Tennity's Guide Service & Fishing Charters

August 20th, my friend, Roger Graham and I decided to bass fish on Honeoye Lake while our wives made a trip for lunch and to the mall. We started in late morning, just north of my cottage. The fishing was rather slow. We tried several baits and depths with mixed results, and I told Roger it was time to move to a new location. Bingo! We started catching some nice bass, and the action was steady. Roger likes to fish a jig & pig, so he made a pitch to a small group of weeds. A thump signaled that something ate the jig, so he put a lip ripping hook set onto the flippin stick and all heck broke loose. A couple of trips around the back of the Ranger and a couple of dives under the boat and this toad showed herself. What a way to cap off a fun afternoon.

A few hours later we set up to fish the Tuesday night tournament on Conesus. We have been doing well each week, but just seem to miss out on the big bite. Last night was no different, needing one big bite or two mediums to move up in the standings. It has been fun fishing these tournaments each week, but Roger is heading back to Florida next week, so we will see the Tuesday night group in 2014.

Jig and pig is working, so try different color combos until you find the bass’s preference, also creature baits in various colors.

Frank

Monday was a typical day on Honoeye. The algae bloom was strong in some areas and clearer in other areas. We fished several different spots with mixed results. Wacky rigged Bass Pro Stikos worked the best. The youngest angler was just six years old, and he was the most coordinated six year old that I have ever had on the boat. Both accuracy and casting distance were remarkable.  The only thing he needs to work on is his hook set. Quincy is a very talented angler and has a great personality. His smile, when he caught and released a bass, was the highlight of our day.

Green pumpkin was the best color.

Frank

Conesus has been frustrating to say the least.  Last Tuesday, my partner and I had a decent three fish limit of bass in ten minutes, which left us with two hours and fifty more minutes to upgrade with some  bigger fish. It didn’t happen. The weights were much smaller this week and several anglers had problems even getting bit.  Some folks managed one bigger fish and then only a couple of small ones to fill their bag. Conditions had changed and we anglers just didn’t pick up on what had taken place. This is part of the challenge and what makes fishing so much fun; entering their environment and using artificial lures to trigger a feeding response. When you feel that little tick, see your line jump, or feel a slight pressure when you start to pick up the bait, setting the hook on a good fish makes all the hard work fun.

A mix of baits worked, including wacky rigs, jig’n pig and brush hogs. Depending on the fishing method and the catch rate, we fished depths ranging from 5-15 feet, with weed edges and thicker weeds producing the most fish.

The recent reports of an algae bloom on Honeoye are correct, and the media hype is not good. All waters are fragile and subject to human transgressions, so it is our duty to protect the environment.  That being said, the fishing is still top notch, and it just takes some adjustment to help those bass find our bait. I have switched to darker baits and shake the bait to create a vibration, so the bass can locate my offering. When shaking the bait, be careful not to move it, just shake the bait in place.

Greenpumpkin, black, and redbug have been the top producers recently. The algae bloom has also let frogs and toads (artificial), work quite well in creating a disturbance as a topwater bait, and the bass are hitting this offering.

The lake level had dropped as a result from the break in the rain, but is up a few inches this week from recent showers. These depth changes can relocate bass, so watch your depth finder. You may also want to look for cleaner water where the algae is not as bad. That way, the bass can use sight feeding to help your catch rate.

Conesus Lake, one of the Finger Lakes, has been generous and stingy in giving up her bass. Last Tuesday it took 14.5 pounds to win and 9 pounds wouldn’t get you a check. The bass were biting, but the quality bites were spread out among a rather large field of boats. My partner and I were joking with the eventual winners, that they had to catch bigger fish than the ones they caught near us.  About an hour and a half into the tournament, they headed north, culled the small fish and won the event.

Friday was a decent day, the bass were biting, but not aggressively. A storm came through just after noon and made for an early quit. Heavy rain for about an hour, along with heavy thunder, said “get off the water”.

Saturday we fished a small tournament and the bass bite was extremely slow. We tried several different baits, colors and methods to fill a limit. As usual someone will always get on a good bite, but it was not our day.

Over the past week we have caught bass on wacky rigs, jig and pig, creature baits and Lake Fork tube type baits. Colors ranged from watermelon red to green pumpkin.

Guide, Frank Tennity, holding Lizzies, Honeoye Lake lunker bass.  A very enjoyable day with Lizzie and her dad Scott.  Bass were hitting a multitude of baits, but the top one was a baby brush hog made by Zoom baits.

The weather just can’t stay nice for more than a day or two, and the bass have been thoroughly confused. The cold nights and cool days dropped the water temperature several degrees, and the bass have moved out deeper. If we have even a small amount of sun to increase the temperature a couple of degrees, the fish move shallower, so move you should movein and out until you find them. We have done better out deep in the morning with the activity level picking up in the afternoon and evening.

Saturday, the bass were slow in the morning, and when they did take the bait, it was a light bite. A client caught the biggest bass, an honest 4 lber. An evening trip, after the day had cleared, produced around 30 bass with most being in the 12-14 inch class.

Sunday was a decent day for mowing yards, so evening seemed to be a good time to scout for active fish. We fished the north end of Honeoye for just under 3 hrs. and boated at least 50 bass. Bait color did not seem to matter. Standard colors have been working: watermelon seed, green pumpkin and junebug. Change colors and weights until you hit the right combo that works.

Good fishing, wear your life vest,
Frank Tennity