I'm going vertical jigging for lake trout on Keuka Laketomorrow...Morning temps are going to be in the teens, but it's supposed to warm up to around 30 later in the day, and most importantly, little or no wind..

Here in southwestern NY we have a pretty unique winter fishery...While smaller, shallower waters are covered in a foot of ice, some of the largerFinger Lakes, notably Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga and Canadaigua, are deep enough so that they seldom freeze, and provide open water fishing all winter long... There is a great winter fishery for lake trout, landlocks, browns, rainbows, pike, panfish and even bass in some instances..

For years deep water trolling was the "go to" method for lake trout...However it requires specialized, sometimes heavy gear to down to the 100 foot + depths where the lakers live, and while it has it's own appeal, it's sometimes not the most athetically pleasing way to catch fish.. Winching fish up from the depths on heavy gear tends to dull the fight..

In recent years, some local anglers, myself included, have been catching LOTS of lakers all year long by vertically jigging for them with light spinning or baitcasting gear...LOTS more fun catching the fish, very simple and VERY effective...I'm catching more trout now than I EVER did trolling, and having a lot more fun doing it...

The technique is simple...The lure we use are generally spoons made for vertical jigging, like diamond jigs, Northland Buckshot spoons, and Swedish pimples, just to name a few... I use a 6 foot light action graphite spinning rod spooled with a nonstretch line such as Spiderwire or Fireline..The nonstretch line is importnant to detect strikes at depths of 100-130 feet or more, and also to provide better hooksets..Most lures we use are from 3/4 oz. to one oz.... Most guys use a small snap or snapswivel to make it easier to change lures.. I favor open faced spinning tackle, but most of my buddies prefer light baitcasting gear... We all catch fish...

Simply open the bail or freespool the lure STRAIGHT down until it hits bottom..Reel up a couple cranks and just jig the lure up and down..You have to pay attention because oftens strikes occur as the lure is fluttering back down after it was jigged..Often you'll just see a slight twitch or hesitaion, and it's important to set the hook quickly...A good electric motor is necessary to keep the lures under the boat..A nearly straight down vertical presentation works best.. Good electronics are helpful, too, both to spot fish and maintain depth, but once you know your spots, you can get along without them...

On a typical morning 2 or 3 guys can catch 8 or 10 lakers in 3 or 4 hours...

We have done MUCH better, though...One day last January 3 of us landed 52 lake trout in just a little over 3 hours...Most fish run 18-20 inches and weigh around 2 pounds, but we catch quite a few in the 4-6 pound range also and we've caught fish up to 10 pounds..

I'll post the results in a day or two...

We use leadfish for jigging up here.. They are lead molded in the shape of fish and then hot dipped into copper or brass. Some are silver though but we find the copper or brass works best. They are quite heavey and drop in rather no time at all. We like to bounce them right off the bottom though. Using a small piece of cutbait trailing on back of them.. A freind of mine caught one that was 49 inches 2 seasons ago and I lost one last season prolly 20-25 lbs. I did bring up a nice one that was around 8 pounds though. We are fishing in 45 feet of water but threw the ice. We also like to fish for them at 25 feet as well. Most of our fishing for lakers is around under water ledges and shoals. Good Luck to you..

Phil...I'd like to try a couple of your leadfish...

Where can I get them..??.. Can I order some online..??..

One local guy uses lead wheel weights hammered flat and painted white , with hooks attached, of course.......

Says they work good for him......

I am not sure where you can order them , but if I can get a chance I will go up to Wait at the general store and see if they still have any. If soI will try and pick you up a couple. I will let you know how much they are.. All you will need to do is PM me with your address and I may even just send you one..

Here is what one looks like, Just let me know if you are still interested..
The pic quality is not the greatest and this one is a used one from last year. I would also recomend a split ring in front of it as it cut my line on one last year.. They also have a slight curve on the entire length of them..

Phil.. They look like they would work...I'll be in touch via PM..

We had a good morning today..5 of us fishing from 2 boats...

Got on the lake about 8;30 am..temp was about 10 degrees, with a 4-5 mph breeze... REAL chilly, until the sun started to warm things up..

We fished some of our old favorite spots, in 80-100 feet of water, for over an hour without a hit..

Then we decided to try some deeper water...

Hit fish right away, right on bottom in about 145 feet..

By noon, we had 15 fish in the box, our limit for 5 guys... The fish we kept ran from about 2 lb to about 5 lb.... We lost several and released probably 8 or 10...

The lure of the day was a 1 oz. diamond jig...In that depth, probably a little heavier jig would be better, but fortunately the winds were relatively light, so we managed alright...I'd like to get some jigs a little heavier, perhaps 1.5 oz. , if I'm going to fish that deep in the future.. Most of my vertical jigging in the past has been between 80 and 120 feet... I tried Fireline braid for the first time today, and I was impressed..Even at that extreme depth, strikes were easy to detect and I got good hooksets..

The fish were fat and sassy, and fought well..They were stuffed FULL of sawbellies (alewives) but were still hungry enough to strike our lures...

A fine morning on the lake..

OK just send your mailing address and I will see what I can do..

I am heading out this morning and it is the only chance I will have this week..
We hardly ever catch anything deeper than 70-80 feet here. The deepest spot in the lake is 120 feet.
The shoal I will be fishing on today runs out about 1 1/2 miles at an average of 45 feet. 90 feet runs along both sides with the second deepest spot on the lake a little ways off the end of it at 110 feet.
They eat freshwater smelts and stickle backs here with the exception of the big ones which eat anything they want to. We caught a cust ( burbon ) that was about 28 inches long one day that looked like a pickeral it was so thin. You could see where a laker had it in it's mouth once before judging from the old scares in it's back.. They chase the fish around the shoal when they start feeding
so I am hoping to have some luck there today.. Talk with you later..

Phil...Good luck this morning..

Alewives are the main forage for our Finger Lakes trout... At one time smelt were a significant food source, but smelt populations have declined dramatically to the point where they are considered extinct in some lakes ( notably Seneca) and greatly reduced in others ( Keuka and Cayuga) ...

Not sure why...Some experts think that it's because there are just too durn many lakers, and the trout have gobbled them all up...The alewives, however, are very prolifc and seem to be holding thier own...

Thanks for the good luck but none was had today. I was in to close to shore on this trip. I had around 7 or 8 flags from salmon playing around with the bait but that was about it. I left early because the wind started picking up but did go out farther on the bar and had a couple of real hard hits that I missed. They felt pretty hefty but who knows.. I will get back out there as soon as time will allow me to. It was in the mid 30s so it was still a great day to be out and I enjoyed that..

I went up to the Waite general store this evening after work but no luck they are out.. I will check a couple of more places that may have them. IfI can locate a fewI will get them and let you know.. I am trying to find a few of them anyways.. They are hard to come by even up here. They were originally made up around the Moosehead lake region and was stamped H&R. The newer ones will not bare the stamp but work just as good.

Thanks for checking, Phil.... If you find some, I'd like to try a couple...

Meanwhile, I sent you a PM...