Last weekend i had to pull the boat due to water levels at my dock. That doesn’t mean the lake season is over. It just means the boat is sitting on the trailer ready to go.
This weekend I’ll finish removing thr salmon tackle. Rods and tackle for brown trout and walleye are ready to go.
The boat being on the trailer means we can fish Lake Ontario for brown trout, Oneida Lake for walleye or Cayuga Lake for lakers, browns, atlantics and rainbows. I will be fishing until the launches freeze so if you want to get out give me a call. Don’t worry about being cold the full enclosure keeps everyone comfortable and ill bring the heater just in case.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking Brandon, Christina, Jace and Daniel out on Oneida Lake. While the weather wasn’t the best, the fish kept us busy enough not to care and the Hewescraft kept us comfortable.
Unfortunately we couldn’t keep the undersized fish off the hook. It seemed like every move I made put us into more shorts. That being said the kids didn’t mind as they were happy to be getting bites and catching fish. Them catching a bunch of fish was the goal for the day and that is exactly what happened. They ended the day with 3 keeper walleye and 5 good perch. I lost count of how many we threw back.
We trolled worm harnesses behind bottom bouncers in 25 to 30 feet of water. Pink and purple being our best colors.
A big thank you to Captain Mike Tankersley for the tip location the day before. Also, a big thank you to Eddie’s Salmon River Lodge for providing them a great place to stay.
Jace got off the boat and said he wanted to do this charter again next year. Hearing that made me forget how miserable the weather was as I was loading the boat.
I have dates available for Oneida, Ontario, or Cayuga Lake. Give me a call for details.
A couple weekends ago I attended the 2025 Salmon and Trout School at Fairways and Dreams. It was put on by Captain Casey Prisco (Dirty Goose Sportfishing), Captain Pete Alex (Vision Quest Sportfishing), and Captain Rob Westcott (Legacy Sportfishing). As a captain who has been fishing Lake Ontario on and off for over 25 years I am confident I can put fish in the boat most days, however I am also humble enough to know that these guys will out fish me most days as well. I am also the type of person who enjoys learning and is always trying to learn more. At just $250 for two days including lunch each day I figured I should learn enough to make it worth it.
I never expected to learn as much as I did. I am sure these three left a few of their secrets in the bag but during the two days of class it didn’t feel like it. It felt like they were giving away their entire programs. The three of them each fish from different ports on different sections of the lake. This was huge as there are major differences in the fishery from the east end to the west end.
They started right from trip prep and ended with lure selections and techniques. Putting pictures of each captain’s go to lures for the season on the screen. The presentations were excellent as they each took turns presenting how they approach the different seasons and species in their respected areas. It was clear they took pride in presenting the information and wanted everyone there to become better anglers. This past weekend I used information gained from the school while I was on the water and the pictures below show the results. I am excited to use my newly gained knowledge throughout this season as I have no doubt I will be putting more fish in the boat.
The lunch put on by Fairways and Dreams was excellent both days. The raffle prizes were nothing short of amazing. Everything on the table was top quality gear. The school was sponsored by all the local shops including Woody’s, Sonny’s, Fat Nancy’s and All Seasons. Everyone left with discount coupons for those shops and Fish USA. As I filled out the feedback form at the end of day two I struggle to find anything they could do to make the class better.
I would highly recommend anyone who fishes Lake Ontario for salmon and trout to attend in 2026. I feel you can learn something from every angler no matter your skill level. I know I took away much more than I ever expected over the two days. I have a note book with page after page of notes to refer back to and will likely attend again in 2026.
Lake Ontario brown trout fishing has begun, and it is good. Saturday I had the pleasure of helping out my friend Craig (315 Guide Service). He had a 5-person multi-boat trip and had a boat back out. With the river high and dirty, he called me to see we could take them on the lake.
I agreed and Saturday morning, we set out to chase brown trout. The morning started off slow as we searched for warmer water. After only boating one fish we pulled the gear and made a run to the west.
It wasn’t long before the rods started firing. We ended the morning with 9 in the box, 2 thrown back, and a few others that got off. Making the run to new water paid off. A thank you to Casey Prisco (Dirty Goose Sportfishing) is needed as well for the lure tips.
I have this coming weekend open if anyone is looking to get in on the action. The weather doesn’t look great but the winds are going to be right to provide calm water. Guests can stay warm and dry under the canopy as well.
Here are some shots of the new boat from last fall that I never posted. Now booking spring brown trout trips on Lake Ontario and lake, rainbow, and brown trout trips on Cayuga lake. Call now to lock in dates.
It was nice to get out on the ice with my family two days this week. Unfortunately it was the only 2 days we were on the ice in 2024 as last winter didn’t provide a lot of safe ice.
This past week we spent back to back days on Perch Lake in Jefferson County. The first day provided much more action than the second but we had a great time both days. After day two I cleaned 75 perch and one northern pike so it was definitely a successful outing.
Beckett caught his first fish on a tip up on his own and Gunnar caught the largest pike of the trip at 27.5 inches. They are both becoming quite the fisherman. Gunnar would rather watch tip ups and chase flags than jig and Beckett just wants to catch fish anyway he can.
With warm temps and rain the past 2 days, our ice fishing is on hold for a little while. There are cold temps in the forecast and the weather models show that they are here to stay. If they are right, we should have one of the best ice fishing seasons in years.
I will be offering ice fishing trips this season for up to 4 anglers. All equipment is provided. These can be great family outings. If you have always wanted to try ice fishing or if you experienced and just want to try a new area, I can accommodate you. Give me a call to discuss the many options from pike and panfish to walleye.
Saturday I took a break from deer hunting to take Russell and his son Shawn on a Cayuga Lake fishing trip. Russell has booked the trip as Shawn’s birthday present.
When Russell booked the trip, he said they wanted to jig for lake trout. I told him we would plan for that, but I’d bring some trolling gear just in case. I knew if we found the lakers grouped up, we would get them. However, after 4 spots, we knew we needed to go searching.
We started with two 10 color lines out that they could hold onto and yank every now and again, giving the baits extra action. This is like mixing trolling and jigging all in one. I wasn’t long before we had our first laker. I thought perfect this technique will get them and we will be good to go.
It turned out that was not true. After a while with no more bites, I put the down riggers out and both a 3 and 4 color lead core. We now had 6 rods in the water and the bites started coming.
At the end of the day we had taken fish on every rod out and Shawn had sore arms. His smile tells the story for sure. We ended with 7 lakers, a brown, a rainbow, and at Atlantic giving us the Cayuga Lake grand slam. We also lost about 7 other fish throughout the day.
The moral of this story is always have a plan B and C just in case plan A doesn’t pan out. I am offering trips on Cayuga Lake all winter. Stay warm inside the heated enclosure of the Hewescraft.
This past weekend was one of the most fun weekends I have had in a while. I was fishing both days so that had a lot to do with it.
Saturday I went to Oneida Lake in the new boat. It was a bit strange as I brought my friend Mike, Full Tank Charters, out with me. Normally, he takes me in his boat as he charters exclusively on Oneida and has taught me all I know about walleye fishing on that lake.
We launched just after 7, and it wasn’t long before we were putting a nice walleye in the live well. We had started fishing out deep and found fish right tight to the bottom. Using lead core rods, we were able to get our baits down to the fish and took home 10 keeper walleye and 3 big perch. I lost count of how many short or just barely 15 inch fish we released. I was pulling a deep thunderstick, and Mike was pulling a storm thin fin. We also took 3 bites off a chinook diver and thunder stick rig I put out on my side just to try out. One of the 3 was a keeper. Overall, it was a great morning on the water that put some tasty filets in the freezer.
Sunday, after breakfast, I took my wife and kids out on Lake Ontario to try some brown trout fishing. This time of year, there are some locations where they start to stack up, and we wanted to see if they were there.
We only had 2 rods in the water when that question was answered. A nice 17 inch brown trout smacked a custom Maglip 3.0 i had put out on a board. Once I had all the planer and rigger rods in the water I set out 2 chinook diver rods 18 and 22 feet back. I am glad I did as those rods took 5 out of our 9 bites. We ended up landing 6 browns in just a few hours. Amanda and the boys were able to stay warm under the enclosure. This boat is much more comfortable than the old one that is for sure. See her and the boys smile for each picture made the day great for me.
I will be offering both brown trout and walleye trips until the launches freeze. I also offer trips to Cayuga Lake for lake trout, rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon. Call today to book a trip.
This fall has been busy for a different reason than those in the past. I have been busy coaching both of my boys’ fall baseball teams. During this, I purchased a new larger boat as well.
The new boat is Hewescraft Sea Runner 210. This boat fishes even bigger than it is with seating for 6 adults and plenty of room left to fish. I will be offering trips for up 6 people on Lake Ontario, Oneida Lake,and Cayuga Lake.
I have been trying to get the new boat rigged and dialed in. After this past Thursday and Friday, I can say it is. I had Joel and his son Caleb aboard, and while we didn’t get as many bites as others, we put fish in the boat each day. Friday was our better day, putting 4 in the box and dropping multiple others.
Fall baseball season will be running through the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend. After that, I have open dates available for Oneida Lake walleye fishing or Cayuga Lake for trout and Atlantic salmon. I will be running trips until the launches freeze. The full canopy will keep you out of the weather in between bites. Call now to set up a fall or winter trip.
I have been bouncing back and forth between the river and lake the last couple of weeks. Both have been fishing well with some days better than others. That’s fishing for ya.
The river has been steady with plenty of drop back steelhead to be found. These fish have spawned and are making their way back to the lake. We have taken fish on everything from egg sacks and beads to pink worms. Each day has been different.
The lake has produced some nice brown trout. Friday, I fished with Walt. He has been coming up to fish with me for years and, last year, bought his own boat. This trip was to help him get his brown trout set up dialed in, and that’s what we did until we were soaked from the rain.
Today was an awesome day as I took my wife and kids out after lunch. We hoped to get out sooner but waited for the rain to stop. It turned out we didn’t need to get there any earlier as it only took us a few hours to limit out. Stick baits on the planner boards and spoons on the riggers were the ticket.
I am back on the river tomorrow so we will see what the day brings. I have next Saturday and Sunday open if you want to get out on the lake or river.
Wayne-o's Guide Service 