Wednesday morning started out at 20 degrees and a quick stop for breakfast at a local diner gave both Jessica Trump Burt & Anthony J. Gulisano, aka Tony G. a full belly and the go ahead to begin their ice fishing trip. They got all the gear packed up and headed out on foot to find the best ice fishing spot for their day. The ice fishing has been hot for Oswego County NY this
winter and has produced many eatable panfish for all anglers. Once set up they began jigging and nothing happened. This is a for sure sign that something bigger is lurking beneath the hole. Experienced guide, Tony G. called it...."There's a pike down below and it's either a Northern Pike or a Walleye Pike. Either way, WE HAVE TO CATCH IT!!!" About a minute later Jessica Trump Burt is yelling, "I've got something!!! I've got something REALLY BIG!!!" It was a Northern Pike and Jessica's first. After all the excitement was over, a few pictures later, and the fish was safely released, they both got down to business and started catching panfish. It was perch for the day and lucky number 7 was the keeper length for ice fishing guide, Tony G. They fished from 8:00 am until about noon time and caught 34 keeper-perch. Jessica was elated since she said she had never caught this many fish when ice fishing before. Tony G. thought this was a "slow" day of ice fishing and the size of 7" was small. Tony G. has seen a lot bigger and a lot more in the past as a full time local guide in Oswego County New York. All in all it was a fun, productive morning and the perch were later filletted and fried by Tony G. Unfortunately Jessica was unable to eat the delicious fish fry and had to get back to work. Jessica Trump Burt works for Oswego County NY Department of Promotion and Tourism and this is her blog spot, http://outdooradventuresinoswego.blogspot.com/
CLICK HERE if you'd like to see more pictures of their day of ice fishing. Tony G. can be reached at (315) 885-8092 for guided fishing trips in Oswego County New York, and of course, the world famous, Salmon River in Pulaski, NY. His NYS Guide's License badge number is 2563 and he's been fishing the Salmon River since 1982. He is available every day for guided fishing trips and if you get his voice mail on his cell phone, please leave a message. Some areas that Tony G. fishes do not have cell phone towers. He will return your call within 24 hours. He is experienced in ALL methods of fishing and his favorite fish, the Steelhead Trout, is the most sought after sport fish on the Salmon River NY. Feel free to give Tony a call and see if he would be the right guide for you.
Jessica (Trump) Burt
Public Information Officer
Oswego County Tourism Office
46 East Bridge Street
Oswego, NY 13126
315-349-8323
READ Jessica's Blog.....
A Good Day for Perch
It’s safe to say that this post is WAY overdue. After months of slacking I finally got my act together and planned my first winter blog!
Tony Gulisano from Chrome Zone Outfitters offered to take me ice fishing for perch on Sandy Pond, something we all know I have been less than successful at in the past. I was hopeful because this time I was going with a guide and not my family (no offense but you don’t really catch a lot of fish when the circus shows up on the ice).
When we arrived at the pond, I thought we’d walk about 20 feet out and then set up shop. I was wrong… WAY wrong. We almost went across the entire pond! I wasn’t aware that a rigorous training regimen was a pre-requisite for this trip. I can’t complain though, because Tony knew where the fish were, and if it meant hiking for what seemed like miles then so be it, because we were going to catch us some perch!
As soon as the shanty was set up I had long forgotten about my hike. The shanty had built in seats and a heater! I was fishing in style!
Tony set up my jigging rod and as soon as the bait was dropped in the hole I had a bite! I had to fight a little, which surprised me because perch aren’t exactly big fish. Much to my surprise a northern popped his head out of the hole. I was excited because, although average for a northern, it was the biggest northern I’ve ever caught (which wasn’t difficult considering I’ve only caught one prior in my lifetime). I had a little photo shoot and then sent the northern back.
We were hoping once the pike left, the perch would come back.
They did, and we actually caught them… loads of them. When one location slowed down, we moved the shanty to another spot on the pond. I’d say throughout the few hours we fished, we caught over 50 and only kept around 30 of the bigger ones. Some were around 6 or 7 inches.
We had an entertaining walk back as we passed a man attempting to turn his two Labs into sled dogs. He tied them to his plastic child’s sled holding all of his equipment and himself, hoping to be pulled across the ice. The dogs thought they could jump on for a ride too. It’s those moments that make my adventures all worth it – it’s when I realize I’m not the only spastic person trying to enjoy the great outdoors.
Tony offered to fillet and bag up the perch for me to bring home, something he does for all of his customers. I passed because I don’t usually eat fish. He told me I was missing out and next time he’s going to cook them for me so I learn to enjoy perch! Maybe I can attempt to cook the perch myself which would make for a very entertaining blog because my cooking skills make me look like an expert sportswoman.
I’m going to leave you some of the photos of our day. It was a lot more fun than I expected – partly because I was warm, and mostly because we caught a lot of fish! If you’d like to book an ice fishing trip with Anthony J. Gulisano, aka “Tony G.”, you can call him at
(315) 885-8092 or find him on
www.FishTheSalmonRiver.com.
Hey Jessica, this is what you missed out on.....
