dremarquis

i second (or third) you, Greg. I have never got a buck in the 130 class and i passed up a 150+ the other day (at 15 yards!!!!!) because i couldn't get the beast to stop his fast walk/trot. I had my pin right on him but it's just not worth it (from an ethical hunter's perspective). Sure, it's possible i could have got a clean kill, but 10-20 times more likely that IF i hit it, it would have been wounded or died without my finding it. Trying to decrease the # of hunters who shoot at running deer is the reason i'm against allowing pump and semi-autos, whether rifles or shotgun. on a related (unethical) note - i had my best climbing tree stand stolen from some public lands - WAY back in the thick stuff, thru all the multifloral rose etc. I had it lock with a huge chain and masterlock. I couldn't believe it - some A%@hole goes in there with a bolt cutter!!!! man, there are a lot oo shooters (i almost called the "hunters") who give us hunters a bad name/reputation. andre

i'd feel far safer with people shooting one shot of a rifle than the too-common unethical hunter who shoots five slugs at running deer. if a hunter is hunting from a tree stand, the bullet will go into the ground, whether from a rifle or shot gun also, given that much of the hunting in the fingerlakes is heavily wooded, even a rifle bullet fired from ground level is unlikely to go much further than a slug (will be stopped by trees) personally, i'd like to see rifles legal but semi-automatics and pump guns illegal. I believe an ethical hunter doesn't take more than one shot without moving the gun from his shoulder = bolt or level action is fine (for a second follow up shot, but not for 3-5 shots that are obviously low percentage shots) andre

hey Steve - awesome deer man - congrats again! dre

way to go, Chuck. i haven't been fishing for 2 weeks, but i did get my first 2 deer with bow this weekend! dre

wow - those are some amazing fish - CONGRATULATIONS! thanks for sharing, dre

Ray - thanks very much. dre

Hi all, i have been on lake O only about 5 times and not once in 2 years. Looks like i'm gonna head out tomorrow out of I-bay. 1. what are the best VHF channels? 2. what's the best weather channel? any other info for a relative newbie would be much obliged! thanks, dre

awesome report phil! Like other said, the way you intersperse pics with your recount really makes your report more like a story that draws the reader in. Before i moved to NY (where i bought my first "boat") all i fished out of was a canoe and my kayak. it was a bit more work but so satisfying - not to mention there are places one can fish in a small kayak that boat fishers can't reahc! thanks for the post! dre

Hello all, i have fished Lake O only a few times and i always launched West of Rochester. I have a small boat with only an 18hp engine so i need to minimize my boating distance. What is the nearest ramp from the Hedges? thanks very much, andre =

it was 45-47 on saturday dre

i've been there 10-12 times in the last 3weeks. both launches are fine. i've only caught trout 3 of those times. I have fished hemlock probably nearly 100 times in the last 3 years. i finally caught my first bow out of there friday - a 20", 4 pounder. jumped about 10 times - engrained in my brain forever! dre

rapala j-9s, j-11s, bomber long- As, smithwick rogues - they all produce fish off of riggers dre

Hello all, sorry this isn't a report but i didn't know the best place to ask this question. I want to get a very high quality vacuum sealer for fish and venison. I'd rather pay a bit more up front and get a quality product that works very well and will last a long time than buy a less expensive one that i am soon dissatisfied with. Any suggestions? I am considering the Gamesaver Turbo by Tilia. It comes with 2 pumps for a faster more complete vacuum plus a heavy-duty seal bar for 50 or more repetitive seals. It costs $280 at Bass Pro. Thanks for your input and advice, andre

Hi all, i have an old 16' deep-V starcraft with a basic small boat trailer with tiny (narrow) rollers. On lakes like hemlock (without a sheltered ramp), getting it on the trailer in high winds can be very difficult. I have been thinking about how to convert my trailer into a "drive-on" trailer, but before i get to working on it, i figured it best to check with this board for info. i thought that if i mounted 2x4s of 2x6s to run 3/4 length of boat/trailer (at the correct angle and cover them with carpet), that would be sufficient - because i see many trailers like that. Then it occurred to me, that that could be fine for a boat that wasn't a deep-V (i have had trouble at some ramps loading my boat - at certain angles, the keel of my boat hits/rubs the trailer, so i have to back in more or less to get the right angle). any suggestions for how to convert my trailer so i can actually drive my deep-V onto the trailer? many thanks, andre

Hello all, i have a 36 pound thrust, tiller minn kota trollling motor and i'm not the most mechanically talented dude. The knob that tightens the shaft (which allows you to control the height/depth of the propeller relative to the water and also allows a certain amount of tension so the direction of the trollling isn't flopping around every which way) stopped working. Upon inspection, i noticed that the plastic bearing that fits between the shaft and the housing that holds the knob is cracked. I tried to take off the "head" of the motor (which has the tiller attached) but the cords are so short that i couldn't get it off - i was thinking that if i took off the head, i could slip off and replace the broken plastic bearing. Do any of you have any suggestions for how i can fix it? any advice greatly appreciated, andre

Hello all, i just began fishing lake O. last summer. i have a 16' boat with an 18 hp motor so i don't feel comfortable going WAY out in the lake. I did manage to get into some good kings last august. My brother from Texas wants to visit me for some lake O fishing sometime between june 20 and late july. My impression is that iwe're more likely to get kings within a few miles of shore in late July than in June. Is that correct? any info regarding timing my brother's visit will be much appreciated. Thanks, andre

thanks a bunch RR!

i just heard from a friend that even if you're fishing near the south shore, anyone fishing lake ontario must have a up-to-date passport on them. is that true? thanks, andre

many thanks jekyll. dre

so far, all i have done is flyfished the LO tribs, but i did see a guy last year catching quite a few steelies while using kwikfish that he was "river trolling" from a stationary point on the bank by having a small planer board take his lure into eddies, holes, etc. the planer board was about 1/3 the size of the offshore boards that guys use trollling in lakes. do any of you know where to buy or order those smaller planer boards? thanks a bunch. dre i'm also going to post this Q on the LO trib section

Well, i finally have my fixed-mount VHF and 8' antenna mounted and am planning to fish out of Sandy either Thurs pm or Fri. What channels do the fisherman use most often? my understanding is the the Coast Guard requires boats with VHF radios to be named - is that correct? It seems weird to name such a small 16' aluminum starcraft, but i think i'm gonna go with "i-fisher" over, dre (usually fishing solo out of i-fisher)

i have had a nice king on (not always landed) almost everytime i have run the metallic green dipseys... dre for what it's worht, on the flx, i have done well with pink, chartreuse and blue dipseys

WOW! - i just called the Okuma # that muskybob provided and got excellent customer service. Basically, all i need to do is mail them the reels and pay $8 to cover return shipping for both reels and they'll fix em up! they didn't even require me to find and send receipts. thanks a bunch muskybob! dre

thanks yankee troller dre

i ran the size 0 dipseys on the fingerlakes with some good success this year. then i started fishing lake O and got some larger rigs for running size 1 dipseys with wire. i haven't gotten used to the feeling of wire. if the purpose of wire is the no stretch, what's wrong with just running 30-50lb. braided line? thanks, dre