Gill-T

Agreed! I think with the downtick in adult alewives will be short lived and should result in hungry kings this year = excellent fishing.

Lake Erie mixing https://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/modis/modis.php?region=e&page=1&template=sub&image=a1.17067.1818.LakeErie.143.250m.jpg

My guess if faced with a lawsuit he would declare bankruptcy and nobody will get their stuff or money back. Of course he has an address.......maybe take a drive and say hello.

Bumping up the steelhead and brown stocking numbers would make sense. There are less of each in the system due to disease and night poaching. They are not as likely to pressure the adult alewife population which the DEC/USGS for 2016 show as low. I would at this point give credit to the lake managers for having the foresight to see the coming void in the adult population of adult alewives and make corrective stocking cuts. We have been asking for a proactive approach and we are getting it.

State-of-the-lake DEC meeting The meetings have started anew. Highlight to me was good crop of yoy alewife from mild winter last year. The lowlight was that the adult alewife numbers are really low from the effects of the '13,'14 winter chafe. When presenting options of stocking cuts and/or increase creel limits, charter captains will opt for stocking cuts because increasing creel limits means they have to stay out on the water longer to box-out. Gas bill cuts into profits. Gentlemen given the low census on adult alewives THIS IS THE YEAR TO BOX YOUR CATCH. With warm winter this year it bodes well for now back-to-back year classes of yoy alewife but there is a void in adult population.

I don't see a problem?

I used to run 17 LB monel wire on a baitcaster with bottom bouncers on trips to Nipissing in Canada. Could feel every rock and never got hung up. Might be a good application for that rock pile!

Above and beyond the Chicago water-way barrier, I was thinking about the effects on the clean-up of Eighteen Mile Creek, the Lake Trout/Atlantic Salmon programs, the resistance to wind-power generators in Lake Ontario, the research funding for the USGS-Kaho ship, etc etc. Agreed, I hope they go to work on the 20 trillion dollar deficit. All the talk about increase in military spending and building the wall, one of the single biggest threat to our country is our inability to fund a war if needed. Pain will be felt by all.

Trump effect http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/03/trump_great_lakes_epa_cuts.html

Musky size or smaller

St. Lawrence River Walleye video

If you are looking for shoreline brown trout reels, then the Diawa Sealines can be had new for $60.

Some thoughts on termination of small baits Yes, it happens every year. I show up to the pier at Olcott two weeks early because I just need to get a feel for how far away from boat season is. Yes.....too early for bait to show up. Yes.....I thought there might be a chance to pop a fish with the front coming thru. Yes......I got soaked. Yes.....I got skunked. It was not a complete loss as I was able to check my bait action pier-side. Typically I use a Duolock snap for all my spring trolling rods. I noticed at the pier that the action on my small Renosky and Junior Thunderstick baits was horrible with a duolock. Direct tie to the split ring yielded markedly better action.

1.8 mph in spring for browns and lakers. If kings are on the graph I pump it up to 2-2.25 depending on water temp and mood of fish. Then you have to match the speed to the baits you are running. If you run an NK 28 with a treble at 1.8 mph, you will be washing lures for a long time.