MMy nephew Brian with what I think was his biggest fish.   He tried to hand me the rod 3 times  ;0) .    Another hog bass.    Sorry if their sideways  I switched them in the photo bucket, but it takes a while for them to go through  

Nice smallies Clint.  Drifting using bait?  Experiment with that big ugly articulated fly drop shot style.  

Yes drifting with a jig and a minnow.  When the season opens I will try with the fly rod.    No a bad idea though on drifting the flies.     Hmmmmmmm..................

Pretty sweet C, looks like will have an excellent steelhead partner . You should be proud and he grateful to have an awesome willing person and instructor.
I lack greatly in the patience dept. with my kids and grandchildren .

Don't know much about Oneida but crayfish are deadly on smallies & eyes

If you have electronics use it to locate and drop shot the area.  Gently bounce the rig with that articulated fly about 1-2' off the bottom.  Drop shot rigging is easy and very effective. Might even work for waldo's too. 

Went out oneida at 5:30 on saturday morning from bridgeport. Had an 18.5"er to the boat in the first hour on a rapala slow trolled with a bottom bouncer. Nothing else for the next 6 hours. As clint said (btw nice report clint) the wind just kept on shifting and there was a brief shower. In seven hours the wind changed sirection four times... i was happy to get the one keeper though. It was a fat non/hatchery fish too. Saturday evening had a shot at a monster small mouth on my first cast but it pulled loose without the hook set.... started pouring minutes later so that was that. On the way home we stopped at a trout spot before sunset.... my son and i nailed ten brown trout... he caught four himself... he had a blast. We kept eight between the two of us... oh yeah, earlier in the day we went to a little creek after igot home from oneida and my daughter caught a little creek chub too!!! Yesterdays dinner was outstanding with walleye brown trout and locally grown vegetable salad... yummy...was gonna go for evening smallies afterwards but working in the sun most of the day and the fishing all day saturday knocked me out...tight lines

fished oneida on friday and sunday, friday started with a keeper on the first troll then couldnt buy a bite. I use mainly bottom bouncers and worm harnesses, switched colors and weights nothing. Pulled out the planer boards and lures and pulled them till noon, nothing. Sunday decided late to go I was out of lumber to finish the new front porch and lowes being the only place on sunday to get my stuff, figured hit the water for a few then finish the work. Leave the marina and starting heading towards one of my spots and see a charter captain I know working a closer spot so pull in behind him a half mile or so back and follow him, nothing not even marking a thing, move over and hit it again nothing. Start seeing boats running in and notice how black the sky was west, I look at the charter captain and he isint moving so I stay also. It rained buckets for ten minutes thank goodness I have an cuddy I keep fishing watching the rods from inside. After two trolls not marking fish I run down the lake ten minutes and set up on a schoal,two trolls and mark some fish but no biters, move again and the same marking them but no biters. Off by ten pretty bummed, then home to build the new front stairs.


 

John, thats a bummer... the guy i went out with was mainly pulling bottom bouncers with worm harnesses but i had a rapala on my one rod and thats the only thing that worked... im definitely interested in trying the night time bite as i hear they come up to the top then. Action looked pretty slow for most boats i saw on saturday.

I too want to try the nite bite,   but I know very little about the lake andam a little nervous.   I do think I will try the little shoal down from  Godfreys at least once though.   
 
John quick questions,  how far is Shackleton shoals from Godfrey launch.  My boat is a little 14 deep V with a 20 horse.   Looking at the map I want to hit it for perch  (hopefully eyes too).   On a nicer day I am going to give it a try, does not look that far off.   
   I really do not know how good my fish finder is other than for depth.   I do not think I marked 1 fish  out from the launch  when it dropped to 30 plus feet.  when driving around.  Do you think it was the case of no fish there.

clint,
while i'm not trying to sink you but i suggest to get to know your boat and you will gain confidence in your boating skills..Id love to have that rig..
I have a flat bottom 14' jon boat that had a 1955 7.5hp and now a 15hp (I liked the 7.5 better) .. I have taken that thing almost everywhere in most all situations.. Its been on Lake O, Oswego river, Mohawk river and battles the tidal waters of the mighty Hudson, even in the midnight hrs..  Sometimes it seems crazy but I know my skills and limitations..
I truly think your capable and just need a little confidence..
Plus, give those big boats that throw wakes to almost swamp you the 1 finger peace sign as they smoke fat cigars and wave when they drive by ;)