ONEIDA LAKE DIEHARDS

[Oldtimer]

I never remember any shad being in oneida lake until the late 70’s. But there were a lot more buckeyes.   We caught a lot of eyes from when I started fishing Oneida in 1944\1945 until the shad appeared.  Size was 12 inches and 25/day limit.  Those days are not remembered by many. I have seen the Sylvan Beach pier lined with fishermen in the spring when the west wind blew, all with stringers full.  I think the shad have helped the perch population as the eyes go more to the shad but the eye population was very, very good when there were no shad. 

[BeenPerchin315]

I never remember any shad being in oneida lake until the late 70’s. But there were a lot more buckeyes.   We caught a lot of eyes from when I started fishing Oneida in 1944\1945 until the shad appeared.  Size was 12 inches and 25/day limit.  Those days are not remembered by many. I have seen the Sylvan Beach pier lined with fishermen in the spring when the west wind blew, all with stringers full.  I think the shad have helped the perch population as the eyes go more to the shad but the eye population was very, very good when there were no shad.

Throw that 12” and 25 a day is insane for a limit.

[oneida1]

looks like ice is holding on made it through the wind last night,,,,, hope it dosent get a bunch of snow colder temps in the forecast

[trapper2000]

if you are having trouble catching crappie over 8" your doing some thing wrong, I've lived in Fulton for almost 50 years and I fish the lake every year and I get alot of 12 to 14 inch fish and some that are larger

timmy  you live on phillips street?

i lived there my hole live  i  know  right where the deep hole is  and i can say if i see a couple other people is fishing on that lake a  year  i'm surprized   before the limits i  have  counted  60 lanterns on the ice in one night from my bedroom window ....those days are long gone ..... you hardly get a  crappie  fisherman in the creek in the spring

[trapper2000]

oldtimer that is  awesome  my  dad  told me stories  about the  old times  ,very similar to what you just said

[Oldtimer]

Lots of memories of OL.  Night fishing was big when the limits were big. I don’t remember many lights at night when ice fishing. Some guys would do a 10:00 check of their 25 tipups for hangers.  Could leave them in nights then. I do remember counting 50 or more boats with lanterns, fishing between 109 and 113.  That would be weekdays, weekends upwards to 100. We anchored and fished straight down. Remember well the smell of bugs burning on the coleman lanterns.  It was a big deal when they went from one to 2 mantle lanterns.  They burned “white”gas. Also know as marine gas. It was unleaded.  I’m blessed knowing I went through the best times of lady Oneida. 

[KingPerch]

Great stuff, Old timer! Not too many of the original diehards left to tell those stories! Thank You for sharing!!😎

[Timmydann]

timmy  you live on phillips street?

i lived there my hole live  i  know  right where the deep hole is  and i can say if i see a couple other people is fishing on that lake a  year  i'm surprized   before the limits i  have  counted  60 lanterns on the ice in one night from my bedroom window ....those days are long gone ..... you hardly get a  crappie  fisherman in the creek in the spring

i lived on west fourth until I was 12, remember the " salem house", i live on west first now

[oneida1]

big area just opened up off of dutchmans running towards chapman

[trapper2000]

i lived on west fourth until I was 12, remember the " salem house", i live on west first now

i lived on west forth for many years near tony gigalette and john dover use to rent boats  from  dings boat house  fish all day  for 2 bucks lol...lot of nice northers back then too

old timer we  night fished fulton and big bay  for the strawberrys  our  camp wasn bernards bay on the north shore ....the owner of the  camp grounds passed away ice fishing right out there in his shanty....

[DeadEyez]

Great memories and stories guys. I’ve been blessed to have grown up on the shores of Oneida Lake. Such a great place with awesome fishing history.

[badbrad2186]

Great memories and stories guys. I’ve been blessed to have grown up on the shores of Oneida Lake. Such a great place with awesome fishing history.

.

Didn't live there full time but spent all my summers from the early 90s on the lake grandparents have always had a place seasonal camp on drive 10 then a house on lestina beach road and now a house on route 49

[filetandrelease]

big area just opened up off of dutchmans running towards chapman

Well if the wind keeps up , we know how that goes

[trapper2000]

i think it would be  great to meet the old time  over a coffee or a beer .... the world has  changed  so much but  good people  and  good fishing stories are as  good today as  ever

[filetandrelease]

 That’s true we can make new ones up when we run out of old ones , who would ever know 🤪

[Raquettedacker]

We’re fishermen..   
    We don’t tell fake stories....... 

[Oldtimer]

I could write  so many posts about the “good old days”  they would block me.  Back then you really had to love ice fishing as it was hard Work. Actually, other than getting into perch, we were more of fish gathers than fishermen.  Just tale them off after They had swallowed the minnow and hook.  I remember the big debate was whether to hook the minnow through the lips or in back of the dorsal fin..  Now is is what lure and what color. 

[trapper2000]

i remeber the  lips or the  back  and  a  ice  shack  was  plywood no  pull alongs  ...spoon augers or a old  eskimo  ....or the  spud and  we spudded a lot of  holes  back then .....dacron  line and   red and  white  bobbers  lol 

[Oldtimer]

i remeber the  lips or the  back  and  a  ice  shack  was  plywood no  pull alongs  ...spoon augers or a old  eskimo  ....or the  spud and  we spudded a lot of  holes  back then .....dacron  line and   red and  white  bobbers  lol

Great shacks. Never blew away. Wonder we didn’t kill ourselves with the wick style kerosene heaters.  None of them were ever locked until snowmobiles came along.  My shack always had a bottle of Jaquin’s Ginger Brandy in it.  Sometimes I’d get there and there would be just a half bottle left but the next day threre was a full one to take its place. 

[cnypanfisher]

Lots of memories of OL.  Night fishing was big when the limits were big. I don’t remember many lights at night when ice fishing. Some guys would do a 10:00 check of their 25 tipups for hangers.  Could leave them in nights then. I do remember counting 50 or more boats with lanterns, fishing between 109 and 113.  That would be weekdays, weekends upwards to 100. We anchored and fished straight down. Remember well the smell of bugs burning on the coleman lanterns.  It was a big deal when they went from one to 2 mantle lanterns.  They burned “white”gas. Also know as marine gas. It was unleaded.  I’m blessed knowing I went through the best times of lady Oneida.

I fished at night like that with my grandfather out of App's in the 70's, 2 lanterns on shepards hook, full of cooked bugs. Just drop A jig with A worm on it, and catch fish like hell. Limit was 10 per person then I think, and they only had to be 12". We knocked the hell out of them, really would be good to find that groove and do it again. Night fishing walleyes was the deal. Back then the barges in Cleveland were covered in fat sunfish too, we really got into those, my grandfather loved them.

[trapper2000]

big sunfish scale them and cut their heads off  lol  i remember we took abig square wash tub in the back of the beat up station wagen ....when the tub was full we  were done then  fish  for the week

[reeleyz]

Ginger Brandy. My dad always had a flask of ginger brandy in the shanty to “warm you up”. 

[KingPerch]

My brides father and grandfather always had brandy in the boat. He said it was his cure for coughing..... he sure used to cough a lot!!!😁 I found myself coughing from time to time as well!!😂

[Birdslayer]

My father and grandfather always had a pint of ginger brandy (each) stashed in their wool bibs!! I still carry on the tradition from time to time but prefer a good rusty nail (scotch and drambuie) now. I still have those (woolrich??) bibs and like to put em on when I can take the wheeler out... man do they get heavy when the water freezes to the legs! I would argue that they are the warmest bibs I own and I have both striker and Ice armor bibs.... or maybe it's just the memories that keep me warm?? The rusty nail helps too of course! Ha

[oneida1]

not as much open open water east of dutchmans , west of dutchmans looks open, today guessing floating stuff packed in looks like weds should drop into teens then cold temps starting saturday

[Db]

Thanks for the updates onieda 1

[PerchEyes]

Just west of Lakeport it looks like it is still locked up but has that dark look to it that says "won't last long".
If the wind and snow can hold off so it can make it to Weds night we might have a chance of fishing here weekend after next.

[oneida1]

took a ride down lakeshore Rd today most everything iced over in area of williams beach, just took a very short walk  infront same  1 to 2 inches there has been with an inch of slush on top surprised me ice was still fairly hard,,,, if it holds should making ice starting weds,,,,,,

[eatme]

Supp with beach cam

[filetandrelease]

 Well a Little it’s rumored that , 3 guys have tried pushing the limit , and took a bath , all ok