LongLine

You guys think I'm kidding? It's a real thing. They consider it a delicacy for royalty. GLFC sent some to Queen Elizabeth. https://greatlakesecho.org/2022/09/12/michigans-connection-to-queen-elizabeth-ii-lamprey-pie/ Grind it up, add some veggies, syrup, wine. Bake in a pie crust... It's a meat pie. (But I'd wash it down with a solid swig of 90 proof...maybe rum)

TFM requires chemical training and certification. Putting anything in the water would be a real issue with the state. Getting kind of late this year for chemical application anyways, so how about this: HB2 use his contractor connections to build a Lamprey trap at his place on the creek. Then as retirement approaches, he organizes a volunteer group to monitor and "harvest" them. (kind of like the net pen projects) Maybe freeze them and export them to UK to recoup costs? (They love Lamprey Pie...right?)

You're thinking keel sinkers that have bead chains on both ends of a weight. (weights come in all sizes) Keels are used on longlines and off planer boards, like torpedo sinkers although some may use them on the bottom line of a stacked downrigger. I use the single bead chain that has a ring on each end. These are used by guys that mold keel sinkers and can be bought from Jans netcraft, Barlows, etc. You can find them on ebay too but make sure they have a ring on each end. I like the 35 Lb which I think is #2.

I've found that attaching a heavy line directly to a spoon will reduce its wobble quite a bit. Also, while trolling, that tying any heavy line to a light line can be problematic, braid or mono, especially as I mostly fish solo. (Driving the boat, watching other rod, looking out for other boats, debris, watching temp, speed, fishfinder, trying to drink coffee, etc) From my years on the Big-O I've observed that the 3-4 ft of line closest to the lure takes the most "beating." On my riggers, I use Co-poly as a main line (unfortunately expensive. It has a little stretch but nothing like mono) and took a lesson from using keel sinkers on long lines and planners. I.E. The leader does not have to be long. I use 5-6 ft leaders. But I tie a bead chain (with rings) on my main line, then a snap swivel on both ends of the leader. Having a 1/2 dozen leaders pre-made, it only takes seconds to change leaders and I don't have to tie anything on the water. Using 7 1/2 ft rods, there's no need to reel the bead into the eyelets. Some guys will say "but that adds more knots and hardware." To each his own. I've never had that extra hardware nor Palomars break. I think they help keep "crap" off the lure and who knows...maybe a salmon thinks the spoon is following something. Good luck out there.

Unfortunately. cormorants are still a protected specie, so feds won't go after them.

If the fluoro felt lumpy, it's because its sat on the original spool to long. It could have been spooled too tight but was exposed to bad atmospheric conditions. i.e. age, dried out, heat, sunlight, etc. It should be as smooth as mono. Braid doesn't have enough stretch to say so. Fluoro has very little stretch and mono stretches quite a bit. Fluoro is more brittle than mono and doesn't have the notch strength as the others. I would never rigger or planner troll with a full spool of Fluoro, even using pinch-pad releases. Braid will survive almost any release. Mono may kink a little, especially with Black's releases and with light mono that kinking should be removed after every fish. Some guys fish Braid on their riggers with a mono leader, but when the salmon move out, they quickly learn that fleas love Braid and are a royal pain to remove. Most use a heavy Mono. (30 Lb +) with a leader. That mono will stretch but after a few hours if 30 Lb becomes 25 Lb...who cares? Some tips: (1) If you use a light mono leader then cut off 3-4 ft after every fish and re-tie. (2) Use drug-store type nail clippers to cut line. (I use Palomar knots to lure as you can tie them quickly, even with frozen fingers) As to your question: yes, some stretch is good. There may be a few seconds. If the rod was bent correctly, it will set the hook. Just make sure when reeling in the fish, you keep that rod bent.

So where do you set your drag for "no-fish" break-offs?

It's great that wild Browns can be found in the creek. Browns & Rainbows are basically homebodies compared to all the salmon. Browns can thrive in almost any water which is why they were introduced to the US years ago. Murky, low oxygen, some pollution, somewhat brackish, etc. Not saying the creek is that way, but the Bay is. The only time Salmon don't care about water conditions is at spawning time. I don't doubt that salmon will make the trek upstream as some Kings have even been seen in road culverts out Hilton way. I only question whether Atlantic's will make the trek out to the lake in appreciable numbers. At all the historical LO stocking sites, freshly stocked fish have a relatively unobstructed path to the wide-open lake. I-Bay is a big obstruction. Salmon need oxygen, more so than other species. I-Bay is a long fairly narrow bay, oriented North-South. Prevailing west winds don't stir it up like other embayments. Its topography, with that deep spot, sharp drop-off and the northern flats greatly increases its retention time. Years ago, they treated the water to try to get pollution to settle to the bottom. They also ran a "bubbler" south of the bridge to put oxygen into the waters as it was considered "dead water" below 15 ft from the surface. I.E. it's prone to stagnation. It's a great habitat for sheepshead (drums) of which many get "huge." In addition to the physical, as already mentioned, there are many predators. Along with the Bass & Pike, DEC has been stocking Walleyes in there for quite a while. (Unknown how they're doing as Walleye fishermen are known for being tight-lip'd) As the initial article is about Atlantic restoration in Lake Ontario, the more I think about it (and as you said there may be a shortfall in stocking) they should stick with the original 4 sites. IMO, DEC should evaluate survival in the lake first, then evaluate Nat. Repro at those sites second, and then look at other stocking sites.

"New" to you doesn't mean its "fresh" line. Mono, flouro and Co-poly all deteriorate over time, dryness & exposure to sunlight. I've bought line that was worthless right out of the packaging. Retailer may have had it in stock from last season. I always test line before using it by placing a strand between my thumb and 1st finger. Then, squeezing it, pull about 18 inches through. If there's any white powdery residue on my finger....it's worthless. That's "plasticizer" coming out of it and the line will be brittle and have no scratch resistance..

Not for or against it but have many questions: 1. yes temp tolerance 76-77F or so but what about the north flats of I-bay. Will they cross that large section that is only 5-6 ft deep? It gets pretty warm there, before the drop-off. 2. yes I-bay has temp relief in the deep area but does it have the oxygen content below 20 ft? That deep section is not very long proportionally to the lenght of the bay. 3. Won't bay boaters have an issue with "wood is good"? Recreational or fishing. I don't know any that want more debris in the water.

The fish generates the most shock on its initial hit. When stream fishing that shock must be absorbed by the line and near instantly the rod. Line stretch plays an important part of absorbing it. When trolling with a rigger (or planner/dipsey) there are 2 components to the line that have to go tight which help absorb it before the rod takes over. For a rigger there is a vertical and a horizontal component. There is some absorption as the vertical becomes part of the horizontal. (Resistance of the water on the line) You'd have the same situation from a boat, as in a stream. if your ran a clean line less than 25-30 ft off the back of the boat, especially in the cold. Chances of a break-of are also greater with a short rod. Most rigger rods are 6 1/2 - 8 ft long.

Davy - Any word back from Mike as to whether they were SEB-TT strain? (WR supplied both SEB and SEB-TT) Also did any of the Atlantics that you saw have lamprey marks on them? It's my understanding that Atlantics were also going to come from Eisenhower National Hatery this year. (also in Vermont) There was a fear that stocking Irond' Creek would have a very low probability of sucess due to them having to traverse the bay which was thought to have too many predators. I.E. Bass, Walleye, Pike and Comorrants.

That was only one delivery. Looking at the 2023 LO annual report, there were 4 stocking sites with each getting about 50,000 yrlgs. Those each 50,000 came from 2 different hatcheries. The Wright River in Vermont (WR) and Adirondack in NY. (AD) Within those 2 hatcheries (WR & AD), there were 3 strains delivered over a 6 week period. WR had a hatchery stock from Little Clear in Maine (Sebago - designated SEB) and USF&W developed a new "low tolerant Thiamine" strain (SEB-TT) there. AD yrlgs were from their hatchery stock of SEB. (Designated NSB). NSB was not marked. The others were PBT (parentage based genetic tagged- i.e DNA recorded) Delivery quantities varied between 11,000 and 20,000 at a time. Each site received all 3 strains, at different times each. Overall deliveries to all four sites were NSB - 53,000; SEB - 87,000; SEB-TT - 53,000. Sandy had 3 deliveries. Given only 16K in that delivery then keep your eyes open as there will be more deliveries. And hopefully the SEB-TT strain.

Thanx for update.

Technically the Capt & crew are fishing as the purpose of a charter is to assist a client to catch fish. DEC regs define fishing as: "Fishing means the taking, killing, netting, capturing, or withdrawal of fish by any means. This includes every attempt to take fish, plus assisting another person in taking or attempting to take fish." Interesting debate. Legality and Sportsman morality can be different things. IMO, capt is responsible for what happens on his boat and as long as it's legal, sets the rules.