really figured out that pattern in the BFL , Smith feels the Bass Pro Tour field will zone in on the best grass quickly .
“ Certain types of grass are going to die off in mid-August on the north end of the lake ,” Smith explains . “ A lot of fish were just sucked into that grass and hiding out ( in the BFL ), but the BPT guys are going to figure that pattern out pretty quickly and this lake will fish small .”
That north end of the lake with the bulk of the grass covers about 5,800 acres , just about 14 percent of the total lake area
The Goby Influence
Kevin VanDam , a previous winner on Cayuga in the summer of 2016 , agrees that grass is the key to finding largemouth , but also notes the influence of zebra mussels and goby on the fishery .
“ The north end is relatively shallow , has a lot of weeds and holds a lot of largemouth ,” VanDam says . “ The zebra mussels really clear up the water and the goby population has really boomed . Because of that , the size of all the fish in the lake has gotten a big bump .”
The goby influx into Cayuga is a recent development . This baitfish – which most likely migrated through rivers and streams connecting the Great Lakes and Finger Lakes – has caused the weights of both largemouth and smallmouth to boom in size , leading to the state record smallmouth being caught out of Cayuga in the middle of June . That smallmouth weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds , 5.8 ounces , beating the previous record by nearly 2 ounces .
The goby population is healthy and thriving , and both smallmouth and largemouth are taking advantage .
“ It seems like the largemouth fishing is so good right now because the amount of goby in the lake ,” Smith says . “ The largemouth feed on gobies as well as perch and bluegill . Smallmouth eat tons of gobies . They spit up gobies all the time when you catch them . I wouldn ’ t be surprised if largemouth are fattening up on gobies as well because you can find gobies in shallow water as well as deep water .”
PHOTO BY ERIC ENGBRETSON PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON
MLF pro Jacob Wheeler fished a grassy stretch of Cayuga Lake during the 2020 Heritage Cup .
largemouth in abundance , smallmouth increasing
While largemouth are the most prolific bass species in Cayuga , the smallmouth population is on the rise , making brown fish more of a player for tournaments .
“ This lake is loaded with big largemouth , as they ’ re the predominant species here , but there ’ s more smallmouth here every year ,” Smith says . “ Last year in mind-August there were a ton of smallmouth caught . I think that will be the case again this year , but I don ’ t think anyone can win here just catching smallmouth .”
VanDam believes there are benefits to catching both species , and he says
Bass in Cayuga Lake are growing larger thanks to a recent influx of the invasive round goby .
that either brown or green fish could help one of the Bass Pro Tour pros leave the Finger Lakes with $ 100,000 and a spiffy new red-and-silver trophy . It just depends on which angler fishes to his individual strengths the best .
“ I think both smallmouth and largemouth are going to play ,” VanDam predicts . “ A Fred Roumbanis or an Ish Monroe type of guy will probably fish shallow with a frog for those largemouth on the north end . On the flipside , a guy like Adrian Avena will probably be offshore drop-shotting for smallmouth on the rim of the main lake . Both smallmouth and largemouth will be grouped up in mid-August , so you could really go after either and find the numbers you need to compete .”
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2022 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 87