LongLine

Water used to flow down hill. Is your engine above the water line? Tom B. (LongLine)

One of the research buoys was cut loose & drifted into Oswego harbor: http://blog.syracuse.com/outdoors/2013/05/lake_ontario_research_buoy_had.html I've written to USGS about buoys off Rochester & they said they weren't theirs. They checked on the sturgeon netting project but none were in the area. They suggested that they may belong to an ESF or SUNY Brockport project. Bottom line: There's going to be a few buoys out there this year. Stay well away from them! No one knows how they're anchored and it's definitely not worth losing gear over. Tom B. (LongLine)

Chris - You know about buoys, Better watch out for these guys! http://www.esf.edu/communications/view.asp?newsID=2262 YeeHaa! (Just playing) Tom B. (LongLine)

Happy B'day 'squirel Tom B. (LongLine)

Well, at least they're going to try to store a little more water in the lake.... http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20130512/NEWS03/705129872 (could use a foot rather than 2 inches) Tom B. (LongLine)

Happy Birthday Chad. Tom B. (LongLine)

Chris – I did some research & this is the US Navy recommended way of anchoring a buoy. I’m sure USGS (being a gov’t agency) uses something like it. The buoy is attached to a vertical riser which only goes straight down a certain distance. A “fender†protects gear from rubbing on the riser. Riser has a link on the bottom of it. The link has slack spider-like legs going out in different directions. Number of legs and size depend on maximum potential weather/current conditions. They generally go out a long ways. Obviously if winds/current push buoy in a certain direction, a couple legs will come up while others settle to bottom. Depending on the length of the riser, angle of the legs and the lift due to the buoy being pushed around, I can see how easy it would be to snag on one of them. Little consolation but H.I.H. Tom B. (LongLine)

Chris - sorry to hear about the gear. At least you got out & got one nice one. That's a USGS buoy. The Guardian put them in a couple/few weeks ago. There's supposed to be 3 of them off Rochester according to state of Lake meeting this last March. I forgeot what depths. I'm thinking 40, 80, 150. They're real time monitoring the near-shore conditions of the lake. Temp, currents, chemicals, etc. These buoys are a first for the Great lakes. (i.e. 1st time ever used on any of the G.L.) Unfortunately, you're the 1st to lose gear on them....ouch... Tom B. (LongLine)

Check the NADA site: http://www.nadaguides.com/Boats/1991/Alumacraft-Boat-Co I don't see a 1990 trophy listed. I do however on the the '91's. Follow the links. Tom B. (LongLine)

Go to LOC site. Check out what the top deby finishers have used in the last couple years. Tom B. (LongLine)

Depth & speed of lures? On the south shore, I found Lakers right on the surface & fast/erratic. Tom B. (LongLine)

Genny launch isn't busy at all until the pleasure boaters show up late morning. PM Tom B. (LongLine)

I really like P-Line -CXX. Doesn't stretch as much as any of the other stuff. Use a fluoro leader. Tom B. (LongLine)

RM - 1. When pulllng plugs, make sure they're tuned properly. They should wobble just as must to the right as they do to the left. Bending the eyelet just a hair can make a big difference. Test them next to the boat with about 6-8 ft of line out. Check them on both sides of the boat for best view. 2. Also always tie on a flouro leader 8-12 Lb test, longer than 8 ft. 3. "When in doubt, let it out." Don't be afraid to let it back 100 ft or more. Copoly lines have less stretch than mono, if you can't keep them hooked. 4. (and probably should be first) Speed, Speed, Speed. Zig-zag - experiment with speed. 5. Stay clear of other boats & experiment with direction. Don't get caught up in the "frenzy" that the fish are only in 20 FOW. H.I.H. Tom B. (LongLine)

Well, got everything in the boat yesterday & picked up a season’s pass at the Rec Office yesterday so was all prep’d to get an early start today. Hit the launch solo at 5 am. Got a lot of pix but they didn’t turn out. ….oh, well…guess the camera wasn’t awake yet. Seems strange having all that open water there. Headed out & took a left. 63.5F in the main current but soon dropped to 54F then down to 45F. Slight East wind. Clear sky, looked like a little less than ½ moon. Engine purring like a kitten but wouldn’t tilt/trim. Anyways…Went out to 65 FOW & put them in. 2 rigg’rs and a port side board. Love it when you got everything in, 1st coffee poured and then see this: Headed North but not much on screen. Temp fairly uniform. Decided after an hour to speed it up a little & got a small bow on a pink Long-A off the board over about 110 FOW. Ran a few zig-zags/circles and had 2 more releases on the rigg’rs but asleep at the switch. Continued the trek North. About 145, Board fires again. Decided I’d better bring up the starboard rigg’r so I reach over, pop it loose & get it back in the holder. As soon as I start left handed cranking the rigg’r that rod fires. Yikes! Okay, concentrate on the first one. Get him in the net & it’s a Laker. I now remember why I don’t really like treble hooks, especially 3 of them on the same lure! 2 points in the fish, 7 points in the net! Got the 2nd fish to the boat but couldn’t shake the 1st out of the net. Talk about a cluster humper! Decided to take a chance & net the 2nd with the 1st still in net…. Heh, heh, heh. (2nd one hit a King of Stng, popped loose from a 30 ft rigg’r) All fish going at very close to 3 mph (down speed) So where was I fishing???? Here I am… (Just west of Russell station) Continued out to 220FOW then back in to 120. Only fish I marked were below 120 ft down, but they were huge. Maybe a dozen other boats out there. Was a beautiful day to be on the water. Off at 11 as that’s enough sunburn for the day. Luck to all, Tom B. (LongLine)

Thanx guys. I appreciate it. Tom B. (LongLine)

Got a friend going up to Black Lake. He asked me how to catch Crappie up there. I don't know, never been there. How do you catch Crappie up there? (PM if you want) Tom B. (LongLine)

If it's got a motor then yest it's supposed to be registered. Don't ask me how the ragboats get away with it though. Tom B. (LongLine)