Honeoye report from 12/27/05 (updated with pictures)

[GAMBELL]

Yesterday I fished Honeoye in front of my buddies house (just North of the old California ranch).  A buddy and I landed 10 bass (from 12 1/2" up to 16") one walleye (around 5 lbs.) and one perch.  All of the fish came off of tip ups.  I still can not get a walleye to hit a jig.  There was still about 5 inches of clear hard ice.  The only spots that were thin were right at shore.  I will post pics later of the walleye.

[GAMBELL]

Here are the pics from that day

[gumpy2]

Nice catch!  Just curious as to how you prepare your pike and bass for the table.  You must really like them.  From the photos you've posted over the last couple weeks you must have kept about 10 pike 15 bass 4 walleye and a handful of perch for your freezer.  Do you ever put any fish back for seed???

[Bob1958]

Nice Eye!  Doesn't the regular bass season end September 30?  Are there special regs in Honeoye?

[eyedoktr]

Gumpy, whether he puts fish back or not, as long as he is not over his limit, is not anyone's concern.

 Bob,as far as the bass go, yes there is a special season in some of the Finger Lakes, Honeoye being one of them. I hope everyone takes a good share of bass from Honeoye this winter. There are too many. Even the DEC has admitted to over management of the bass population on Honeoye.

[Macgyver]

Gambell, are you using single hooks or trebels on those tip-ups at Honeoye? And what size, just curious? Single hooks use to work well at Oneida for eyes. Thanks....

[bobbers]

you truly are the man and it is only your enthusiasm and generosity of sharing your accomplishments that keeps me from being envious.  very glad you visit Ryan also  thanks

[GAMBELL]

Honeoye lake has a winter bass season that runs until March 15th.  You are allowed to keep 5 per person.  There was 2 of us fishing so we kept 9.  We let the bigger bass go.

[jerrygeb]

You're having a great season Gambell! Thanks for the updates and the pictures.

I also keep some for the freezer, and release my fair share of "seed" fish.

Nothing like pickled pike and cold beer for January football!

[Rochbassman]

 "Bob,as far as the bass go, yes there is a special season in some of the Finger Lakes, Honeoye being one of them. I hope everyone takes a good share of bass from Honeoye this winter. There are too many. Even the DEC has admitted to over management of the bass population on Honeoye.  "

    If you want to cull the fishery, it would be nice to take the smaller keepers and leave the BREEDERS (14 inches +). But to each there own. If ice fishing for bass hurts the fishery the DEC will eventually make the necessary adjustments in regulations. Unfortunately at their grow rate the lake could suffer for awhile. As far as taste they are quite inferior to perch,crappie,bluegills,walleye.
Bob, how has the DEC over managed the bass population at Honeoye? Believe the season opens at the same time as other lakes in the area and has the same length and creel limits. If your taking the approach that there is an overpopulation of bass therefore that has attibuted to stunted growth ,i have a little problem with the theory. Every species(walleye,Pickeral) in the lake should be exhibiting the same characteristics. Additionally the fish they feed on (perch,bluegill ) should be in short supply and somewhat stunted.
     Being cold blooded the bass temperature changes with the water. Fishing thru the ice we know the water to be lower thatn 39 degrees. Bass become very lethargic at this time of year. In the summer their greatest quality is their fight onced hooked.. You cant experience that on a tip up in the lethargic state. And I know they dont jump out of the water while reeling them in to the hole.
     Just maybe, the problem with so many smaller bass in Honeoye is not that they are stunted, but that some many larger bass are being culled thru ice fishing when they are more susceptable to a dangling in place shiner. That doesn't require a large expenditure of energy by the bass in their lethargic state.

Food for thought.
   
 

[MXFISHER656]

You're having a great season Gambell! Thanks for the updates and the pictures.

I also keep some for the freezer, and release my fair share of "seed" fish.

Nothing like pickled pike and cold beer for January football!

Could you send me that recipe for the pickled pike? Sounds good.

[eyedoktr]

The DEC admits that they stressed C&R and the bass population has exploded due to fish not being harvested. I lived on the lake for 15 years and while fishing for walleye (6-7 times a week), I might catch 2-3 bass a week. Now, you catch 5-10 every time you go for walleye. The walleye numbers are down and the bass numbers are up. They have become a nuisance as far as I'm concerned.

[fishincrazy]

Bass are one the funniest fish to catch on a tip-up or jigging pole because they are so strong and aggressive.  They fight like a Pike, they don't seem lethargic to me, well the ones I have caught through the ice anyway.

[shawner]

     I love Honeoye, spent alot of time there and around the lake itself, beautiful country. It would seem that even though Honeoye was known for some walleye, its really an ideal lake for bass and really not for walleye. With the depth, amount of weeds and stucture its no wonder the bass thrive there. As you know they stock the walleye, I don't know the last time they put bass in. The walleye that have been caught through the ice so far seem nice and healthy. What do you think?

[Frozen_nutts]

Here are the pics from that day

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

Wow  what a bass slaughter............. ....

[9fingers]

Nice catch. 

[Rochbassman]

To my knowledge, NY doesn't stock bass

[shawner]

     I want to agree Roch, but I think they do only in small ponds for the most part and not main lakes and large bodies of water. You gotta figure they really don't have to with the healthy populations we have in NY.

[jmh8098]

Hey Rochbassman,

I would tend to dissagree about Bass being inferior for eating.  In the winter time they are ten times better eating than in the summer.  I wish more lakes had the regs that the finger lakes had.  I never keep largemouth bass in the summer time, but if leagal on ice, I'd keep every one that I was permitted to keep.  Trust me, ice fisherman are not going to catch them all, they replentish themselves very rapidly, as most fish in the sunfish family do.  As for their fight, I would say they put up much more of a fight in the winter.  In the summer time the water is 80 degrees where you catch big ol buckemouths and dissolved oxygen is very low, so they dont fight hard.  Most of them seem like your reeling in a log.  And that is about all I have to say about bass, because personally I could care less about them, if everyone kept their legal limit of bass there would be more real fish out there and not a buch of overstuffed footballs swimming around our lakes.

Jason

[Rochbassman]

JMH,
     walleye,crappie,perch,bluegills, bass?   Keep eating those bass. Those with taste buds will perfer the eyes,crappies,gills and perch.  Might want a side of Spam with those bass.
     With reference to replinishing themselves, Research how old it takes a bass to grow to 12 inches in northern waters.