Gobies, and the high effluent load from the farms, resorts, Wineries, and thousands upon thousands of private homes took their toll... I can recall pitching worms into Seneca and after sinking less than a foot. it was attacked from every side by dozens of foot long flashes... Today I pitch a worm in, and it sinks slowly to bottom, wiggles around and is never touched, not even by a small sunny or minnow.... Cayuga is not quite as bad, but is not close to what it was at one time. The fish are adapting to the negative changes there it seems, Seneca not so much...

So, I think your guys had a very respectable showing, especially not knowing the lake that well, and competing against great anglers that have fished the lake for 50-60 years!!!

The state FINALLY got around to treating the feeder streams for Lampreys,its scheduled for 6/4/24 if conditions permit...

Here's a very interesting, In depth, short read of some of the things that happened to Seneca.. Its from 2016 but the sharp decline started long before that, and has gotten considerably worse since then, and now with the Gobies to boot?....

It will be all put and take trout trolling, as the stocked trout don't have to worry about billions of Gobies eating all their eggs like the warm water species do...

I hope I see Seneca turn around in my lifetime....

https://www.fltimes.com/news/something-s-fishy-seneca-lake-anglers-worried-about-lower-fish-count/article_ff95a77a-40b6-11e6-afb5-d3d339d2f86f.html

I feel the same way bob I have to agree with you. Definitely an issue with the lampreys the last few years I fished this tournament just about every fish has them on them. It’s pretty bad.

[bulletbob]

Yes,,as bad as the lampreys are, the Gobies are worse.. They carpet the bottom, and are voracious .. They eat every egg in any fish nest, and any that do survive and hatch get eaten as fry.. After a few years predators learn they are a good food source, and grow fat on them, so you have a lot fewer bass lets say, but the survivors grow a lot bigger.. Some guys like that, not me.. Local guys don't care at all as long as they keep stocking salmonids, and there are plenty of Alewives to feed them.. Its 90% big water trollers here, and they could care less that there are no sunnies/perch/bass/Pike etc left , as long as they can downrigger troll for trout and Salmon.. They only bitch when the Lampreys get too bad.

Seneca is in trouble.Too many farms/wineries/resorts/homes/camps/businesses [each with a septic!].

Seneca used to have very clear water where you could see 30 feet down, and see big clean algae free rocks with fish all around them.. Today those same rocks have some sort of nasty brown slimy algae 2 feet long covering them, and not a fish to be seen. Entire lake is like that... I think the farms, huge wineries, and thousands of private luxury homes with landscaped lawns is the main reason.. The lampreys can be controlled, people can't.... bob

[DanH]

So sad to hear this about Seneca ! We fished it in the 80's and it was a fisherman's paradise ! Back then the State had an aggressive campaign against the Lampreys in Catherines Creek and it seemed to a least control them . Do you think the decline of the smelt population had a negative effect ?

[bulletbob]

So sad to hear this about Seneca ! We fished it in the 80's and it was a fisherman's paradise ! Back then the State had an aggressive campaign against the Lampreys in Catherines Creek and it seemed to a least control them . Do you think the decline of the smelt population had a negative effect ?

Well even after the Smelt were in decline by the 90's the lake was still loaded with fish, and fishing was great until about 20 or so years ago.. Same with Cayuga... The Smelt can't compete with the hordes of Alewives, young Gobies, Zebra mussels, Quagga Mussels,and Spiny Fleas[all invasive] that all eat the same plankton, not to mention severe over harvest by people, and simply died out over time ... NY still treats for Lampreys, but only seems to do it these days when the trout populations get decimated and the trollers start screaming about it to them.. NY DEC is NOT like NJ,, They take care of the Great lakes salmon and Catskill trout stream and big impoundments, all else is pretty much left to rot.. The smelt extinction is not a cause of the problem, its a victim of the problem.. Too many invasives, and too many people living on and making a living off these lakes.. Like the ocean, we assumed the lakes were too big, too deep to die.. Wrong assumption,... I looked at results of the tourney and it wasn't too bad this year, but a lot of good local trollers had similar results to the OP.. Lots of smaller to average size fish. bob

[Broad Bill]

I believe the finger lakes are all glacial lakes and years ago I had an opportunity to see them and as you say they had the clearest most beautiful water I've ever seen in a lake. Since so many invasive destructive species are getting in, I assume they're coming on through tributaries or feeders streams. Is that the case? I know a lot of Lake Ontario's problems were caused by ship ballast discharged from international tankers coming in though the St. Lawrence River, are the two systems connected and is that the origin of the zebra mussels, gobies and other invasive species you refer to? Gobies are a bad problem, I'm not sure they have a known way of stopping them. One study estimated in western Lake Erie alone, there were 9.9 billion gobies in 2002 and there's other studies which indicate the population has not only expanded but doubled in size since 2007. They're single handedly changing the entire ecosystem of the Great Lakes and it sound like they're doing to the same to the Finger Lakes. The planet can only tolerate so much pressure and commercialism, the Great Lakes and surrounding waters have become a dumping ground for container ships crossing the Atlantic.

[bulletbob]

I believe the finger lakes are all glacial lakes and years ago I had an opportunity to see them and as you say they had the clearest most beautiful water I've ever seen in a lake. Since so many invasive destructive species are getting in, I assume they're coming on through tributaries or feeders streams. Is that the case? I know a lot of Lake Ontario's problems were caused by ship ballast discharged from international tankers coming in though the St. Lawrence River, are the two systems connected and is that the origin of the zebra mussels, gobies and other invasive species you refer to? Gobies are a bad problem, I'm not sure they have a known way of stopping them. One study estimated in western Lake Erie alone, there were 9.9 billion gobies in 2002 and there's other studies which indicate the population has not only expanded but doubled in size since 2007. They're single handedly changing the entire ecosystem of the Great Lakes and it sound like they're doing to the same to the Finger Lakes. The planet can only tolerate so much pressure commercialism, the Great Lakes and surrounding waters have become a dumping ground for container ships crossing the Atlantic.

Everything started when they built the Welland Canal and bypassed the natural barrier of Niagra Falls and,that let in the Alewives,and Lampreys from the Atlantic.. Fleas/Gobies/Mussels/ are courtesy of ballast water dumped into the Great Lakes.. ""Improvements" such as the Erie Canal/Mud Lock has connected the Finger Lakes to the Great Lakes with dire consequences.. It is what it is.. No one here cares much, as long as they can troll with riggers for salmonids... That is usually pretty good when the Lampreys are not too fierce.. They are way up in Seneca and down in Cayuga.. about 8 years ago it was opposite.. I stopped fishing Cayuga and fished Seneca during that time.. As long as there are alewives there will be stocked salmonids to catch.. I you want to catch anything else, good luck.. I will say there are sections of the lakes doing ok for warm water species, as long as its sandy/weedy/muddy soft bottom, as Gobies are not as numerous there.. They favor rocky/broken/pebble bottom.. There are some Finger Lakes without Gobies yet, as they are not connected to Lake Ontario or the St Lawrence.. They ALL have mussels however, as well as farms/wineries/mansions/camps/resorts etc etc.. Too many people want a piece of all these lakes, and will pay through the nose to live on them, and the lakes are paying a steep price... These massive lakes now get pea soup green every summer from toxic algal blooms.. This was never seen years ago.. Simply too many people dumping too much crap [literally] into these once pristine ,pure, clean lakes... bob

[AndyS]

Those are nice fish, just wondering how big the fish were for the winners ?

[bulletbob]

Those are nice fish, just wondering how big the fish were for the winners ?

2024 National Lake Trout Derby winner board-


William Welch

12.36-pound lake trout

Division Winners

Lake Trout

Michael Salotti

12.02 pounds

Brown Trout

Ralph Feo

8.55 pounds

Rainbow Trout

Matt Dyske

8.45 pounds

Landlocked Salmon

Christopher Miller

7.61 pounds


all nice fish... Nothing earth shattering, but all good fish.. That derby gets a lot of GREAT trollers from all over the northeast.. Not my bag at all, but its a very big, very popular, well funded tournament,, and a LOT of fish get killed when there are hundreds of boats trolling multiple rods run deep... Lot of small fish get hooked, dragged to the boat which doesn't stop of course, quickly dumped overboard so the rigger can be reset quickly.. lots of floaters after all these massive tourneys up here... Trout tourneys and bass tourneys.. Personally, I have no use for them.... bob

[Broad Bill]

Sad narrative. As a civilization, all we preserve is exploitation of one resource after another and abuse of the planet for the sake of the almighty dollar. The fact the Great Lakes are the largest fresh water system on the planet and infested with invasive species is a daunting reality.

[Jerzguy2]

Parents almost bought a motel with 40 acres running down to the lake in the 60's, I wasn't looking forward to moving to the middle of nowhere. Big mistake, area was incredible, Cathrines Creek was famous for it's Sprog Rainbow run and the area was largely undeveloped. There is a large Winery on that property now, wish they had made the move.