Chautauqua Angling Adventures

October 10, 2005…7:30 am - 2:30 pm Overcast and cold was the weather for today. The wind was from the NNE at 5 mph and the temperature was 57 degrees. The water temperature was 63 degrees. We fished for smallmouth bass today. Locations were Victoria, Dewitteville, Mayville and the Bell Tower area off Chautauqua Institution. We caught 11 keeper smallies using a melon pepper tube fished on a 1/4oz. jig head fished in 10-12 feet of water. Most of the fish were caught off Dewitteville and the Bell Tower. The fish were in the 2 to 2 1/2 pound range. The tube had to be worked very slowly. The bite was soft and hard to detect. Most of the time the fish would pick up the bait and swim toward the boat which made it even harder to get a good hook set.
September 17, 2005..7:00 am - 3:00 pm I fished a bass tournament today. Spent the whole day drifting a 150-yd stretch off Victoria Point. Water temperature through out the day fluctuated from 71.2 to 74.5 degrees on a partly cloudy day. Air temperature was 68 and the wind was NW at 5-10 mph. Water depth was primarily 12 feet. All the smallmouth that I caught were from this depth. They bit a 3 1/2-inch melon pepper tube rigged on a 1/4oz. jig head worked slowly across the bottom. 13 fish were caught and one lost. Largest fish was 3.73 pounds and the total for the 5 fish limit was 10.67 pounds. Winning weight for the tournament was 14.91 pounds and consisted of all smallmouth caught the same way from the same depth up around Dewitteville.
September 10, 2005..7:00 am - 3:00 pm The water temperature at jus over 71 degrees today. By 3 pm it had climbed to 76 degrees. We went looking for bass today, scouting for a tournament next weekend. At 7 am the lake was locked into a thick fog so we just dropped the trolling motor and fished from the ramp all the way along Long Point to the main lake. Once we got to the end of the point we just went across to Whitney Bay using the compass. We fished the shallow weeds with a buzzbbait, tube and jig & pig with no success. We moved out to the 10-12 ft depths and started picking up smallmouth on a tube. Caught 5 in about a 100-yard stretch. When the fog lifted around 9:30 we moved across the lake to the north end of Bemus bay. Got one smallmouth in the same 10-12 ft depth. Next we went south to Sheldon Hall and to Lakewood beach. Only one fish between both places. The sun was up and bright so we moved in on some docks around Cheney's Point. We caught 4 using a GULP sinking minnow. Total for the day 11. 9 smallmouth, 2 largemouth and only 3 were short. The largest fish was a 4 pound smallmouth.
September 4, 2005..6:30 am - 1:00 pm The water temperature stayed steady at 71.2 degrees today. The wind was from the north at 5-10 mph. We targeted bass all day. Started at Lakewood Beach. The water is still really stained and the weedbeds are thinning out. We caught one smallmouth there on a Venom Salty Sling. Moved to a rocky flat that is just south of the beach. Had one fish miss a white spinnerbait. We got locked into that spot because of a fog that blew over the lake. This should have helped the fish stay on the rocky flat but it didn't. After an hour delay we moved over to Sheldon Hall but no bites there either. Tried a few docks and lost one to a break-off up along Colburn's shoreline. Also got another smallie on a white spinnerbait between the docks. That was the extent of the success. Hey, maybe they all took Labor Day off? This is as good an excuse as I can come up with. Things will soon improve with the water level up and the water temperature starting to stabilize.
September 3, 2005..6:30 am - 1:00 pm The rains finally came and raised the lake level. It cooled the water temperature down to 71.5 degrees. Still, the fishing has been tough. We fished for walleye the entire trip. It was a partly cloudy day with a temperature high of 68. The wind blew hard from the WNW at 10-20 mph. This made holding on any spot very difficult. We fished jigging spoons, tubes, jigs and dropshot rigs around the Bell Tower and Warner's Bar at the north end and some of the windy points at the south end. Caught lots of perch and 4 smallmouth bass. The walleye fishing is still off. Everyone seems to be having the same trouble locating and catching any at all much less an 18 keeper. 3 of the smallmouth we caught on a melon pepper tube and came from 11-15 feet by the Bell Tower. The other one was caught on a jigging spoon in 4 feet of water on one of the points.
August 14, 2005.. 6:00 am - 3:00 pm Tough day on the lake. It stormed badly last night and the water temperature dropped from 83 to 78 degrees overnight. The lake was calm and the wind was from the SE at about 4 mph. Two bass tournaments were going on which made finding unused water difficult. We worked from south to north starting in Lakewood running clear up to Mayville and then back, fishing both sides of the lake and throwing just about everything in the tackle box. By 1 pm the wind had moved around to the west about 10-15 mph. We caught 6 small bass using a Venom Salty Sling and a 4-inch Berkley Power Worm. All of them came from docks and boatlifts. The south end of the lake is still very stained while the very north end is very clear.
August 10, 2005.. 7:00 am - 2:00 pm We went searching for smallmouth at the south end of the lake. We fished the crib, Stoney Point and Lakewood area in depths of 3-7 feet. The wind was south at 4 mph and switched to SW around 10 mph by 11 am. The air temperature was in the low 80's while the water temperature was at 80.3 degrees. Caught two nice 4 pound smallies on a drop shot rig using a GULP 3 inch smelt minnow and a GULP 3 inch white minnow grub once we got to 7 feet. Once we found them we left them alone to be used later this week for a guide trip. We got one largemouth around 3 pounds from a pile of rocks surrounded by weeds below Lakewood beach. The south end of the lake has an algae bloom and has a "pea soup" color from the outlet to Long Point State Park making it difficult to jig many of the weedbeds. When the wind shifted and picked up we headed up the lake to Warner's Bar north of Long Point. We caught one keeper largemouth along the lower end of the bar in 9 ft on a tube. We ended the day on the docks below Prendergast Point where we caught four largemouth. These were small fish around a pound and a half. The water at Prendergast was clear.
July 20, 2005.. 1:00 pm - 5:30 pm Took a friend and his son out for some largemouth fishing. Air temperature was 90 degrees and the water temperature was 83.2 degrees. Skies were partly sunny. The wind was from the NW at 7 mph so that left the northeastern shoreline fairly calm. We alternated from jigging weeds to fishing docks in three of the bays south of the bridge, Driftwood, the White Wall area and Greenhurst. Several fish came out of boatlifts. We then went to a bay that has some rock piles and pilings in 5-7 ft of water. Ten largemouth, the largest being a 4.32 pounder, came from this spot. All were caught on a Venom Salty Sling rigged wacky worm. Both father and son went home happy and tired from catching all those big ones.
July 19, 2005.. 1:00 pm - 5 pm The wind was blowing 15-20 mph from the west so we headed to the north end of the lake to find some calm water. We fished shallow weeds, 3-6 ft, in the Mayville area. We only boated 5 fish, 3 keepers and two shorts, all largemouth. They took a melon pepper tube. Water temperature was still around 82 degrees and the air temperature was 89 degrees. The water remains clear in most places.
July 16, 2005.. 6:00 am - 2 pm We started this trip on Tom's point fishing for muskie. We worked the entire point from about 50 yards south of the point all the way around the north side back to the PowerBoat Club throwing Tony Rizzo and Mepps in-line spinners. No fish! We then ran south below Lakewood and fished for smallmouth. We caught 5 and lost a few more using a Berkley Power Jerk Shad and a Venom Salty Sling. The biggest was about 3 pound. The action stopped as it got warmer so we moved up the shoreline to Lakewood Beach and jigged the weeds in 3-6 feet for largemouth. We used Power Worms and tubes, red shad and melon pepper colors but caught no fish. By 10 am it was time to hit some docks where the fish had been holding most of the week. We fished the south shoreline to avoid the 10-mph SE wind that had picked up. The areas fished were in Ashville, Bly and Prendergast Bays. The two fishermen, rookies to "dock skipping", were quick learners and caught good fish. Using a Texas rigged Venom Salty Sling they caught 10 good keeper fish along with some shorts and rock bass. By 2 pm the T-storms that were predicted started rolling in so we headed back to the launch. The water temperature had climbed from the 78 degrees at the start of the morning to 81 degrees by the end of the trip. All in all it was a good day.
July 15, 2005.. 6:00 am - 12 pm Used this trip as a scouting trip for a charter the next day. Location of the fish was primary to catching them. Fished the south end of the lake looking for smallmouth. Used a Berkley 5" white/pearl Power Jerk Shad over scattered weeds on a rocky flat in 3-5 ft of water. Had quite a few follows and caught 2 smallmouth and 1 largemouth. The wind was SE so this area was protected and the water was calm in the early stages. Once the sun came up higher in the sky the action slowed. On the way back up the lake we fished for some muskie off the shoreline of Cheney's Barn. Only one follow. Checked a few different docks along the Maple Bay shoreline and then called it quits for the day. Didn't want to stick fish that were needed for the guide trip tomorrow.
July 12, 2005.. 9:00 am - 2 pm Water temperature at the start was 77.2 degrees and the wind from the SE at less than 5 mph. We started at Prendergast Point casting for muskies. Lots of bait swimming around…hundreds of small perch. No fish followed any of the spinners. Went to Tom's point next and found lots of baitfish again, but no muskies. With the amount of perch we saw this morning the lake will have a good crop for quite some time. By 11:30 the water temperature had risen to 79.8 degrees. The sun was up and hot so we decided to check a few docks for bass. We fished Hadley's Bay and Arnold's Bay. The largemouth were up in the farthest back dark shady spots on the docks. We caught 9…all keepers up to 3 1/2 pounds using soft stickbaits skipped under the docks. By the time we got off the water the water temperature was at 81.3 degrees.
July 7, 2005.. 8:30 am - 3 pm We targeted largemouth bass the entire trip. Water temperature was 75.2 when we started and the wind was SE at about 5 mph. It was partly cloudy. We first fished the docks in Asheville Bay. Only two fish came off those docks all caught on a smoke Venom Salty Sling. Tried the weeds in the bay out to 10 feet. The weeds were in good shape but empty of bass. Next we moved south to the Greenhurst Point area. Weeds were slimy so we went across to Lakewood Beach. There we caught three nice fish 2 1/2 - 3 pounds along the weeds in 6 feet of water. Two of the fish bit a Berkley Pumkinseed 7 1/2" Power Worm. The other came on a green pumpkin tube. As the wind changed to NE we headed north to the bridge. Fished the bridge pilings and caught 9 off one piling. The water depth was between 6 and 7 feet around the piling and there was a good amount of scattered milfoil. They bit spinnerbaits, Power Worms and tubes. One last stop put us in Bemus Bay where we finished the day fishing the docks and catching 5 more fish for a grand total of 19. All were keepers in the 2-3 pound and were released. Not a bad day for two guys just looking to wet a line for a few hours.
June 29, 2005.. 6 am - 3 pm …Went hunting for muskie for the first 2 hours around the outside weed edge on the south side of Prendergast Point. Had two 30-35 inch fish show themselves and follow but no strikes. The fish seemed sluggish and not in any hurry to be caught. Most likely the increased water temperature, 81.2, has caused this from these hot summer days. They chased a black/red Mepps inline spinner. Decided to fish for bass the rest of the day. With the sun up and bright docks seemed to be a good choice. Fished the shoreline docks south of Shore Acres Marina and caught three on a watermelon Berkley Power Tube. Moved across the lake and fished the docks from Cheney's Point to Hadley Bay switching from the Power Tube to a 7 inch Power Worm in Pumpkinseed. This got 3 more strikes, one being a nice 3 pounder. All were largemouth. The dead carp situation is under control thanks to the Lake Association's efforts of going around and picking up all the floaters. There are still a few but the shoreline is in much better shape.
June 18, 2005.. 6 am - 2 pm …Fished a bass tournament on Chautauqua Lake. Water temperature hovered right around 67 degrees. Wind was from the WNW at around 10 mph. The water is still very clear. We caught good numbers of largemouth but could not find the bigger fish. Normally shallow and on the docks, these fish were nowhere to be found. We found smallmouth up in shallow where the "largies" normally are. As we found out at the weigh-in, the people who targeted the smallmouth came out the winners. The top three weights were all smallmouth. Winning weight was just a hair over 19 pounds for 5 fish. 15+and 13+ followed respectively. Where did they catch them? They won't say. But I did notice what they had tied on the rods. A white fluke and a melon colored tube, two of the most deadly baits for the smallmouth. Ours were all caught on soft stickbaits, spinnerbaits and tubes. We had 11.63 pounds and didn't even come close. Even with that it was a great day on the water, we caught fish lots of fish and enjoyed the day.
June 5, 2005.. 7 am - 11 am …Fished Warner's Bar and Victoria Point. Took a friend and his 9-yr. old out for some perch fishing. Perch and rock bass kept him busy for the entire 4 hours. Largest perch were 9 inches. Wind was calm and the sky overcast. The fish were in depths of 5-9 ft with the bigger ones in 5-6 ft where the rocks and weeds came together. Water temperature was 63.4 at Long Point when we put in but dropped to 61. 2 by 8 am, most likely because of the air temp dropping about 4 degrees. We fished ultra-light tackle and used 1/32-oz jigs with Berkley 1" micro sparkle tubes…chartreuse/white rigged on 6-lb. test. After the first hour we got a lot of company on Warner's Bar so we moved to Victoria. Fish were still in the same depths and just as active. Two "accidentals" right in with the perch…a 3-lb. smallie and a 30+ inch muskie all caught by our young fisherman and all on the ultra-light tackle. Go figure! Took pictures (check photo page) and got them both back in the water to grow bigger. Some days you just never know what's going to happen.
May 29, 2005..7 am - 12 noon…Fished Warner's Bar, Lakewood Bar and Greenhurst Point area. Primary targets were perch and crappie. Found both, 9-10 inch crappie and 5-7 inch perch, in an aggressive hungry mood. Lots of fish in all three areas. Most were caught on GULP earthworms rigged on a 1/16-oz. jighead. This set up fished on ultra-light Abu Garcia Cardinal 300 combos made for a fun filled day. Fish were in depths of 5-9 ft where the rocks and weeds came together. Water temperature was between 60-64 degrees and the water was clear on a morning filled with sunshine. Wind was from the SW at less than 10 mph. By noon it had picked up to 10-15 mph. For anyone looking for a bucket full of tasty crappie and perch this is the time to hit Chautauqua.
May 27, 2005…Fished from 7:30 am - 12:30 pm. Wind was from the NE at the beginning with a water temperature of 60 degrees. Fished the North side of Long Point State Park along Warner's Bar. The Panfish were on fire. We used GULP earthworms, Berkley Power Leeches, 2" Berkley Power Grubs in colors of white and pumpkin/orange. These were rigged on a 1/32-oz. jighead. With ultra-light tackle this was really great fun. We caught a combination of perch, rock bass, sunfish (some were huge slabs) and an occasional unavoidable bass. All fish were returned to the water to grow bigger and be caught again someday.