ONEIDA LAKE DIEHARDS THREAD 2013/2014

[Cross-Eye-Jig]

Uncle Jonny was the #1 Perch pirate, still have the jacket.. doesn't fit any more.

Uncle John helped me to buy my first boat, snowmobile and other toys 
 We kept the doors swinging and the knives filleting !

[Oldtimer]

In the few years that I have been ice fishing everyone has moved to the beach by the end of walleye season.  This has not happened this year, in fact it's a ghost town down there. 

I'm going to draw my own conclusions as to why based on what I've read but wonder if all of you agree or have any different angle on it.  Obviously the water temps are still quite cold and unlike most seasons that warmup with heavy rains just hasn't materialized so inflow into the lake is minimal. 

Will the fish not stage if the water temp/flow is not right?  Also, there has to be some inflow so why aren't some fish beginning to stage in those areas if the water is more oxygenated and warmer?

For one reason or another, the people who fish the western 1/2 of the lake post more..  .  Maybe they just want to share the wealth of the generally good fishing there ?? Maybe the Eastern 1/2 fishermen just like the good fishing in a more solitary atmosphere.  Last season there were a lot of posts from the North East area and some from the Beach...Very, very few this season.. I highly doubt there are less fish on the East end compared with past years, or their willingness to bite is any different from last year or any year since ice fishing started... If you are one who follows the herding instinct you will never fish the East end summer or winter.  One just does not see the numbers of fishermen you have on the Western end. 
If you fish Oneida on occasions or are going there for the first time and log onto Iceshanty/O.L.Diehards, read the posts, where are you headed

[icecutter2]

I fish mainly from Sylvan/Verona east as far as Cleveland. I drive through Sylvan beach often with work, and I used to drive through there everyday. Early ice Lewis had lots of attention but since then RTXguy is right, for the most part it's been a ghost  town. Partially anyways is because the whole lake has been accessible for the whole season on machines. There used to be more guys on here that posted from the east end, myself included, but for whatever reason several of those guys don't post much anymore

[RedWolfUSAF]

Early ice Lewis had lots of attention but since then RTXguy is right, for the most part it's been a ghost  town. Partially anyways is because the whole lake has been accessible for the whole season on machines. There used to be more guys on here that posted from the east end, myself included, but for whatever reason several of those guys don't post much anymore

The first 2 weeks of Jan the walleye were there..... on 5 Jan there were 10 of us out there and we all had a great day.... by the 17th of Jan, the walleye became scattered, the whites and drum seemed to take over the space and though we continued to look from time to time, we gave up on it. 

[Cross-Eye-Jig]

The first 2 weeks of Jan the walleye were there..... on 5 Jan there were 10 of us out there and we all had a great day.... by the 17th of Jan, the walleye became scattered, the whites and drum seemed to take over the space and though we continued to look from time to time, we gave up on it.

Quitters 

[RedWolfUSAF]

Quitters 

At least we left the parking lot!!

[icecutter2]

The first 2 weeks of Jan the walleye were there..... on 5 Jan there were 10 of us out there and we all had a great day.... by the 17th of Jan, the walleye became scattered, the whites and drum seemed to take over the space and though we continued to look from time to time, we gave up on it.

Ya I'm not done yet, still gonna hit the east end and try to find some perch. They've been elusive this year for me. Was on a good bite Saturday but my buddy had to leave early for sick child and he was my ride so that ended my day too. I think it's time to buy a 4 wheeler, I just don't have much use for it outside ice fishing. Where I hunt we can't take wheelers either.

[bcons]

It's not guy are being quiet on the East End, they're just not fishing it.


It's a video from 10 days ago before eyes closed
http://s1026.photobucket.com/user/bcons1/media/VID_20140309_145636763_zps6f344345.mp4.html

[H.T.]

keep in mind that this is a very odd season for ice fishing. normally we would start at the east end and finish it there also. we did not get get a late February/early march thaw that rises the creek levels and run off to draw the walleyes towards the creeks right i do keep a log book and refer back to it on a timely basis but was no help this year what so ever. i have been fishing sandy pond for 5 days now looking for bigger perch and i am seeing the same thing with high flying fish on the graph that don't want to bite then out of now where i get one big one to fly up and hit the lure. the fish seem to be disoriented to say and normally we would not even be out there at this time so i am learning as i fish. in my 30+ years on the ice i can only remember a few years when we had this much ice into late march. i was like 5 years old and we used extentions. cant remember how many perch we caught but we got plenty. and this was on the pond not oneida. i am not done trying to figure out the perch on the pond. back to work then at it at least one or 2 more times.

[bcons]

As far as the East end fishing, as stated above midlake from 121 to the islands which often is off limits to machines has been great for a long time.

Then East end itself, the beach bowl has been the Dead Sea for quite some time, you could sit all day and not mark a thing.  The big main structures like Messenger have been difficult at best for some time.  The ones that are easy to spot on maps or Navi app also haven't produced well.  The few that are fishing it are doing so on out of the way tiny spots or waypoints that are their's for some reason (often marked something open water) but don't appear as anything on Navi app.

[choo choo]

Seems like the shallow weedy areas and bays have been producing steady, consistent action for sunnies,gills and crappies all season,dispite the  prolonged thick layer s of ice and snow.  Must be that the sunlight does penetrate to the shallow lake bottom  , and keeps the oxygen  at a good level to keep those fish very active,even on bad barometer days.
If the jumbo perch are acting weird, and uncomfortable in their normal winter haunts, because of the prolonged thick ice and snow layers,which does not allow sunlight penetration to keep good oxygen levels,and light levels for sight feeding, why don't they move shallow , near the bluegills, where the conditions are favorable ?.... There is food , cover,light and oxygen in shallow weedy bays and shoals,.... maybe to cold for them there? Puzzling for sure.
I know the biologists in those papers said that the perch can rise up in the water column to escape the low oxygen levels...but that is just temporary, and puts them out of their bottom hugging ,winter safety, comfort zone. If they rise up in the water column, then what happens at nightime. They will slip back down to the bottom , back into bad oxygen, and put them in a funk the next day?

anyone have an oxygen meter for sale ?

[Oldtimer]

Ice will be out April 14 to 16 so we won`t have to worry about the O content until the algae bloom...

[fishhooksul]

Uncle Jonny was the #1 Perch pirate, still have the jacket.. doesn't fit any more.

wich uncle john are you talking about ? my uncle John Featherstone was a perch pirate. My dad still has his perch pirate jacket hanging in the closet.   Sully...

[RTXGuy]

For one reason or another, the people who fish the western 1/2 of the lake post more..  .  Maybe they just want to share the wealth of the generally good fishing there ?? Maybe the Eastern 1/2 fishermen just like the good fishing in a more solitary atmosphere.  Last season there were a lot of posts from the North East area and some from the Beach...Very, very few this season.. I highly doubt there are less fish on the East end compared with past years, or their willingness to bite is any different from last year or any year since ice fishing started... If you are one who follows the herding instinct you will never fish the East end summer or winter.  One just does not see the numbers of fishermen you have on the Western end. 
If you fish Oneida on occasions or are going there for the first time and log onto Iceshanty/O.L.Diehards, read the posts, where are you headed

I fish Oneida pretty much exclusively, Stayed away from the shanty towns this year.  Like HT said, guys usually start and finish there.  Maybe thats usually because conditions dictate that, not sure.  Heading out in a few minutes with my son.  Gonna poke around out of chapman for some perch.  Not my favorite spot but usually picks up late ice. If not, just a nice day to be out with my son.

[bcons]

Ice will be out April 14 to 16 so we won`t have to worry about the O content until the algae bloom...

Might be a few days to a week early with the prediction (without big wind events)
Temps 15 below normal for most of april.  More white ice on top to shield the black.
Biggie is I think the runoff with remain fairly cold.  Leaving the lake colder & not eating the ice from the bottom very fast.

[Oldtimer]

Might be a few days to a week early with the prediction (without big wind events)
Temps 15 below normal for most of april.  More white ice on top to shield the black.
Biggie is I think the runoff with remain fairly cold.  Leaving the lake colder & not eating the ice from the bottom very fast.

From 1900 to 2000 the latest ice out has been April 20th and then just 2 x..

[bcons]

From 1900 to 2000 the latest ice out has been April 20th and then just 2 x..

Was just a guess  Judging from your posts & experience you've got more personal info than I!

Question is how well do you remember the winter of 78? I obviously don't, was in elementary school.
I tend to read about fishing related stuff at work when frustrated 
From what I can tell it seems 78 iceout was 4/16 and thickness was similar to this year (early & mid 70's it was much thicker), while end of April through middle of may was cooler then normal.  March & beginning of April were mainly warmer.
Also less snowpack that year with decent rain events Middle of march through ice out.

Just trying to learn!

[Hooktc]

it's been a great ice season so far. I fish the shallows, so here's what i'm seeing. water temp is 34 degrees in 5 to 7 fow. I was looking at the bottom of the ice yesterday, and the bottom 6" has alot of air bubbles in it, and almost looks honeycomed. there's still alot of good ice left, so not to worry yet. ice conditions were the same in 3 different bays I checked.

I remember well the winters of the 70"s. alot of ice, and tons of fish. anyone remember the onieda lake perch pirates ? I was a member. we were based out of Martino's restarant. you could go to any weed line on the lake, and just about fill your ice sled, or boat full of 12" perch. those days are long gone. I missed 8 years of fishing onieda, because I went into the Navy. when I got out of the service I had a choice to live anywhere in the U.S. I wanted. I chose to live on Onieda lake, because it's one of the best fisheries, and the people are great !!! so here I am still lovin it .   Sully.
 
Funny you bring up the perch pirates .My father was a member I can remember those days going with him the perch were endless . The ice was thick and so were the perch .i remember some of the guys in the club great guys to fish with.First job I ever had working clam bakes at Martinos

[Cross-Eye-Jig]

wich uncle john are you talking about ? my uncle John Featherstone was a perch pirate. My dad still has his perch pirate jacket hanging in the closet.   Sully...

Johnny Martino....The Number 1 Perch Pirate and long time owner of Martino's Restaurant on Lakeshore Rd.
  At one time, Johnny and Davidsons fish Market in Brewerton were the only people buying fish in the area.
  Martino's always had the best perch dinners seeing how most days, they went from the cutting boards to the hot oil as soon as they came in !
  I miss that place !

[bcons]

  Martino's always had the best perch dinners seeing how most days, they went from the cutting boards to the hot oil as soon as they came in !
  I miss that place !

Are you getting enough fish? Have you found somewhere to replace it?
Or do we need to worry about your caloric intake?

[Hooktc]

Sully

My father new your uncle pretty good .They definitely patronized Martinos .I can remember fishing with John M and my dad my dad had an old one lung bombardier and john had an evinrude  .man has equipment come along ways.no electronics back then and people would still manage to find the fish.learned to filet fish in the bottom of that restaurant .That man could flat out fillet fish

[Cross-Eye-Jig]

Are you getting enough fish? Have you found somewhere to replace it?
Or do we need to worry about your caloric intake?

You funny guy    Knucklewad !

[spoon-n-eye]

wich uncle john are you talking about ? my uncle John Featherstone was a perch pirate. My dad still has his perch pirate jacket hanging in the closet.   Sully...

John Martino

[BROOKIEGILLY]

Got out today after work decided to chase around some bluegills and sunniest, instead of watching sniffers or nothing at all on the flasher. I did a dozen flats today from 4 to 6:30 big un's . When I finally landed on a couple of holes to follow them back and forth it was nice to see a fish show up and bite!!!!

[pooch2543]

Wow, what a beautiful day out there.....Stormy and I had the whole lake to ourselves. And I mean that literally....there was nobody out there and no damn fish. Can't figure it out, very weird. Where did they all go?

I popped 11 holes at an average of 20 inches of ice and still had 2 out of 4 lights on my battery. Hope the drill lasts, so far no complaints.

I walked today as I needed to get the fresh air and exercise. But travel by any means is gonna be easy going. The heave was crossable this morning, but this evening it was like climbing the alps. March 18th and the b***h is still making ice 

Took some pics as it was more interesting then looking at a blank screen:

[H.T.]

i love oneida but that is why i went elsewhere pooch. i just cleaned a 7 gallon bucket of 9"-11" perch today.............

[pooch2543]

Very nice work HT, wish I was there with ya. It is a ghost town out there, by all means.

[RTXGuy]

Wow, what a beautiful day out there.....Stormy and I had the whole lake to ourselves. And I mean that literally....there was nobody out there and no damn fish. Can't figure it out, very weird. Where did they all go?

I popped 11 holes at an average of 20 inches of ice and still had 2 out of 4 lights on my battery. Hope the drill lasts, so far no complaints.

I walked today as I needed to get the fresh air and exercise. But travel by any means is gonna be easy going. The heave was crossable this morning, but this evening it was like climbing the alps. March 18th and the b***h is still making ice 

Took some pics as it was more interesting then looking at a blank screen:











It was really nice out there, didn't get out till 5 with my son.  Made 5 stops before we found a few fish that wanted to play.  Of course they were dinks but at least kept him interested for a few minutes.  My guess is most people have given up as the fishing is nothing short of painful right now as well as trying to punch holes through that ice if you don't have a Gas/elec auger.  A few guys out of williams when we headed out but was pretty much a ghost town.

It's gotta get better sometime, just hoping it's before ice out.

[fishhooksul]

Johnny Martino....The Number 1 Perch Pirate and long time owner of Martino's Restaurant on Lakeshore Rd.
  At one time, Johnny and Davidsons fish Market in Brewerton were the only people buying fish in the area.
  Martino's always had the best perch dinners seeing how most days, they went from the cutting boards to the hot oil as soon as they came in !
  I miss that place !

I miss that place to. just about grew up in there. Martha made the best pizza around !! John has a junk yard of snowmobiles on the bottom of the lake just east of the islands. he'd put atleast 2 a year in the drink !! I remember in 1972 John, and Martha's house on baech rd. floated off the foundation, and settled in the middle of the road !! that was durring hurricain agness. memories, memories !!!   Sully...

[SNAGGER]

  Took a drive today too check some creeks then stopped and walked out on Lake Ontario for kicks, she looks like mars, still ice as far as the eye can see, never seen that in the last 30 yrs.