Nalod

Amazing fishing, Adam! I am still in awe of the size of the tail on that tiger. Does anyone know if a large tiger normally has such a large tail, or was this just abnormal?

No canal property for me. We rent a cottage every fall on the lake. Other than that I am commuting or renting a hotel room nearby. I guess the run has been a little awkward this year. Sperry told me it was a good bite right after easter, but the cold spell we had at the start of this month slowed them down. He said that a heat-up would get them going again....and here we are! I always intend to get down there for the active bite, but seem to miss it every year with other commitments.

Sounds like you all had a great weekend, Adam! Were you fishing the shoreline of the canal, or did you bring your boat? --Joe

I had to cut 6 hooks in over 3ft waves...I was willing to wear anything that would have somewhat helped me not get a hook in the hand!

Nice boat! That is going to be a fun ride no matter what lake you are heading to... Technology on fish finders have come a very long way. You need to sit down with all the functionality available to see what you are interested in getting. Do you care to have side-scan? downscan? Would you ever want to plug in an underwater camera and then be able to use your screen as the monitor? The list is pretty long. The rule of thumb is to (first) set a cap price that you can spend on the fishfinder, (second) determine all of the tech you want, and then (last) find the largest display you can for your price. I feel that the major manufacturers are really close in technology, so it is best to stop at a store that has them on display and just play around. I did my demos at Bass Pro (but call ahead and make sure they have models similar to what you are interested in). Another thing to look at is if you will be upgrading your electric trolling motor. If so, you may want to look at the connectivity between a humminbird fish finder and the new minn kota trolling motors. You can build paths on your humminbird and then the motor will drive you on that course...pretty cool. Disclaimer: I went with a lowrance last year. I wanted side and down scan along with a simple user interface. Now Humminbird has come out with their own version. If I was buying again, I would spend time looking at the interface again -- is it easy to use is the biggest question. I would also look at the color quality and brightness of each device. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions! --Joe

Very nice! I especially enjoy such a diverse variety of fish. --Joe

I believe the livewell rule only comes into play if you want to transport a fish to a judge. If you have a marine radio on the boat, you can call a judge to come to you and measure the fish...then no worries about the size of your livewell (this is what almost every team does). If you want to have the correct size livewell, you should look for one over 50" longs...

Hey Brent. Here are my 2 cents. I feel that most of the selections are going to come from personal preference. I am a huge fan of full console (keeps everyone dry when gunning down a lake) deep-v aluminum boats (makes me feel safe in bigger water and bigger waves). I think the biggest word of advice that someone gave me when I was buying a boat was to only buy used. This advice was mainly given for 2 reasons: Money, and worries of scratching/dinging a new boat. They were totally right. Coming back to money, I have seen what excellent accessories on a boat can do to improve fishing. I feel that the money saved on a good used boat can really upgrade some accessories! If you are planning on casting a lot, I would spend on a 24-volt trolling motor for your bow. I have been in boats (not going to mention names) where we did not last a full day on the water because the battery drained too quickly on a 12-volt system. I have also been in boats where we had to jump into a friend's boat and "borrow" their battery for the afternoon just so we could finish the good afternoon bite (again, not mentioning names)! I have the terrova 24-volt 80lb thrust motor and love it! I spent a little extra for it, but find its features help make boat control a breeze. I have gotten days off of a single charge where I am casting all day long. If you are trolling, look into a good fish finder that will help you read the water and get on the fish. I guess the important thing about good accessories is that they allow you to spend more time actually concentrating on what we love...fishing! I feel that most boats are built well nowadays. Mine is a Tracker, Ronix has a Lund, BlueEye has a Starcraft...all great to fish off of! Figure out what type of boat you want (glass, alu, flat bottom, mod-v, v, etc), how much motor, yadayadayada, and then start the search. It may take awhile, but not sacrificing just to have a boat immediately will pay off in the future. --Joe

It sounds like I missed a really great presentation last night...if I had known that Toothy was presenting, I would have dropped everything and made sure I was in attendance! For future meetings, I hope that an email, update to NYmusky.com, or even a quick message here can be left to let us know who will be presenting or what is going to be discussed. I cannot make every meeting (long drive to Rochester), but will do what I can when we have a great presenter or important discussion scheduled. Thanks! --Joe

6'6" and 7'2" Pete Maina Signature Series fishing rods. These are the same rods as Bass Pro Musky Angler series (before it was rebranded). Specs: 6'6" 2-piece Action: Fast Power: Medium Heavy Line Weight: 15-30lbs Lure Weight: 3/4 to 3 oz This is a great spring rod or an all-year pike rod! I used this rod for jigging, some smaller jerkbaits, and sometimes as an extra trolling rod. The cork on the handle still looks as good as the day it was bought. 7'2" 2-piece Action: Fast Power: Heavy Line Weight: 20-40lbs Lure Weight: 2 to 10 oz This was my all around rod. I threw everything from twitch baits, bucktails/spinners, jerkbaits, gliders, and tubes on this rod. Selling each rod for $60+shipping. I see most anglers in the area at local meetings and am willing to bring the rods to a meeting to save on shipping costs. (Pictures: first 4 are from the 6'6" rod. The last 4 are from the 7'2" rod) Thanks! --Joe

Chad is coming with me...not the other way around Will you be there on Saturday, Adam? --Joe

Good luck, Bob! Let us know how you do...

I like to use Chad's iphone for our pictures. He takes good shots and if it falls in the lake, I know the drill...call Katie and tell her to use my phone for the rest of the day to contact Chad. It has worked well for us! --Joe

congrats. You are learning by someone that I hold in high regards -- as he has also taught me a lot about the sport through the years... --Joe

Good one! Hope the big girls keep hitting your lures for the last few trips... --Joe

Awesome fish, Adam! It is nice to see such a great fishery producing such a healthy looking fish....but why didn't your dad get to hold it in the pic? --Joe

Mike: Awesome video. I have never seen that way of getting a hook removed, but it looks a lot cleaner and easier than any other way I have been witnessed! --Joe

Hey Hey! Two LOU members got lucky in this drawing! Let's keep the momentum going strong and do the same for the final results at the tourney --Joe