**Chautauqua Lake BS**

[fmck]

gonna try the lake maybe sat what are you guys using for bait and where you getting them from? im coming from attica so there arent ant bait stores here..any help would be appreciated

[chris steel]

Mayville or burtis for Crappie is a better bet

[waltman]

you can stopped by the happy hooker in lakewood or stop by hogan hut in stow if you are driving by  westfield  you can stop by raynor's

[brian318]

If your going for crappie Mayville seems to be a good bet, Ive stayed overnight there, and have gotton some superb Crappie with my wife and daughter. Go out from the launch, to the left and go out till you line up with the little lighthouse and can see the neon signs from the bar/restaurant across the street. As far as lures and bait, mimic minnows or jig a whoppers (Flashy little spoons with a treble) laced with wax worms do the trick. Be prepared, there are some nice gills in there too. Im going out Thursday super early, was contemplating walleye at Midway, but Im not so sure Im that good to get one (never got one), and with ice being sketchy lately mayville is a square deal. Personally I dont even care what I catch, it usually tastes good with butter and onion rings. By the way, walleye guys, is Midway park, between 4am till sunup a advisable time to jig for the W?, I fished across from there Monday and that pressure crack honestly was a bit unnerving (the one going from Penda across). Oh well if your in Mayville On Thursday look for the Tundra tuff shanty with the pierogi cookin, Ill be present- brian

[steelysteve]

It doesn't get any better than that.

Good times

[packer]

The question is how to get into the crappie with all the dink perch around

[marcus]

The question is how to get into the crappie with all the dink perch around

after dark is a good start, not saying the perch won't hit after dark just usually a lot less of them. Brian I catch very few keeper sized walleyes, very few walleye actually, but latching into a good one will help you to realize why you keep trying. Midway is a decent place to start if you have electronics just move and jig until you see them on the screen then usually we switch baits/styles until we get one to hit . Without a flasher  you can jig within a few feet of bottom for a few minutes before moving and changing baits. I get skunked quite often when after them, but the 1 or 2 I get here and there makes it worth while. Basically you'll never get your first if you dont give it a try. The crappie fishing gets better as the year progresses, so putting them off for a bit to focus on walleye isn't a bad idea.

[brian318]

Thanks Marcus! I figure I will ride the bucket and in the words of Sarah Palin "Drill baby drill!!!" prob try each hole for a bit, change up presentations, and go for it. Honestly I cant wait for may to get my canoe out and cast/verticle jig for them after the season opens up,. Thanks again and have a good day!!!

[silvercreeker]

Friday is the last day for the happy hooker, so they may not have bait.  Millers in Sunset has what you need.

[thegoods]

if your targeting walleye and don't have a flasher or sonar i wouldn't bother.   I've never tried to target eyes in chautauqua but from my experience at oneida if you don't have one your wasting your time. im sure alot of guys with flashers would agree.  I've caught alot of eyes this year in deep water (30ft +) and most were suspended way up or didn't hit my lure til it was less than 10ft below my hole.  funny fishing that deep and when you hook up its only a couple cranks and in ur lap.  just my .02   i have a vexilar but my buddy has a marcum and loves it.  his was also $200 less than mine

on another note about the crappie.   I know most guys say night time with lanteen but i don't see why you can't catch during the day suspended.  I wish the lake froze earlier because i bet you can find them deep around belltower area suspended.   we went to a lake thats predominately crappie this year and crushed um all day long suspended in deep water.  can't see how it couldn't be the same at chautauqua since there are tons.  they have to be somewhere close all day before they come into the shallows.

[marcus]

I have had that same feeling about the crappie and aside from a straggler here an there, and one freak day on the mayville flats we have been unable to find them before dusk at least. I think they are there just not actively feeding or something. I agree kind of, with your statement about walleyes and flashers, but I have seen it done plenty , not by me I love my electronics, but by others. That trick you say about pulling fish off the bottom and havin them hit 10-15 ' off of the bottom is a common occurance on chatauqua and a flasher is extremely helpful for this . 10-15 years ago people were piling up the eyes and most were doing it without flashers, so it can be done. I ran into Brian at a store in fredonia this am on the way to work and he gave me the news about the shop, but he also said there may be someone willing to get into the business and open a shop in Mayville with the happy hooker's connections and help, I really hope this happens mayville is very close to home . I understand the reasoning for closing the shop wish I had the money or time to consider it , but I like to fish too much. Brian is pumped to be able to fish now though...hope he is bringing the bait    Hogan's Hut still has bait so we are still ok. I like miller's, but it is a bit out  of the way going to chatauqua. Also I have seen the man in green a few times and the bait at miller's isn't "certified". Not getting into that discussion, but hearsay is those regulations will be loosened more for the 2013-2014 season.

[thegoods]

Im sure it can be done but someone wi th flasher will outfish without 99 percent of the time. I use to think you didnt need one til I bought one and really honed skills this year. All I know is im from buffalo and if I forgot my vex n I was going for wally id drive back to buffalo to get it and come back. Haha. Oldtimers who dont use got serious skills

[marcus]

Im sure it can be done but someone wi th flasher will outfish without 99 percent of the time. I use to think you didnt need one til I bought one and really honed skills this year. All I know is im from buffalo and if I forgot my vex n I was going for wally id drive back to buffalo to get it and come back. Haha. Oldtimers who dont use got serious skills

I have turned around for the marcum. My friend helped me load up and assured me he grabbed it, well he hadn't and I made him turn around and get it. Luckily we were only 20 minutes from home . Got back home , sure enough  it was on the front porch.

[slabspanker]

Why is the Hooker closing? that was my "go to" when i fish Chautauqua!

[fish4fun8]

whats going on with the hooker closing?

[thegoods]

i'd think that a couple bad ice seasons in a row put the hurting on those local bait shops for sure.  Atleast Hogans has gas, food, etc so its not dependant on fishermen. I was only in the happy hooker a few fimes but if i remember its just fishing supplies.

[Postletown]

I tried Long Point last night from 7pm-930pm in search of Crappie.  We set up in about 10FOW on the weedline and got skunked.  My normal spots for Crappie would have been hell in that wind last night so we tried something different.  Now we know not to do that again, lol. 

[Irrgang131]

Traffic court at 9:30 tomorrow then I will be down for the rest of the day and to fish into the night.. Not sure where to go..Fished out from the pier on the north side of LP last friday and didnt fair to well..

[trebblehook]

thinking of hitting Mayville late afternoon and into the night tommorow. Has anybody been evening fishing at Mayville, and were there any good reports?

[Crappie_Rod]

Brian got a job in Buffalo last time I talked to her. She didn't want to run the place by herself and be away from him. They had it up for sale for year and a half but no one could come up with the money to buy it so they are closing for good. There is going to be an auction some time?

[silvercreeker]

Too bad about the Hooker, but if there might be a new shop in Mayville that would be great!
I'll be on the lake at sun up tomorrow, better get back to the hockey game!!!

[jigman 069]

any one fish dewittville yet? seen two huts sun.

[iceman7471]

Fished mayville Yesterday from 6:00-noon.  First set up was in the weeds and produced only a few bites.  Moved another 100 yards or so out, no weeds and had hundreds of iced fish.  Most not being large enough even for the electric filet knife.  It's fishing!!!  I am curious of those who were out at the bell tower, deeper water, were you finding any success with larger perch.  We had a really nice muskey hit a rapala in mayville yesterday as well, go it to the hole to successfully release it with out bringing it all the way out of the hole.  That was a awesome treat caught on video. 

[Between Hunting Seasons]

Fished the bell tower last weekend.  Lots of small perch, but only 2 or 3 over 8" .  The only excitement was when a musky swam under the hole (probably eating the small perch tossed back in).  Trying Midway this weekend, there has to be larger fish somewhere!

[silvercreeker]

Stopped in the Happy Hooker to say goodbye, they will be missed.
Picked up a few things just for old times sake.
Today is the last day.  Sad to see another shop bite the dust.
Love this economy...

[Pole-ska]

Hey guys...
Just a couple ?'s.  what do you think the reason for all of the dinks is?  lack of fishing pressure? we went out on presidents day and kept a few. only one that was near 10". even the ones i kept were questionable on any other day. i mean a majority of them i could have swallowed whole! Sushi anyone?  we tried going with bigger bait etc. and it helped but holy crap!

also i am headed out early tomorrow to hopefully get a walleye...is there anything special i should know?  never tried for them before.  deep, shallow etc? figured i would jig a bit and set up a couple tip ups. 

thx and good luck out there.

[hard4ice]

Hey guys...
Just a couple ?'s.  what do you think the reason for all of the dinks is?  lack of fishing pressure? we went out on presidents day and kept a few. only one that was near 10". even the ones i kept were questionable on any other day. i mean a majority of them i could have swallowed whole! Sushi anyone?  we tried going with bigger bait etc. and it helped but holy crap!

also i am headed out early tomorrow to hopefully get a walleye...is there anything special i should know?  never tried for them before.  deep, shallow etc? figured i would jig a bit and set up a couple tip ups. 

thx and good luck out there.

i personally think there's just too many of them plus there was no winter die off last year either since there was little to no ice. it would help if there were some more eye's in there feasting away..... don't mean i'm right but, it's just my simple opinion

[Bschrock55]

Stopped in to the hooker around 5:30 last night and saw a sign on the door that said they were closed. Brian saw me pull in and opened the door. Told me I was his last minnow sale and the doors were closed for good.  Those minnows got me my first walleye through the ice, a nice 22" female, right before dark. 

Good luck to Brian and Lisa, the hooker was a great shop.

[trebblehook]

Just wanted to say to watch it out by the pressure crack at Long Point. Stepped across it and 1 leg went through up to the thigh. Heart hasn't pumped that hard in years!

[chriscollect26]

Thats scary! My friends were down there today I read this from other people posting and seen they cancelled their tournament. Those reasons made me go else were today.