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Let me start off by saying I have no affiliation whatsoever with this company..... Anyway, when fishing for striped bass in December in VA, we used a small in-line planer board called a water bugz (www.waterbugz.com). Worked great for the slow trolling we did using live bait. Guy that makes them says they have used them in 2-3 footers on the ocean pulling bait. I thought they would be great for some spring harbor trolling here in Dunkirk, or maybe on some inland lakes. Not sure how they would fare with big water.... John

Pennfish....sent the pics to your email address. John

Nice job Chris! I live right on the lake in Dunkirk....now I'm really going to have the itch! For what its worth, Bud Marsh (alibi) and I put together an article for Great Lakes Angler (similar to your part III) on setups for E. Lake Erie. Last I knew Dave Mull was planning on using it in May or June....

We stayed right at the marina, in the lighthouse looking thing. Fished on my friend 27 whaler. The day we left your boat was on the trailer in the parking lot, if I remember correctly. Hoping to get a few more days in this year, as we had a good time last year.

Pennfish: Pm coming your way. Boat is still available. John

Thanks guys. YT...yes, have Kevin's #...I stayed there last year, very nice. John

Hey guys....looking for places to stay in Wilson in May. I know about the Wilson Boathouse, and 4 mile park, wonder what else is out there? Got a group of 3 guys coming up and they are looking for overnight lodging, as they put it "other than in a tent"! John

LOTSA is doing a 1 day in Lockport on 2/24......

Always set the riggers first....get that probe in, and they can be set so fast that it allows me to have 2 rods in right off the bat..... John

Yes, the bobbers are for the stripers. They slow troll with an electric motor, and minnows on the bobbers. We used small inline boards that I had not used before (www.waterbugz.com), with a minnow and a single split shot. LOADS of bait pods there for sure. Google the park, they got pics of the cabins. Ours was 3 bedroom, 2 bath full kitchen, fireplace...something like 6 months old, right on the lake. Just across the lake from Clarksville.

YT: Did you happen to state at occoneechee state park? awesome cabins! Didn't really like the way some of the guys fish for stripers....chasing back and forth across the lake following the birds, then casting. Not much of a flyer, so it was interesting coming back yesterday due to weather delays in NYC....... John

Had the change to make a trip to Raleigh this weekend to fish with my brother and 2 friends for striped bass on Kerr reservoir, which borders VA and NC. Overall, had a blast. We stayed in a nearly new cottage in a VA state park that was as nice, and overlooked the lake. Fishing is either casting when you find birds working the bait, or slow trolling minnows with an electric motor. Not one to forget my great lakes roots, we ran small inline boards with some success. We had probably close to 40 bites, but as I learned, the catch ratio is typically about 1 to 4, and we were worse than that. Did get 2 nice ones, about 27" each. Also got a very white colored catfish that pushed 6 lbs or so. The other nice thing was that as a border lake, you could buy either a VA or NC license, and it was good for the whole lake. Wouldn't that be a great thing to have for us here on the Great Lakes? John

Had the fishhawk, and changed over to the DR. Love it. John

Irish... That's the way I understand it. Wanted to get it for myself, and also there is a slim chance that I would be pairing with another guy to do some stream guiding down the road..... John

You may want to look at www.walleye.com. There is a fee to list, but it seems like the majority of boats move pretty quick over there. John

Legacy: Thanks, there is very little information out there. The DEC did tell me for a portion of the test they give you a booklet to use, kind of "open book". John

Anyone know the cost of getting a marine survey done on a boat? And am I correct that this would be a cost borne by the prospective buyer? John

I had a fish hawk for 5 seasons. Like the digital readout, but it had a tendency to "cut out" and LOVED 9 volt batteries. Made the change over to the DR, and absolutely love it. I favored it over the subtroll due to the smaller probe, smaller dash unit, and the digital readout. Do yourself a favor and get the DR. John

YT: I did talk to the DEC contact. Basically said its 70 mutiple choice a portion of which is "open book" with a guide they give you with the test. For the rest, she said the BSA fieldguide would be an option. Just trying to judge if I can do it on the fly or if I should do some reading first! John

Just wondering if anyone has taken this test recently? Trying to get a handle on what type of questions..... John

Ray....saw those too, wondered the same thing. I use blacks now, and can set them pretty light. But those do look interesting. I was more interested in the light bite slide divers! John

Ray...you got that right....something new every time! John

Ray: I may not have mentioned it, but that's actually one of the walleye "tricks". When you are marking a bunch of fish, occasionally pop the riggers. Often that change in action will trigger a bite. Better than work! John

Any idea how old the Big Jon Holders are? John

I was actually fishing behind the hotel with my son last night for sunnies... amazing how thrilled a 6 yr old is to catch a 5 inch bass! Saw you getting the boat on the trailer but by the time we got over you were already rolling. 4/5 is not bad at all considering its October 19, and most guys,including me have been out for over a week! It would not be odd for the fish in the 60's to be eyes. In June we start as far in as 45 feet off Van Buren and slowly move out, so it would make sense the process would reverse. No idea about the jumpers other than I hope they are not THOSE carp! John