Gator

Once again, close but no cigar, Les! I was there Thursday nite for a couple hours (thanks to your son for the update on ice conditions) and found the fish really passive. Still, using the camera I managed to seal the deal with a bunch of bull bluegill. I had to jerk the jig away from a few pike, too...more and more showing up in Honeoye these days. In fact, Greg ("Size Matters" on Shanty) broke off five times fishing near me. Thanks for the report, and we'll hook up there at some point.

We tried the "wingers" one year...they pulled so hard, I was afraid that the downrigger arm was going to bust. Seemed like a good idea. Maybe it was our execution.

Okay, you guys have me rolling on the floor...who has the worst fishing come late August . Don't guys usually argue just the opposite? Seriously, though, who has bigger downrigger balls? Just kidding, of course, I'm in the same boat that you guys are in (but we run 16 lbers, if anybody want to compare sizes ). We all know Sandy becomes a dead zone for the most part once the Derby is here. Probably the Bar, too, though the "way-out" bite for steelhead in August can be fantastic. As you know, despite Nothing But Net's stunning success and stellar reputation with the Lake Trout off the Bar in the Spring ... okay, maybe that's stretching the truth, but only a little ... we haven't fared so well in the Fall Derby fishing out of Sandy. Luckily, there are lots of Fall options living where we live. As has been said above, tree stands, squirrels, perch and smallies become the targets. And that's okay with me. The only reason I miss Lakers in the fall prize categories is the look of joy I used to see on Brian's face...by August, my arms are worn out, anyway Fish on!!

Made my wife crap her pants this morning -"It's the most wonderful time of the year"

That's funny...I had the same thing happen, so replaced the sled but not the tent. If you were closer to Rochester, I snap it up in a heartbeat and put your tent on my sled and Shazam...new setup. If you're getting down this way at all, shoot me a pm.

That's a great offer, and right around X-mas, too! Good for you!

You mean you don't self-report tax on out-of-state purchases when you file your annual return??? Just kidding. I know you do...we all do. And another for Hallett's (fishhbt). I've ordered many Saltists from them.

"Yup, uh huh, you shot me, man" Priceless expression on that buck's face...nice shooting and story. Bring on the ducks!

That is one stud buck! Congratulations to your sister!

It's funny how you can't walk in the woods anywhere to the East of Mendon without picking up a few ticks, but just a couple miles to the West in Rush I almost never see them, and I've never had an encounter West of the Genesee River.

I did this when we went to the Bahamas and rented a boat, as the boats don't come with GPS (to discourage just ripping around and ignoring your eyes...which is a great way to breach the hull on a reef). There's a couple of things to note. First, unless you have a 3G enabled iPad, you won't have GPS, at least with the early models. It's worth checking. If you don't have GPS, you can get a cheap Bluetooth-enabled GPS receiver for $60 and connect it to the iPad. Second, an iPad isn't waterproof...but it will work in a plastic bag. Third, the GPS ping rate can be much slower than GPS units that are made for this purpose. Hence, the updates may not be as quick or accurate...not sure how much of a difference this may make when traveling at speed. In short, it works, but it's not without caveats and drawbacks. I much, much prefer my stand-alone GPS and only resort to the iPad when there's no other option. And for planning purposes, you can't beat paper maps. Too much information gets lost in electronic format unless you're zoomed in, and then you lose the big picture...phenomenal cosmic powers, itty bitty living space

Big ticks are generally easy to see, it's the nymphs that don't leave the characteristic bite marks and are most likely to stay attached for the 24 hour transfer period. Anybody know when ticks hatch? I'm guessing Spring, but ??? Either way...gack. yeah. gack.