Koby Kreiger's Pattern, Baits & Gear

To get a feel for what Cayuga Lake might have to offer, Koby Kreiger and Hank Cherry spent a couple days on Seneca Lake, the largest of all the Finger Lakes located just to the west of Cayuga. "That put us on the docks program," Kreiger said. "I saw some spawning and I knew the same thing would be going on (at Cayuga). That kick started the whole week and pointed us in the right direction." He caught 18-14 quickly on day 1 sight-fishing and found another bay with some largemouth on beds that he saved for later in the event. He worked over some leftover bedding fish and managed a small limit on a topwater walking bait. "I had a stretch of docks at the south end that I practiced on," he said. "I went there and culled four of my fish, but I lost two 4-pounders doing that." That was the last time he made the long run down toward Ithaca. "It was a long way to go for a gamble," he said. He started day 3 slinging a topwater and didn't catch one until the eighth blow up. He then went back to the bay where he'd found some largemouth on day 1. He picked off a 5-pounder and then it got slick so he was able to hunt for more spawners. He added a 4-pound smallmouth before heading to his key stretch of docks up north to close out the day. While Cayuga had plenty of docks, there were certain characteristics that separated the better ones from the others. "The right dock stuck out the further and had most shade," he said. "It usually was the biggest platform on the end and there'd be 2 to 6 feet deep."

Topwater gear: 6'8" medium-heavy Powell Max 3D casting rod, Abu Garcia Revo MGX casting reel (7.1:1 ratio), 17-pound Berkley Trilene XL monofilament line, Heddon Super Spook Junior Saltwater Series (bone white).

Wacky rig gear: 7'1" medium-action Powell Max 3D spinning rod, Abu Garcia Revo MGX spinning reel, 10-pound Spiderwire braided line, 10-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon line (leader), #2 unnamed straight shank hook, 5" V&M Baits Chopstick (green-pumpkin).

Main factor: "I have to give props to Gerald Swindle. I've been struggling all year and I had a terrible day 2 (at Lake Texomas) so I called him and we had a talk at the meeting (before Cayuga). He just told me to fish slow and don't let the lake push you. When day 2 was going bad, I reminded myself to take it easy and relax; same thing on day 4. I knew those fish were there and I got them to bite. Listening to him and slowing down were key."

Performance edge: "My 12-foot MinnKota Talons were the most important piece of equipment on my boat. On Sunday, when it was windy there was no way I could've have fished those docks without them."

Cayuga Lake 2-5 Patterns BassFan 6/30/16 (Todd Ceisner)

22 Colors

Heddon Super Spook Walking Bait

$7.97 - $8.99

5.0

2 Reviews

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