Gill-T

Generally Jugs come in pairs.......that is all I know about them.

When the wind is behaving, most guys will start their drift on the tail of the hole, and drift with the current up the back of the hole onto the 20' flat which starts the "bar". Stay with the drift onto the bar for awhile. The biggest concentration is in front of the green buoy, but it can get crowded so extending your drift in different directions on the flat will often pay dividends and less lost tackle.

Looks like you were in the traditional spot at the tail out in front of the green bouy. They are fun on light tackle. A totally different fish than the ones you drag off the bottom trolling.......full of piss and vinegar. God willing, I will be out there next weekend if I can convince my brother to get his slyvan de-winterized. How was the launch?

Do we think those are Atlantics?????

My questions on the new open division are... 1). Big Steelhead/Big Salmon payouts? 2). Cooler check on Friday? 3). I understand you can "cooler cull", but can you also cull all day? 4). Prize payouts 5). 12:01 am start time? 6). Six or eight rods? (Since it is not inforceable) 7). Is there a mandatory captain's meeting requirement since there are no observer issues?

Looking at the figures and the diminished return with added length of copper, one might conclude using anything over 400' is a silly waste of time and money. It would seem that if you had a 200' and a 400' off either side you would be covering water in the 45-55' zone. If you want deeper, then it would be prudent to add pinch-ons.....but then you don't get the triggering slow fall on turns, but a more abrupt version. Lots to think about .

I wonder if there is a belly in the copper where we may be "lining" fish before the bait comes by? I would think you could be spooking fish with that scenario.

Maybe we have been running higher than we thought? Since these guys are the only ones with a wet suit observing the actual depth, we may have to take their word for it. Just like using your line counter to reproduce where a fish came from with wire/dipsys, it doesn't really matter what the number is, only that we make sure we put it back out at the same number. If fish are hitting the 400 and not the 200' copper, then run the 400' (obviously). The only factor I can see causing the discrepancy is drag/friction. As more copper is being let out there is a diminished return on depth when straight line trolling. Only when we turn and stall do you see the greater depths achieved due to the dropping weight. This is good news in my opinion....it means I don't have to dispense "the beast" (600' copper) anymore. I have NO patience for copper in that long of a segment. With the diminished return curve, I going to chop that 600' into a 250' and a 300' and get more use out of the crap.

My best lure in Alaska was a large Vibrax spinner with orange treble fur. Casting off river mouths, and even trolling off the back of the boat.......it outfished everything, even whole herring. I have often thought about running them in Lake O, but I have so much other crap to use that I never get around to it.

what size boat? The state launch has been in need of a good dredging. The town launch at the yaht club in Youngstown was just redone, nice, and deep. But, it make back-up during the ESLO.

Ray with vasoline and ropes!........Musky, you may want to stay home.

As a licensed dentist, I will volunteer to put this debate to rest using Longline's dental identification test. Send me the fish in question. To make sure the fish is in prime shape for the "examination", please make sure the fish is in a vacum sealed bag and shipped frozen (at your expense). I will make my determination and send you the bones back to make sure you know I received the package. I will let you know what the fish tastes....I mean....species is. I will wait by my mailbox until it comes.

That is Billy Bass's cousin Alfonse.

How do you explain your lightening lures larry?

Did a drive by on 2-15-09, and noted the rain blow-out got rid of all the ice in Eighteen mile and the harbor. The piers are fishable as well. Did not notice any bait in (too early), but their were diving ducks working the shallows. Probably a gobie only bite right now.

Better to ask on Spoonpullers.com. (Canadian boys). Most guys run from Hamilton to the Niagara in April with the hot spots being around Weller.

I caught a Chinook below Burt in March fishing for Steelhead. The fish was still silver, mature, about 19 lbs and had skein, so I know that some fish don't follow the rules. However, I still think that upper fish is a rainbow based on the fins, gill plate, head shape etc., but hard to tell from a photo.

I could be wrong, but that top fish looks like a rainbow and would explain the eggs.

I am sure this invasive species is contributing to the greater pink/orange colored flesh. Bloody Red Mysis shrimp

Pehaps now would be a good time to unveil the "Old Yeller" fly pattern.

Most charter captains I have asked say the same thing. Oranges/reds up high, greens/and blues down deep. They have the experience so that is what I go by. It just so happens that their pattern follows the what the scientists say by their fancy charts. Wish we could ask the fish. Just to be certain the fish see my bait, I usually have a little glow on anything below 60'. All though I don't belive fish discriminate between similar color schemes or patterns, I do think some colors matter. For instance, ORANGE. I believe the west coast fish plants have evolved to target orange because when they are in streams as juviniles, the cold glacial water is mostly sterile of invertebrate life, so they live off deposited eggs and flesh bits of carcasses. Don't believe me about orange? Go to Alaska or the Canadian rockies during a Coho run and throw something orange on top of the water and watch what happens. Then throw a different colored object out. When I was fishing up and down the coast this pattern always played out. When using a orange bobber, it would get rocked. Our orange fly-line strike indicators would get wacked. No problem with any other colored object.....they just ignored it. Vibrax spinner with orange treble fur was HOT.

In discussing this phenomenon where sailboats head right at you out of port.....when seemingly they have the whole lake to themselves has to do with setting a course by something on the horizon (usually my boat). I find sailboater guy has NO idea what kind of gear you have out, or how far back. Inform, by leaving a letter on yaht club bulliten boards. Yahter yahoos have often been concerned that steel wire might "saw" thru their gelcoat when I describe the dangers of getting too close (it helps to embelish)

Are Lake Trout exempt from the "no cull rule"?

Congrats Capt. Walleye. You realize all rookie Captains have to dress like Judge Schmells in there first year on the water.

It helps to know the water and lake topography and understand what is going on in the big picture. Case in point, trolling the drop off the Niagara bar where you can go from 150' to 60' in 50 yards....you can't pinch people trolling shallower than you even though the shore is miles away because it is almost impossible to move all the rigger lines, dipsy lines etc. at once. I had an incident last year when a troller coming towards me decided it would be a good idea to try to go between my boat and the boat in front of me with a planer and long copper, and then had the nerve to shout obscenities at me. What is it with the fall ESLO bringing out the idiots at the bar! Sodus has lots of little points and reefs you can run up on.....the locals know these spots and will have a set trolling pattern. Best advise is to follow the flow of what the other boats are doing if you are unfamiliar with the water.