Canadarago

[BigJohnnyIce]

I had a great time yesterday!! It was nice meeting some of you guys out there. Although the fish were not biting as good as they were before, it was well worth the long trip. I will be there again before the end of the ice season!!

Here are a few pics taken yesterday:

Frank working his magic touch on some big slobs...

Me working the LX-5 on some nice 'Darago perch...

Frank working his Marcum after catching another slob...

Me with one of those 12"+ Pigs....

A couple of bruts in the bucket...

[CNY Tim]

Great job posting those pics John. Now I'm hungry, actually it was our first slow day in a while. The boys are looking forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks hopefully the wizard can accompany you. Glad you found your digital cam too. I gotta admit John dumping two FRS radios down the hole is alot easier to take then dumping the digital down the hole

[CNYFrank]

what slow day? LOL Got to go where the action is . . . few and far between but when one showed up on the Marcum it was a biggy!! Good job to all. Looking forward to the next time.

[CNY Tim]

OK Frank so it wasn't a shallow water slow day ok! No need to rub it in. They weren't jumping on the hook either but I got a neat package from custom jigs and spins yesterday and I believe it will work on them shallow piggies even when there off. Now my quandry.. Will I be shallow Saturday... Aw yep you betcha...

Hey Johnny I think that was Frank's slob in the photo not Tank's. Tank didn't catch any hogs oh that's right the guy who didn't catch the hogs was operating the camera, LOL

[CNY Tim]

Frank spanked Wayne and I today. Conditions were nasty and winds and snow were blowing through the gaps on the side of our traps pretty much, yep all day. Borderline brutal? aw yep you bet it was. Even with a heater you had to keep clearing your holes of blown in snow and redrilling because they would close up on you eventually.

Now to the action Franky, Wayne and I arrived to the lake around 7:05 a.m. and fished our usual spot and today was a day where you didn't want to walk west at all if you could avoid it because the wind was seering your face so our only option was to stay shallow. We fished from 8 to 11.5' of water and Franky cleaned our clocks not just quantity but seroius quality. If he didn't have a limit of hogs he was maybe one or two fish shy of it. A very very impressive pail of pigs. Wayne had a dozen and I had 9. I marked more fish in 12' but the fish that were few and far between in 8' were all quality except for a couple of juvies. Wayne caught a nice smallie and a white fish or a big shiner. It fooled Wayne pretty good too cause he thought it was a nice walleye.

We fished with in 40' of each other all day but Frank had the secret weapon and bait and location. I will not disclose particulars on this just only to say gold is still the hot color. The fish turned off bt 1 p.m. but we toughed it out till 3:30. Congratulations on Pail of the Day Frank, very well done.

BigJohnnyIce your LX-5 open water ducer is in it came in yesterday. I have a small mission for you I'll call ya just as soon as I can fine my address/phone book.

To the Campbell's - I am so very sorry for your loss. Mo and the your family are in our prayers.

[CNYFrank]

It was just one of those days . . . Tim and Wayne were hollering back and forth to each other (the only way you could hear each other over the wind) for the first 30 minutes of the day about all the fish they were marking and unhooking . . . me . . .nothing, but maybe a looker or two . . . big marks left me almost on my knees praying for a bite. Only one lure . . . gold . . . worked and worked all day as it turned out . . . every 15-20 minutes, all quality 10 + inches. I did end up with only 21, with 1 14 incher, 5 13s, 8 12s and the rest hanging around the 11-10 inch mark. I took pictures, but the digital refused to focus right in the cold (I guess). I'll be back at the lake on Monday, so those who are there, I will fill in what worked . . . besides luck. If you were there on Wednesday . . . same gold lure that day too. See you Monday . . .here's hoping the wind is not as bad.

[CNY Lee]

Are you getting out tomorrow tim? Let me know, we are going to hit our bluegill spot but I sure would like to get some of those hogs.. no flasher though

[north shore]

Thanks Tim: As we have had time to prepare for this we know that she is in a better place.She has been fighting for 5 years. It was time and she was tired of fighting. You know what I mean. Michael spent his 18th birthday with her. Great memories he has. thanks bub....

[CNY Tim]

Frank was absolutely right about the wind with the tent poles clanking and trapside rippeling it was impossible even yelling at the top of your lungs to communicate, we tried but the west wind was ripping. I forgot to mention the walk out to the area first thing in the morning was very adventurous for Frank. His trap just about flipped over trying to get set-up and I believe everything other than the MarCum got dumped on to the ice.

Lee - there's no secret to where these perch are and the guys in the southwest corner were out there again today and I'm sure they got into em too just find. Look for thick laid down weeds and wait it out sometimes these fish would come in every 20 min. or so and you would catch one or two and then they would be gone. I think the bonus of fishing in that southwest location is your getting gills along with the occasional slob perch. Ice conditions were fantastic a good 8" of hard ice with a very small amount of swirled snow on top. Let's face it this has been truly the only lake in our area this winter you don't have to worry about going through on with the crappy warm weather we have been having. I'm fishing Monday too but I am fishing with Z at an undisclosed location for crappies. Snowing pretty good here this morning... Good luck today Lee, Rosa has to wrok and Heather's coming home from college this morning and I have to change oil in her malibu before she goes back.

[BigJohnnyIce]

Great job again, Frank! Man, you are slaying them in there.

I am going to get out there again before ice out, so please leave some fish in the lake for me!

Hope to see you guys soon....

[CNYFrank]

I'll be at the diner tomorrow morning . . . don't know who is showing up. I am trying a trick for tomorrow and will see what it does. Ought to be interesting. Tim I made the same type thing you have coming in the mail . . . two of them . . . we shall see.

[CNYFrank]

Tank you should have come in with us after I gave a report to your partner on the ice. He looked like he tried but moved a lot before settling back with you. Same depth . . .same lure . . . same number as yesterday, same pattern . . . one fish every 10-15 minutes but a good one. No 14s, but 8 13s, rest were 12-10s. Darn reel did it to me again, twice, when I set the hook the drag let loose and the fish left with an education and both were big fish as I was sight fishing at the time. Many times the fish were so aggressive that they grabbed the lure and took off and set the hook themselves. Tuzz fished deeper by a couple of feet and I think he brought home about a dozen keepers, but he said nothing like the size I caught. When I was standing next to him watching his Marcum a large mark came up and hung at his lure forever until Tuzz set the hook . . .then the race was on. We never got to see it but it was pulling drag and bending his rod over until the 2 lb test could not take the rubbing on the side of the hole anymore and split. Tuzzy also lost a bass at the hole and the lure too. I managed to keep a pickeral on that went about 32 inches and was lucky to keep the magic lure too. . . . even though I have about 4 more. Tim, I got your voicemail on the ride home once I got coverage. 10 crappie and counting at the time eh? Lake was making ice all day . . .very little snow on the surface . . . should use cleats or duck walk real slow.

[tank]

Frank when he talked to you he said you had a couple i already had six and was seeing fish regularly.I ended up with 19 he had 13.WE did not have as many large ones as you.

[CNYFrank]

I guess he did not know I had just got there about 30 minutes ago. We'll get together yet and fish next to each other . . .maybe even get to know each other more than a hand wave and a few lures. Looks like breakfast at 0630 this Saturday to get the day going.

[Bussman]

Nice fish guys! I sure miss this lake!!

[CNYFrank]

Come on down!! This has got to be the best it has been for a long time. With the huge numbers of small fish the future is even going to be better as long as something drastic does not happen.

[Bussman]

I am hoping to get down the end of march if there is ice.

[CNY Tim]

George - Let Z know when your coming down. Rob told me about the job thing and you having to move up-north. But with family you gotta go with the money., but heck you got great fishing up there, I was stationed in Plattsburgh for two years in the early 80's good fishin dat Champlain.

Somebody said Slip Bob sarcastically mentioned me in your site there and rolled his eyes over at me. I am sure it's because he doesn't run the best 3 color flasher in the industry the MarCum LX-5.

[tank]

AH!The life of a king.Canadarago perch filets and eggs+italian toast for breakfast and not having to go to work.

[CNY Tim]

Tank - You really know how to rub it in over a hardy breakfast there big guy You and Dark Cloud have a fun time at camp this weekend.

[cny fshr]

Tim, where do you park at Canadarago ? and what parts of Lake Champlain do you have experience with ?

That lake may be on the list for possible STA location.

[CNY Tim]

I have permission from the land owners to park on the east side of the lake. The only experience I have had on Champlain was tip upping in and around the old base marina, most of those were beer drinking MWR events. That was long before I seriously got into the sport. Jerry used to do pretty good up there on perch many years ago. He's in Florida now but I will rattle his brain when get's back on spots he did well at. STA on Champlain? I think they should give Silver another crack at it, honestly this has been a pretty messed up winter and I would be surprised if it were back to back bad winters for ice. I know some guys are having a tough time coping now with lack of good ice, I can't blame them it's been tough. Canadarago is always a safe bet even if it does require waders at times. People fail to remember that it stays cold in the valley sometimes 5-7 deg. cooler than where I am at. Do I know you cny fshr?

[CNYFrank]

The normal spots to park are the state boat launch on the west side mid lake. . . good for getting a sled or 4 wheeler in, although hit directly by the sun and has a tendency to erode early and further south on the same road, 28 I believe . . .can't miss it with all the cars on the shoulder.

[cny fshr]

Thanks guys

[CNY Tim]

Richfield Springs Diner Saturday 25 Feb 06, 0630 a.m. roll

call or Sound off... Awright you mugs who's loading up at this fine sometimes slow service diner tomorrow.

Tuzzy

CNY Tim