Pkfish49

NP - I went out on the weekend of April 20th and scored a fair number of Yellow Perch. Evidently the warm (>70f) Saturday before killed the remaining Ice.

Accidental foul hooking (except for trout) is OK in N.Y., but most deliberate snatching isn't. Dip netting is legal for Suckers in New York State, but only in certain bodies of water, and my lake is not one of them.

I forgot I took these pictures: This is what I'm talking about. Tons of em:

Thanks for the info. The fish that I saw were much, much smaller than the picture that Greentrout posted. From my internet research, the fish that I saw were most likely Bullhead Catfish. My best guess is that the ones I saw were between 10-15 inches. I find it unlikely any were > 2 pounds. I'm not experienced enough to tell the difference between congregating and schooling, but the fish were all travelling together in the same direction. I saw "packs" of the fish; some numbering at least ten. Now that I've identified the correct species, please advise of the best technique, bait, (lures?) and time to catch them. I still find it freaky how disinterested they were in the worms. I edited the first post to reflect the correct species. Ty

Edited the title and body to change all instances of flathead to bullhead. I was targeting Yellow Perch in my favorite lake. They were close to shore in shallow water. I got excited as I saw schools of Bullhead Catfish swim by, but they had no interest at all in my nightcrawler worms. If I dropped a worm anywhere near them, they got scared and literally swam faster to get away. Even when I stealthily dropped my line in their path, they swam past the worm without any interest at all. With my split shot setup, the worms were at the correct depth and the Bullheads were practically bumping into them. Some folks who fish the lake tell me that the Bullheads only feed at night, but I recently saw an article on the internet that claimed this was a myth. What's the scoop? Do I need to target the Bullheads after dark, or is their some other technique or bait I should be using?

Ty - Can I use it with the poles that I use with spinning reels - will it fit in the guides?

This is sentimental for me: I caught my first fish when I was a young boy. It was a huge pickerel. I caught it on an inexpensive Zebco combo. I seem to remember paying $9.99 for it and think that the reel was white. It came pre-spooled. This was around 1976. Does anybody have any info on the exact reel that I used and what would be around now that is similar? I'm asking because for fun, I'd like to try and catch something on an equivalent Zebco reel. If I find one, will it fit on one of the rods that I use with spinning reels? Ty

After trial and error, I've settled on Triline XT 10 LB test. I mostly shore-cast and found that this handles abrasive contact with rocks and general repeated contact with heavy weeds and obstructions much better than the same test XL. I don't get the "smooth casting" marketing lingo for the XL series. I don't have any problems casting with XT line and didn't find the XL line to have casted any better.

Take my advice with a grain of salt, as I've only Bass fished one season and my PB is < 3 LBS, but with that in mind, my favorite reel so far is the Abu Garcia Orra S20. I don't remember what I paid for it, but Abu Garcia sells it directly for $69.95. I like this better than my pricier Penn Battle II, which is a little under $85.00 these days. The Abu's retrieval and drag system is very smooth and comfortable to use.

Replying with my own depressing intel - 04/06/2018 - 5:30 P.M. EDT: Swan lake and Hunter Lake - Both still frozen. Reports aren't specific enough to denote the thickness of the ice. Things aren't looking good for the near future—this morning, it was 23-27 F and snowing in the Liberty area.

Thanks for all of the replies. I just came back from my local bait and tackle shop. I had originally only intended on getting my last reel spooled up, but as usual, left with my wallet a little lighter. In addition to some lures and other equipment, I picked another inexpensive spinning combo. This brings my freshwater arsenal up to 5 rods and 8 reels. I think I should be set for the season.

I was lurking and found a thread I could participate in: 1 - 5 Inch Green Senko 2 - #5 Meeps Spinnerbait 3 - Cotton Cordell Wally Diver

I just bought my 7th spinning reel for freshwater trips. I also have 4 2-piece rods. I've got an Ugly Stick and a $99.00 Penn reel, but the rest of the stuff is inexpensive. I'm just curious about other non-pro, non-tournament, mostly shore-caster anglers like myself. For a typical weekend or 3-4 day trip, how much equipment do you travel with? I like having a lot of extra reels because I shore-cast a lot with treble hook lures and lose a lot of line to snags.

I respect your opinion, but I keep whatever is legal and eat it. I'm confident that New York State laws make sense.

Thanks for all of the updates!

Got the P.M. I've never been to Bashakill Marsh - I'll have to check it out. Ty

Many thanks for the scouting report offer! I'm depressed every day when I look at the Liberty temperature, but I think last year's weather patterns were similar, so I'm still optimistic for a mid-April thaw. These lakes are all near each other and I suspect that they all thaw around the same time: Swan Lake in Swan Lake. Lake Superior State Park (don't know the proper name for the lake inside the park) in Bethel. White Lake in White Lake - I don't fish there much because the shore access sucks, but the state of the lake will give me a good indication of nearby bodies of water. Swinging Bridge Reservoir in Monticello. If you know the state of the water in these lakes, please let me know—especially when they thaw! While I have you as a Sullivan County resource, I have questions about public access: There are literally > 200 bodies of water not too far from where I stay. I got all excited last winter when I made the mistake of relying on the internet to tell me that most of them were public bodies of water, but was bombarded with "posted" signs when I drove by many of them. Within a 20-30 minute drive from Liberty, other than the lakes that I mentioned, do you know of any good bodies of water with public shore access? I rent an outboard at Swinging Bridge, but I don't have a boat, so I primarily shore cast.

I picked up freshwater fishing last year after a long absence. Last season, the lakes thawed between the 1st and second week of April. Is this normal, or are there years when the lakes have taken much later to thaw?

I got a snow boarding bib for $29.99 at my local Modells. A sweatshirt and some long underwear and I should almost be ready to go. If I avoid boots and wear 3 pairs of socks with sneakers, am I going to fall on I disagree all day from slipping? Thanks

Not sure if this is the appropriate forum to post this: I'm going ice fishing at the end of the month for the first time in my life. I don't have any warm pants. Is it best to just pick up the kind that one uses for Skiing, or is something else recommended? Thanks

I've been renting a small (I believe around 16 feet) boat with an outboard motor (20 HP I believe) to fish in a big lake. The problem is that it doesn't come with an anchor. I've been a good customer and I'm going to ask the company if I can bring my own and hook it up to the boat. These are the issues: 1 - It would have to be not too hard for me to get it into a mid-size or full-size car. 2 - Could I hook it up with the boat in the water? This is important as I think the guys would charge me extra to pull the boat off the dock. I've seen Bass boats with these "push down" things. What are they called? Are they appropriate for my needs? I suspect they won't be good for the deep parts of the lake, which is OK, because parts where I want to hang out are shallow. The problem is that I'm on the boat by myself and it is a major pain to have to keep working the motor to prevent bottoming out when I am drifting too close to shore. I mostly troll in the lake, but would like to hang out in some spots near shore and throw lures. What is best recommended for my situation? Thanks

What do you use to charge the battery. Do you have some sort of setup like this?

Cool - It looks like I can buy your combo at Cabellas for under $200.00 How do you charge the motor? For how long? How long does it last? Ty

I don't necessarily need a Bass boat, but thought this would be the appropriate forum to ask my questions. A few trips ago to my favorite lake, some guys brought inflatable electric motor boats. One guy told me that one of the boats was a few hundred and the other was several thousands. The internet shows me some even cheaper models. I don't need the cheapest thing out there, but am not spending thousands. This is what I'm looking for. 1 - Inflatable 2 - Electric Motor 3 - I don't need a world class aerated livewell, but would like some compartment that is designed to be filled with water to hold fish. 4 - I might consider something to hold 2 people, but am initially looking for a 1-seater. It should have some room for my tackle box and an extra pole or 2. Here are my "newbie" questions: 1 - Are there models that deflate small enough to fit in the trunk or back seat of a full-sized car, or would I need to travel with a mini-van? 2 - Need info on the electric motors - How long to fully charge? How long (miles - or hours) will the charge last? How fast do they go? I'm probably going to exclusively use the boat in one lake, which is around 3 miles long and not more than half a mile wide anywhere, so I won't need anything terribly powerful. 3 - Anchoring systems - do these types of boats come with anchor poles? 4 - Durability - I know these things are tough because I watched guys launching from shallow rocky areas, but what does it take for one of these things to pop? I'm sure there are many reputable sellers here, but I want to buy something new. It's late in the season now, but would love to get one by next spring. Can somebody also send me links to a good company that sells what I am looking for. Thanks as always.

I did enjoy my dinner! I basically steamed it by wrapping in in aluminum foil, placing it in a frying pan and putting the flame on high for 16 minutes a side. I usually fry fish in butter but I found that this method works better for Bass as it keeps the natural juices. Thanks