Gator

I have both the cordless and plug in versions of the Rapala. I prefer the plug-in when cleaning a pailful, it generates less heat and I don't have the annoyance of having to change the battery half way through. I think that the battery version may lose a little power over time, too, though that's just a feeling. The wickedest system I ever saw was a regular fillet knife that the guys kept razor sharp even during cleaning with a sharpener that looked like a yo-yo. They'd insert the knife into where the "string" would go and make a couple of back and forth movements with one hand, rolling the thing across the table. They'd do this every few fish, it only required one hand and it only took a couple of passes to keep the knife sharp. I bet they wore through knives' metal pretty fast, but still, I'd love to know where they got the sharpeners. I've never seen the like since.

There's got to a joke in there somewhere!!

I eat smoked laker from Keuka all the time and it's delicious. I tried to smoke one from Ontario and....well, delicious isn't a word that comes to mind. I'm not sure if it's the diet, the size, or what, but I couldn't generate much enthusiasm after that. Truth be told though, I haven't tried everything. For example, bacon. I'm not sure that there's anything wrapped in bacon that's less than incredible. Just sayin'

I believe that it's a no go. So far as I recall, there's only limited access to the water during duck season, and not at all to the lake portion. Seems to me that I remember ice fishing being allowed too. I looked into it a few years ago thinking I'd scout before season and find an open pocket to tuck away from the crowd. Nope.

Don't be shy about fishing different depths, too. Last weekend we caught Keuka lakers in 25' on 1/2 oz heads and twister tails. It's a far cry from fishing 150' depths. The deepest we fished was ~50'. That's probably changed in a week, but you might be surprised.

Supposedly, you need to make sure that the coated cable is stripped and and attached to the downrigger prior to winding it on. In reality, we've tried multiple times over the years without success, in part I"m sure because the probe comes out of the water well before the ball. Yes, we are dummies, but we've come to the conclusion that it's easier to bring one of the riggers up "manually"...pushing a button. You may have better luck than us.

Gold, barge, maybe our own Nessie...but most likely bait. We had the same from 55-70'. Bait moves in, fishing starts to stink.

We were West of Devil's Nose for most of the morning in 55-120' and ran out to 450' looking for a break. Never moved a rod.

We jigged up fish from 45 to 60 fow today in the Penn Yan branch. There's smallmouth along shore, too.

Yep, figured as much. I'm just not sure why that should affect the reading, since the probe is well above the ball.

Does NYS have common law? The kicker on my Lund changes speeds on the turn when she's hooked up to the big motor for steering. The setting that regulates how hard it is to turn the motor is set too high, but neither I nor several professionals can figure out how to reduce it, since it appears to be at its lowest setting. That's good, in that the motor steers where you point it. It's bad in that the choke ends up responding to turns, causing the issue. The guy I bought it from years ago was a walleye fisherman and never used the kicker except to backtroll, so it was perfect for him. I don't troll enough out of the Lund to worry about it much though.

Ford...:Chevy...you get it. We have all three makes and they all work fine. Ratcheting helps. Your need for a backing plate will depend upon your boat, but can't hurt. I would advice staying away from the style where the rod butt protrudes into the boat. PITA.

I think I've posted this before, but we noticed that the speed runs 0.4 mph slower when we have a rod hooked up versus after it's released. I think that the tension might change the way that the probe reads? We run Scotty releases off the ball, with the probe ~12" up. So, a reading of 2 mph is actually 2.4 mph SOG with no current. Running a typical spread of metal and spin docs, like others have said, we we find that 2-2.2 mph works. Next time it's down, pop the release and see if your apparent speed jumps. Also, calibrate using the button on the back according to instructions if you're aiming for perfect accuracy.

Tommy has always done right by us. I hope everyone pitches in to help.

Kobe-fest!! Good times...

Was Gambler fishing with Lucas this week? A thirty pound laker...

For sale: one silver haired charter captain Cheap!

Take a look at the South end of Keuka. They missed the entire Cold Brook delta, which is ringed by buoys and drops off quickly. I think that they take what they have and simply extrapolate by spacing one foot contours in between existing data sets. This is most notable near shore, where many of us who fish these lakes know the structure. Of course, there's always the disclaimer that these maps aren't meant for navigation... Still, it's a far site better than nothing.