Fishing on Keuka

The picture shows the view from the path leading from the house down to the lake. I found out that Keuka means canoe launch in local Native American dialect. We rented a double kayak and have been putting it to near-constant use since we arrived, primarily with Erik in the front seat where he has been fishing. He has caught several smallmouth bass, bluegills, perch, and a catfish.

Last night before supper, during the quiescent period when the wind dies out and the surface of the lake becomes calm and smooth, Erik and I went out in the kayak. We trolled up and down the coast for about 2 hours. Erik was using a segmented lure that has a pair of treble hooks: one at the mid point of the lure and one trailing off the end.

As we were returning to the dock Erik got a big strike. From the bend in the pole and the inconsistent pull he knew it was a big fish. It was exciting to see him work the line in, trying to keep it under tension. When the fish got close to the boat Erik hollered, "Did you see it?" I could not quite see it, but as he continued to bring it closer to the boat it revealed itself to be two fish! One larger and one smaller smallmouth bass. I have seen this type of feeding-frenzy behavior when schools of fish attack bait, but this was our first double on Keuka Lake.