ONEIDA LAKE DIEHARDS THREAD 2013/2014

[eiderz]

If low O2 levels are a factor, a comparison to the 80's might provide some answers. Submerged aquatic vegetation produces O2 even in winter, in the 80's before the zebras arrived, did the lake have more vegetation? Also, year to year differences in light levels caused by snowpack or ice thickness can reduce O2-producing photosynthesis. But the problem this year is likely a combination of factors. My vote is that the sheer number of buckeyes wiggling on jigs depleted the O2 this season.

[bcons]

No less.  The zebras cleared the water so weedlines moved out deeper

[Gillpill]

maybe the fishing isn't as good right now because the fish have been pounded longer than usuall and more and more people have vexilars now days and huts so they can stay out longer and On nastier days. Just my 2 cents but something to think about

[Oldtimer]

In the late 40`s (I only remember a few 40`s)  50`s, 60`s and 70`s we cut 3 ft of ice and more a lot of years. I never remember shrimp then. Maybe I just didn`t notice them.   I was at the East end of the lake every year right around ice out until 10 years ago and never saw a fish kill so I doubt if there are in any distress.  Ice was on the lake earlier a lot of years back then. Remember fishing well before Christmas many years..   Just read where there were no shrimp in the lake until 2001 and confirmed in 2005. Well, I know there were there before that.. Can`t believe all you read..   I`ve seen years when the perch would be on the bite right until the ice was unsafe. Other years they would shut off mid to late Feb and be hard to get.. 

[eiderz]

No less.  The zebras cleared the water so weedlines moved out deeper

Oh well, it was worth a thought. Let's keep our fingers crossed that runoff and ice out bring relief before there's a dieoff of fish or wigglers.

[eiderz]

Always good to read your recollections Oldtimer. No more reliable info than having been there.

[Oldtimer]

I really enjoy this site. Feel like I am right out there with you fellows, trying to figure them out.   I am getting ready for the soft water.. Been tying jigs for a couple months when not chasing the Fl. Black Bass..  Would rather be on the hard water but old age has taken its toll and the old knees and hips  cant handle the cold...  Go get `em...   

[greenhead]

Fished   out  of Constansia  yesterday 4 dink  perch  and  a short  eye,  at  my second  spot  i noticed  the  auger  went  thru  a lot  quickeron  1  of  the 3 holes  i drilled . When  i  inspected it   there  was  about  6  inches  less of ice  at  the bottom  of  the whole ,and in  general the ice  looked  honeycomed  at the bottom but there  was  still well over a foot in that  hole  so  i fished them.This  was  a waypoint  i  have  fished  a few  times this year  so  i was  suprised  to see what looked like  air  bubbles  coming  off  the bottom,sure  enough  that  hole  even  bubbled  good  a few times. The  chords  are N43*13.483  W75*59.539  , maybe  the  main  area of this spring  was  off to  the side of th these chords so  i  would give it a wide girth.

[bcons]

Fishing a gas hole doesn't work well most of the time.  Its not oxygen. They're not springs. I tend to find them and get too close.  They're responsible for my last 2 cold water baths. 
Have fished several just because they were there.  I don't do that anymore.

[filetandrelease]

back in the 70,the water was brackish from the phosphorus and the fishes visibility wasn't as good and yes we hammered them and eyes to with no bate on our raps and the hot perch rig was 3 hooks and spikes with a thumb nail bobber and rubber band , that was our slip bobber rig , with a 1/4 oz bell sinker and no fish finders

[zadvorney]

With a decrease in the water table the entire state of NY has seen a drop in water transpiration.  Less water flowing into and out of a body of water causes the water quality to change.  Any change , any, will effect the inhabitants of the lake for better or worse.  Here on Erie I can see a 20" drop of water level in the lake every time I drive down the Niagara section of the thruway and look under the bridge stanchions for the Peace Bridge.  A drop of water level in Oneida of a foot or more is a considerable amount of water.  I don't know how much actual water has gone but it does point to less water inflow.  Lower levels combined with a later freeze up and earlier thaw leads to more evaporation during the cold months when the ice should be there to stop it.  Lakes change.   "Eutrophication can be human-caused or natural. Untreated sewage effluent and agricultural run-off carrying fertilizers are examples of human-caused eutrophication. However, it also occurs naturally in situations where nutrients accumulate (e.g. depositional environments), or where they flow into systems on an ephemeral basis. Eutrophication generally promotes excessive plant growth and decay, favouring simple algae and plankton over other more complicated plants, and causes a severe reduction in water quality. Phosphorus is a necessary nutrient for plants to live, and is the limiting factor for plant growth in many freshwater ecosystems." wikipedia    Just like the deer woods I started hunting in 20 years ago have grown up.  The animals that used to frequent the area have moved on to better spots as the land changed.  (I haven't as it's a pain to hang my stands elsewhere,lol) I suppose the perch and every other fish in the lake have or will do the same.  Maybe the population is in a flux or maybe we are just fishing the same way and places we always do and the fish have moved on to greener pastures-and patterns.
Or something like that...

[kingfisher22]

Back to the gas hole topic.  Greenhead and I fish an open water gas hole from the opener to mid June and it is one of our best producers.  On calm days we can see the bubbles and literally work our casts right around and through it.  I have shared these coordinates with a few of my friends and they have all done extremely well around it too.  Not sure if it the general area is to the liking of the walleyes or there is something to the gas hole itself, but I am hesitant to dismiss gas holes as a non-producing lake feature.  I certainly don't seek them out and have never ice fished the one I have marked but must admit I am a little curious to try it.  However, because of the inherent danger of gas holes and ice fishing, I probably will never fish it.

[fishhooksul]

fished today from 10 a.m. to dark. had a blast just before dark to fill my limit in sunnies, and gills. also got 5 crappies. was a beautiful day out there. nice to meet you Deadeyes .   Sully...

[greenhead]

Hey  Sully   any  chance your  fishing  near  that   pack   i saw  saw  out  there  Sunday  morning?  Was  going  to  hit  3 MILE   Wednesday  and  work  my  way  to  that  area .

[Dark Cloud]

In the late 40`s (I only remember a few 40`s)  50`s, 60`s and 70`s we cut 3 ft of ice and more a lot of years. I never remember shrimp then. Maybe I just didn`t notice them.   I was at the East end of the lake every year right around ice out until 10 years ago and never saw a fish kill so I doubt if there are in any distress.  Ice was on the lake earlier a lot of years back then. Remember fishing well before Christmas many years..   Just read where there were no shrimp in the lake until 2001 and confirmed in 2005. Well, I know there were there before that.. Can`t believe all you read..   I`ve seen years when the perch would be on the bite right until the ice was unsafe. Other years they would shut off mid to late Feb and be hard to get..

Not sure who wrote that about the shrimp... back in the late 70s and early 80s as a little kid - it was the coolest thing watching them swim around the hole and crawl on the ice...

back in the 70,the water was brackish from the phosphorus and the fishes visibility wasn't as good and yes we hammered them and eyes to with no bate on our raps and the hot perch rig was 3 hooks and spikes with a thumb nail bobber and rubber band , that was our slip bobber rig , with a 1/4 oz bell sinker and no fish finders

The good ole half hitch around a piece of rubber band... lots of hand-lining back then. Actually reeling in a fish was new and advanced 

[ICE-ADDICT]

I remember hand lining eyes in back when I was a teen. Fun stuff.

I'm not sure the water level theory comes into play on Oneida seeing as is is 100% dam controlled.

I'm just chalking it up to an off late winter,...... It just better be the last one for a while!!! If not then we may have some things to consider or worry about.

[Carcajou17]

fished today from 10 a.m. to dark. had a blast just before dark to fill my limit in sunnies, and gills. also got 5 crappies. was a beautiful day out there. nice to meet you Deadeyes .   Sully...

Nice haul, Sully.

[H.T.]

nice job sully on the sunfish

[SNAGGER]

  Bcons I didn't mean to say perch couldn't survive low oxygen..... just that they were uncomfortable down there so they moved higher in the column.  Uncomfortable fish don't eat, they just go into survival mode, like steelhead in anchor ice. Slush flows on top are fine, but if the river gets ice on the bottom(anchor ice) ....steelhead suspend up in the column and go into survival mode.  I'm sure the lake has many areas of better oxygen, like the southern half, more urban runoff than the more pristine north shore and a lot less ice too(more light penetration) probably explains the bite on that side and middle all winter.... west end definitely has less ice and more urban runoff, could explain the on going sunfish/crappie bite ....

         I hit the northshore this afternoon for about 5 hours, Cleveland to Bernhard's, made about 20 moves walked over 1.5 miles  fished 33 to 9 ft, marked very few..... caught a couple dinks, most holes were baron wastelands.... no marks, what a great day though, enjoyed every minute of it, no shanty.... sitting in the sun, no propane fumes, its was really awesome, probably best weather I've fished in yrs, no wind, god was it nice out there....fishin sucked, but that's how it goes sometimes.   average ice thickness is 23 inches now up from 19 inches, found 36 inches in 3 holes at Bernhard's, bottomed out the auger, also found a thin spot of 18 inches right on the hard drop closer too apps. Everything is rock hard, including the cracks, she was making all day.

[SNAGGER]

In the late 40`s (I only remember a few 40`s)  50`s, 60`s and 70`s we cut 3 ft of ice and more a lot of years. I never remember shrimp then. Maybe I just didn`t notice them.   I was at the East end of the lake every year right around ice out until 10 years ago and never saw a fish kill so I doubt if there are in any distress.  Ice was on the lake earlier a lot of years back then. Remember fishing well before Christmas many years..   Just read where there were no shrimp in the lake until 2001 and confirmed in 2005. Well, I know there were there before that.. Can`t believe all you read..   I`ve seen years when the perch would be on the bite right until the ice was unsafe. Other years they would shut off mid to late Feb and be hard to get..

  The hard winters like 77 or 79 come too mind?  Just wondering.  I seen wigglers not shrimp oldtimer., they were struggling to swim upwards about 4-5 off bottom.  Strangest thing watching large perch swim by them not eating them.

[315stickbow]

I marked a whole lotta fish from about 6:30-7:30. After that...nada. stayed till about 9. I'd like to stay later to see if there is a burbot bite at night but I'll have to wait for warmer nights. It was clear and windless, but down right cold. The moon was bright! Holes kept freezing over. I suppose a shanty would help but I'll wait till next year for that.

[DeadEyez]

fished today from 10 a.m. to dark. had a blast just before dark to fill my limit in sunnies, and gills. also got 5 crappies. was a beautiful day out there. nice to meet you Deadeyes .   Sully...

Nice meeting you to Sully!  I ended up with 20 sunnies and gills and 3 slabs

[fishhooksul]

Hey  Sully   any  chance your  fishing  near  that   pack   i saw  saw  out  there  Sunday  morning?  Was  going  to  hit  3 MILE   Wednesday  and  work  my  way  to  that  area .

yeah I was 1 of the pack, bur I didn't do good. they did good over there today.

thanks everyone . the freezer is getting full !!   Sully...

[trapper2000]

when we were kids in the 60's  we would  get a bucket of water  and watch the scuds swimming  .....

barr no winter  this is the longest ice season I have seen  I walked on the lake  in  fulton  the day  before  thanksgiving (never  seen  that  before)  and  I'm betting  we  will  be  on the  ice  till april (safely) on most  upstate  waters....  Oneida  is  still  solid !!!!  this  is  remarkable

[mdupper]

Nice job Sully keep the sunny's honest 

[filetandrelease]

I marked a whole lotta fish from about 6:30-7:30. After that...nada. stayed till about 9. I'd like to stay later to see if there is a burbot bite at night but I'll have to wait for warmer nights. It was clear and windless, but down right cold. The moon was bright! Holes kept freezing over. I suppose a shanty would help but I'll wait till next year for that.

some end of season sales can be great

[fishhooksul]

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...

[YaNkEmOuT88]

I know eye  season is over but for the ppl who keep journals I know 2 guys who got there eye limits on sat east of Lewis point in 17 fow... Figured I would share this

[RTXGuy]

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? 

[spoon-n-eye]

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...

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