new to boat fishing

[newcaddy4j]

First off I want to say this is a great website.  I just recently picked up a 14' jon boat for $75, what a steal!  I am going to try to register it on Kensico. I've read pretty much all the threads about lake fishing and had a few questions.   I picked up a portable Hummingbird fish finder and was wondering what you normally do when you find fish holding in a certain area /depth?

Is it better to just drop anchor and try to get bait down to them or do you just flat line and run drifts over the spot?

Also for anyone running leadcore line, how many colors do you usually let out?  I've read online that you typically don't want more than 4 colors out which puts you at 25'ish for lakers?

Thanks,
Jared

[VinnyH]

Jared,
Welcome, nice first post. I hate to say this but Kensico is closed to new boats. I don't think it's giving any secrets away to say that Cross River may be an excellent option. It's pretty easy to get to from any part of Westchester.

There are a few trout guys here that will give you more info on technique than me. One thing is that you can get browns and lakers at many different depths. It just depends on the time of year, etc.

Best Always,
Vinny

[phishahn]

Hey newcaddy, welcome aboard.As a strict sawbellie fisherman I;ll let the trollers take the lead core questions. As far a marking fish on the lokator, there are some theories I fish by. First, I have seen guys anchor and do very well, in fact I bought a double anchor set-up last year, haven't tried it yet.  Ok, back to the lokator ,one thing I have summized thru the years the fish marked on the screen can be grouped into 2 categories, active and non-active.Active fish will be from 40' to the surface and fish that hug the bottom generally not, this is Browns not lakers, lakers can be goaded into a meal always. Stick to the area where the fish are in the "zone" you'll get more hits. I could type for hours about techniques, just no time right now.Any other questions, just give me a few at a time, da-phish.

[newcaddy4j]

Thanks for the replies!  Yeah I'm hoping somehow I can get the boat on Kensico, if not I'll opt for Cross River.   I've fished the outflow off RT 35 and have had good success.   I'm looking forward to getting out on the water! Its been a long winter.   

Hey Da-Phish, dumb question but what kind of anchor setup do you use?  How much rope do you need for a lake like kensico.  I know it can get pretty deep.

Also, do you guys hear about a lot of boats getting stolen from the lakes?  I'm not too worried about it cause my boats a POS, but I'd hate to try to go fishing and find that my boat got stolen!

Thanks,
Jared

[Tom]

Newcaddy,
If you opt for putting your boat on Cross River and you are interested in Brown trout, I would locate it as close to the dam as possible.  Other locations are fine for smallies ... that can be rather large on Cross River.  Another reservoir choice, that has Browns and Bass, is Titicus.  It is about 15 minutes north of Cross River, and is right off of 684.
Tom

[jimmy1]

Newcaddy,
Fishing leadcore takes practice, getting used to it, and knowing where your lure is in the water is the key to success.Especially when fishing for laker's.Large laker's very rarely venture out of the depths,and thats where you want your lure.Just off the bottom.If your trolling in 40,50,or 100ft, you want to be just off the bottom.If your not getting snaged or picking up weeds your not deep enough.Trolling very,very slow,the slower you row the more your line will sink.
Trolling in 100ft of water with your lure at 40ft will not catch lakers,you might get lucky,but more often than not you'll get skunked.In mid to late april,depending on the weather,the lakers come to the surface,and can be caught just flat lining.They stay up for about a week depending on temps, 59 seems to be there limit.Good luck!

[Tom]

Hey Jimmy,
Any suggestions on the number of colors to get a flutter spoon down 100 feet? Do you use small or large flutter spoons?
Thanks,
Tom

[jimmy1]

TOM ,2 1/2" is usually what I go with max.I let out 8 to 10 colours,and move really slow till it bounces bottom , then I pick my speed up a little.

[phishahn]

Thanks for the replies!  Yeah I'm hoping somehow I can get the boat on Kensico, if not I'll opt for Cross River.   I've fished the outflow off RT 35 and have had good success.   I'm looking forward to getting out on the water! Its been a long winter.   

Hey Da-Phish, dumb question but what kind of anchor setup do you use?  How much rope do you need for a lake like kensico.  I know it can get pretty deep.

Also, do you guys hear about a lot of boats getting stolen from the lakes?  I'm not too worried about it cause my boats a POS, but I'd hate to try to go fishing and find that my boat got stolen!

Thanks,
Jared

Jared, new to the anchor stuff, I did buy 2 15lb mush anchors and connected 4 ft of chain to them, then have 200 ft of anchor rope. Let out in front of the boat first, tie off w,empty bleach bottle, let out line to get away from anchor rope, and then put down off transom, tie off to bleach bottle and then pull towards front anchor and tie off in middle, that's my guess. Still hoping to use it this year on Roundout.