Paul Czarnecki

If I had known today was your birthday I would have taken you fishing with me yesterday on the Niagara. Happy Birthday Big Buddy!

Copper will sink 7-8' for every 30' of line, so 100' of copper will hit depths of 70 - 80' vs. 150' lead core getting down 50'. I don't think so Howie. Better check your math on that one...

Excellent post Vince! Very informative and very well written.

That.......or maybe we're just lazier than we used to be or we take things for granted. That reminds me Howie, why does a fish of today turn his nose up at the same spoon that so many of his relatives fell for 10 years ago? Why does the deer stand that produced so many deer 15 years ago produce so many zeros now? ANSWER......things change! The environment, the habitat, the fish, the deer, the ducks and geese and MAN. We "think" we need all that stuff because we refuse to accept the fact that everything has changed around us. I need a new video this year or I'm not gonna catch any fish. Anyone have any suggestions?

Someone is ALWAYS looking for an observer. Contact the Tournament Director in the ports you're interested in Observing and have them put you on a list. www.lakeontarioproam.net

Hmmmm....quite a rant for someone only 21 years old! I'm not going to disagree with anything you said but where are you fishing? I've been professionally fishing Lake Ontario since 1988 and with the exception of the last year of the 80's and the first two years of the 90's I think the salmon and trout fishing is as good today as ever. Perhaps better. The zebras have cleared the water necessitating changes in our techniques and brown trout and lakers have discovered gobies which also present another challenge but its like anything else----things change and you must adapt. I hear the same complaints all the time from deer hunters who refuse to adapt to a changing woodlot, environment, urban encroachment and changes in deer themselves. You must adapt to be sucessful. BTW.....the salmon and trout fishery in Lake Ontario will never go the "way of the blue pike". Blue pike were a native species. The trout and salmon in Lake O are stocked. The only way the salmon will disappear will be if a Democrap in Albany decides that the welfare babies in New York City "deserve more" and the sportsmen of NY deserve less.

Put a Scotty bead on either side of it. No crimps.

The Clarion is a decent, nicely priced reel. I only have one that I'm using for a 400 copper. The drag is good and the gear ratio is ok. The clicker, however, is annoyingly loud.

I just posted a new video to my site. This will get your winter blood pumping. C'mon spring!!! www.tristatetaxidermy.com/fishingcharters.html Click on the Gallery to see the vid.

Ray, I sent Dave another email on your behalf. Please keep in mind that Dave is a County employee and can only do what his bosses tell him to do. If they have other projects he needs to work on he might not be able to jump on something as quickly as we think he should. The same goes for Bill Hilts. However, that does not excuse not getting packets out promptly---especially since it is THAT county that benefits. This is something that needs to be worked on and we are working on it. Perhaps you could try calling him--his number is on the website. Thanks for what you're trying to do.

Sean, the tournament is based out of Port Dalhousie--a few miles west of St. Catherines. The marina that Yvan runs the tourney out of is very nice and the people there very accomodating. No need to dock reservations usually. Most people stay at the Days Inn, Ramada Inn, or Holiday Inn off the QEW. Takes about 10 mins to get to the marina from there. Its pretty cold then and Yvan usually orders a 40 mph west wind followed by a 30 mph EAST wind the next day so DRESS WARM! See ya there!

Don't forget the LOTSA show the weekend of Feb. 24th in Lockport. Also the EPSFA, based out of Erie, PA, is holding a salmon seminar the second week of Feb.

Geeze Bob---that's more steelhead than you caught all last summer off your boat (except for when you fished with Pete and I). Maybe you should run ice fishing charters....LOL Enjoy it and be glad I don't do any ice fishing....

Nice timely post Jason and welcome to the site. If you could branch out a little further west I'm sure you can find some boats to work on at Oak Orchard. Lots of busy Captains and several are always looking for mates ---especially before school lets out for the summer and after school comes back in. There are several "full time mates" that make the trip from the western basin of Lake Erie just to mate on boats at the Oak. If you make the trip west to the Oak stop by Lake Breeze Marina and Four C's Marina and leave your name, number and credentials--you might be pleasantly surprised. Paul Free Spirit

VERY COOL Tom. Just one question though......"Is it closed communication?" Sorry buddy......couldn't resist.

Wow...where do I start with this one? Howie, Ray started a very good thread about what can be done to help with the Pro Ams. There's some very good info there on what EVERYONE can do to help the tournaments grow. I'm sure a LOT of Pros would be happy to talk with you in the ProAms--myself included. Simply give me your cell number. I would also be very happy to help you catch a brown trout. The Oak has some tremendous brown trout fishing in April and again in July. The boat goes in around April 15th. Give me a call. Paul 716-390-0085

Howie, Howie, Howie......lighten up Dude. It was all a joke. Everyone else seemed to get it. I don't want to get involved in your "business" or anyone else's, for that matter. It was just a little joke to lighten up what had become an ugly thread. Here.....have a beer on me!

LOL Tim. Of course I'm still mad at Jim.... He didn't know about the curse and "inadvertently" cost me $1000 and the chance to win $10,000. But, that's ok cause I'm sure he learned his lesson.

Thought you might enjoy this pair of oldsquaws I just finished for a client. They were taken last year on the Niagara.

I can help you out but I'm not in Rochester. I'm in Erie, PA but my charter boat is in Oak Orchard. Shipping birds this time of year is not a problem and I can "deliver" it when its finished this summer. Take a look at my website and give me a call if you have any questions. www.tristatetaxidermy.com

You don't need to be a salesman, guys. You just need to have the "contact". You simply give your "contact" to one of the ProAm Directors and THEY will see that YOUR contact gets sent a Sponsor Package. There is no selling needed on your part. We have a "Sponsor Committee" and have Sponsor Packages ready to be sent to potential sponsors. However, we need to get a foot in the door---so to speak. That is where YOU guys come in. For example, you work for _________ Corporation and your "boss' boss" is a big fisherman. You ask around and find out how to get him interested in a"fishing opportunity" and who to send the info to. You write that information down. A simple call or email to Dave Turner from you and a Sponsor Package will be on the way. SIMPLE. If everyone would try to come up with ONE contact each try to imagine what the possibilities are. We all know people with their own boats who don't, for whatever reason, fish the ProAm Tournaments. Give them a brochure, invite them to the Weigh in or invite them to be on your team as an observer. Get them involved. The more people that get involved the better the tournaments will become. Last year several TV shows were filmed to help promote the ProAms. I believe Tom had the link posted here. More shows are scheduled to be filmed this year. Those shows are sure to raise awareness about what we have and what we all enjoy every June and July but WE can do more. Try to get some sponsors and try to bring a new team in to fish the ProAm. You might be pleasantly surprised at what WE can accomplish.

You're still mad at Howie though, right? Don't go making up now---I want to be there with a camera for the three way man kiss between YOU, Howie and BOB BUCK!

If I've followed the way you've drifted Ray, I think I can have some suggestions for you and everyone else who wants to see the ProAms continue to grow. First, a correction. You said, "...the Pro/Ams are sorta heading the same way...higher fees,less entrants, and smaller payouts........." That is not entirely true Ray. The ProAms have raised the entry fee for Pros but LOWERED it for Ams in response to requests from teams like yours. Consequently, if the entry fee is lowered the payout MUST be lowered. It can't work any other way. If the pay level is reduced from the top 10 to the top 5 its because there simply wasn't enough entrants to warrant paying 10 places. ProAm Policies dictate that prize monies are paid to the top third of the field. That means, you need at least 30 teams to be able to pay 10 places. We haven't had 30 amateur teams in a ProAm in a long time. The Open Division was added because teams ASKED for it. They wanted a less competitive division that would also allow them to only fish one day if they chose to do so. That Division has also been poorly supported (thus far). Which brings me to what YOU and the other teams can do to help. --Instead of three boat owners getting together and fishing under ONE team name how about all three boat owners fishing their own boats with their own teams. You just added two more teams to the field and increased the payout and the pay field! --Instead of harping on rules and rule changes to try to recruit a few teams back in how about helping to find new, BIG sponsors to put up BIG money. Big prize money will attract a LOT more NEW teams than changing an obscure unenforcible rule ever will. The Committees are always searching for new sponsors but there is only so much a half dozen VOLUNTEERS can do. If you know someone that might want to be a sponsor recruit them. If YOU have a skill or talent (computers, PA systems, personality?) that can help the Tournaments SPEAK UP and volunteer. --Help the Committees help YOU. The tournament's integrity is only as good as the participants. If your team picks a drunken, crack headed vagrant to sit in as "Observer" and that person is passed out by 8 AM what kind of integrity can your team and the tournament in general, have? Good, responsible observers that WANT to be there raise the integrity of the tournament and keep everything on a level playing field. There is a LOT more that I could say but I will save that for another day. The ProAms are continuing to grow and improve with YOUR help and your input. Please remember, though, that there is only so much that can be done by a few volunteers. If you really want to see the ProAms grow do YOUR part and help the Committees by bringing in new teams, new sponsors and help raise the level of integrity of the entire ProAm experience. Looking forward to a spectacular 2010 Tournament Series. Paul

Believe it or not Glen, that family had NO idea what they had. When I tried to explain it to them they simply said, "But that one is bigger!"---referring to the 25 something king we had in the box as well. I took measurements of it hoping they would change their mind and I could do a repro for them but I think the price tag scared them off. It was 41 inches long after all....LOL. I have a blank ready to go and I might paint it up for myself in the near future. If/when I do I will post some pics.

Here's my best steelhead ever! In 27 years of chartering this is the best steelhead I've ever boated.....by far! It was 22 pound 6 ounces and was 41 inches long. The youngster that caught it did so ALL by himself and was on his first ever trip to Lake O. It was taken on June 30th, 2008 out of the Oak. 70 down over 250 fow on a DW Dave's Salmon Slapper.