Misty IV

I'll put in another vote for Interstate. I'm on my 4th year with my deep-cycle and I haven't had any issues with it.

I'll put in another vote for Oswego. Late in September, you will find boats all over the place from Nine Mile over to the Salmon River. As for places to stay, the Port Lodge in Port Ontario is nice. Make sure you book early, though, regardless of where you stay. That time of the year is crazy, and it's hard to find vacancies last minute.

I was out last weekend on Sunday and came up empty, also. I had the same style spread I had out during the LOC (which we boated fish), but nothing at all last weekend. I was marking a lot of baitfish in the 100' to 125' FOW range, 60-85 down, but no takers. Tried bouncing the bottom where I saw some big marks, but nothing. Surface temp was 64 degrees. I had to go down 95 feet to find good temps. Will be back up next weekend for another try at it.

I read about it this evening. Definitely a good sign for those of us in the east end of the lake!

Can't wait to get up to the lake this weekend for some cooler temps and less humidity. It's 93 degrees and humid in southeast PA right now. Who knows what the "real-feel" temp is...

A friend from Oswego forwarded this to me for me to view and pass along to all of you. Long story, but worth reading. To make it easier, I copied & pasted the article below: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press release May 25, 2010 Conservation groups praise U.S. senators for action on Asian carp, invasive species Great Lakes senators urge Army Corps to study how to build physical barrier to prevent invasive species from traveling between Great Lakes, Mississippi River Conservation groups today praised U.S. senators for taking action to stop the movement of aquatic invasive species like the Asian carp between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. In a letter to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Great Lakes senators are urging Congress to direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study how to build a physical barrier between two of North America’s largest freshwater ecosystems. The letter to committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Caif.) and Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-Okla.) is signed by Great Lakes Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ronald Burris (D-Ill.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio). “Asian carp pose a great risk to the Great Lakes. Other invasive species already in the Great Lakes are a huge problem, causing significant environmental and economic harm,†said Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.). “So prevention is the best solution, and I will continue to press federal agencies and Congress to act with urgency to put in place the essential measures to stop Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes.†“I will work to ensure that U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is authorized to conduct a thorough study on building a barrier between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi river and look forward to the results,†said Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio). “We have worked hard to revitalize the Lakes, and these invasive species are a serious threat to the native fish population, the ecosystem and the fishing and boating community. We need to do everything in our power to help guard against invasive species and protect the fragile ecosystem of the Great Lakes.†“Asian Carp has the potential to do great damage by threatening the native fish and natural wildlife of the lake and in turn, the economy of the entire Great Lakes region,†said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). “I am glad to join my colleagues from the region in calling for this study to be included in the next Water Resources Development Act. We must continue working together to find a solution that will protect our lakes, while preserving jobs and promoting economic activity in the region.†“Asian carp pose a serious threat to our $7 billion recreational fishing industry and $16 billion recreational boating industry,†said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). “That’s why it is critical that as we implement comprehensive short-term solutions to stop Asian carp, we also work on a permanent solution of hydrological separation to protect our Great Lakes and our economy for generations to come.†“We applaud our Great Lakes senators –especially Senators Dick Durbin, Carl Levin, Debbie Stabenow, and George Voinovich–for taking action to protect the Great Lakes and our eight-state regional economy,†said Joel Brammeier, president and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes. “A physical barrier is the only solution that will protect the people, communities and businesses of the Great Lakes from the continued onslaught and financial toll of invasive species. We urge Congress to quickly empower the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study how this could be achieved.†The letter from the Great Lakes Task Force comes as state and federal agencies scramble to beat back the Asian carp from taking hold in the Great Lakes. DNA evidence indicates that the non-native fish have breached an electric fence in Chicago-area waterways and are in Lake Michigan. “This is a great first step from the Great Lakes senators in addressing a significant threat to the economy and ecology of the region,†said Henry Henderson, director of the Midwest Program for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “The Army Corps of Engineers should focus on the most promising solution to this invasive species problem--separating the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River system. The senators’ action helps ensure the protection of resources that millions of Americans rely on for their jobs, drinking water and way of life.†“We applaud Sen. Durbin for his leadership in seeking a long-term solution to the threat posed by Asian carp, and other invasive species, to Lake Michigan and our Illinois River system,†said Jack Darin, director of the Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter. “For right now, we have little choice but to try to find and kill Asian carp, but the study Sen. Durbin and the other senators are calling for gives us hope for a permanent fix that won't require repeated poisonings of the Chicago River system.†In 2007 Congress authorized the corps to look at ways to stop the spread of invasive species between the two waters. The corps’ study, however, focuses on a variety of approaches to controlling invasive species—none of which is 100 percent effective—and does not look at the only permanent solution to the problem: building a physical barrier between the two waters. The letter from U.S. senators asks the corps to study how to build a physical barrier to separate the Great Lakes and Mississippi River. “Senators from across the region have come together to solve the Asian carp crisis once and for all,†said Jennifer Nalbone, director of Navigation and Invasive Species from Great Lakes United. “And this vision extends way beyond the immediate carp threat: Hydrological separation will protect future generations from the devastation of future aquatic invaders passing between the Great Lakes and Mississippi regions.†The artificial connection between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River has long been recognized as a major pathway by which non-native species can spread across the country. The two waterways were connected in the early 1900s by a series of Chicago-area canals and channels, which the corps now operates. Conservation organizations, in a letter sent to Hill offices last week, urged Congress to refocus the corps study— the Aquatic Nuisance Species Interbasin Transfer Feasibility study—to examine how to build a physical barrier that stops the movement of harmful species between the two waters. “The united support of Great Lakes senators will be instrumental in helping advance a permanent solution to this urgent problem,†said Marc Smith, policy manager for the National Wildlife Federation. “The Army Corps study can help provide us the best options for how to get the job done.†Building a physical barrier between the two waters, if done right, will involve smart, well-planned investments that will establish new infrastructure in the Chicago area that make the region more globally competitive and upgrade treatment of wastewater and storm water. The result can be a revitalized Chicago Waterway System that not only closes the highway for invasive species, but also enhances Chicago’s transportation system, creates local and regional jobs, reduces business costs across the region, and improves water quality, tourism, and recreation. “Great Lakes senators have opened the door for us to put forward a solution to this problem that is a winner for the entire region,†said Glynnis Collins, executive director for Prairie Rivers Network. “If we do this the right way everyone comes out ahead: people, communities, businesses and the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins. But we’re not going to get there if we don’t have the right information to begin with. Congress needs to direct the Corps of Engineers to look at the best way to build a barrier that stops invasive species and meets the needs of the region.†Severing the artificial connection between the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes will require modifications to the Chicago Waterway System—a series of canals, locks and channels built more than 100 years ago that allowed the city of Chicago to reverse the flow of its namesake river to deal with its sewage and protect Lake Michigan drinking water. The waterway system has allowed for the movement of goods through the city, and region. But it also diverts massive amounts of water away from the Great Lakes, opened the door to the movement of invasive species between the two ecosystems, and allowed the city to postpone a sustainable solution to deal with its sewage problem. “Our senators understand that there are solutions to this problem that support all of the many uses that the Great Lakes and Mississippi River provide,†said Max Muller, director of Environment Illinois. “Millions of people will benefit from a permanent solution to this problem.†Stopping invasive species is a key tenet of a precedent-setting federal initiative for Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery. The Brookings Institution found that a $26 billion investment in Great Lakes restoration will lead to at least $50 billion benefit in economic benefit for the region. “Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery hinge on preventing the introduction of invasive species into the Lakes,†said Jeff Skelding, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “Our senators are once again showing that they will lead the effort to protect this global resource. It’s now time for Congress to follow through and direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to look at the most efficient and effective way to build a barrier between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River.â€

I was just thinking the same thing about Billy V. I think he is running the 1157C fishfinder and the 955C GPS/Chartplotter. Very nice units!!

I saw the wingers advertised on a Lake Ontario tackle page. Now I fully understand what they do. May be worth looking into should I go the 4-route.

Thanks for the input. Definitely gives me some other variables to look at I never thought of. I'll be back up at the boat next weekend and will look things over...possibly temporarily move some of the riggers around the boat (have someone hold them in place) and see if/how things would work depending on where I place them. I can see how having 4 may be tough in less than calm seas with only an 8.5' beam, but could be fishable if the lake is calm. Ah, decisions, decisions. That's why I ask here!

I'm doing some upgrades this season to the boat and am stuck with deciding between adding 1 or 2 more downriggers. I run a Starcraft Islander 221, currently with 2 Cannons mounted as out-downs. I'd like to add a 3rd for down the chute, but the room is there to run a total of 4. The boat is an I/O with a small swim step on the starboard side transom and the kicker is mounted on the port side of the transom. I am having more and more friends ask me to go out this season, so I can up the amount of rods in the water. I also run leadcore and a copper line at times. Given what I have to work with, would you suggest I go with just the single down the chute or go for the 4 total? I'm seeing a lot of charter boats have backed down from a lot of riggers to as few as 3. My only concern with down the chute is the cable getting caught in the prop. The 2 Cannons I have now are the Uni-Troll HP's with the extendable booms. Regardless of which way I go, the new unit(s) will be the MAG 10 HS's. Input/advice all welcome. Thanks!

I'm with you, lakebound, on the core. I think I did the best with that during the derby than anything else.

Great reports! Hope that the action migrates to the east for the rest of us soon. All these incredible reports are killing us over here!!!

Happy Birthday, Chad! Thanks for all the hard work you do!

LOVE IT!!!!

It'd be nice to see a few 40lb'ers come around this season. I think 50 is out of reach, but who knows...this may become a record setting year!

Another tire I found which is made 100% in the USA is the Carlisle USA Trail. It is a bias ply tire, though, if you want a radial.

One thing to watch when buying the Marathons. Some of them are made in China now - it's stamped right on the sidewall. Be sure you are getting the ones made in the USA. The tread patterns are different and the sidewall letters are different between the 2 manufacturing locations. Just a heads-up!

Another thing to keep in mind, aside from your tires, is the actual capacity of your trailer. It is rated to carry so much weight, as is the axle. If you overload the axle, you will risk the chance of destroying bearings, hubs, and possibly bending the axle from the excess weight. I looked at the online site I go to for info on trailer tires, and it appears the only load range offered in your current size is 'C', which is the 1760lb rating you mentioned. There is an ST215/75-14 offered, but it only ups the rating to 1870lbs per tire, bringing your total capacity to 3740. Not much more than your total weight now, leaving very little room for error. Since you do not want change anything, I would suggest what fishfearme suggested, and try relocating some of your gear to your tow vehicle for those 2 trips a year.

I'll say.... GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM EDT THIS MORNING THROUGH LATE TONIGHT TODAY SOUTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 15 KNOTS BECOMING WEST AND INCREASING TO 35 KNOT GALES THIS AFTERNOON. SHOWERS LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON. WAVES 3 TO 5 FEET BUILDING TO 6 TO 9 FEET. TONIGHT WEST WINDS TO 30 KNOTS BECOMING NORTHWEST. RAIN SHOWERS THROUGH THE EARLY OVERNIGHT...THEN A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS. WAVES 8 TO 11 FEET. SUNDAY NORTHWEST WINDS TO 30 KNOTS BECOMING WEST 15 TO 25 KNOTS. A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS IN THE MORNING. WAVES 6 TO 9 FEET SUBSIDING TO 5 TO 8 FEET. SUNDAY NIGHT WEST WINDS 15 TO 25 KNOTS DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 20 KNOTS. WAVES 4 TO 6 FEET SUBSIDING TO 3 TO 5 FEET.

I was in Woody's this past weekend, and they filled me in all about what happened. There are cameras inside the store and they believe they know who the individual is. Just have to find him and catch him.