momay4000

With all due respect, I think you are missing the point: I am concerned with your suggestion to include only charter captains and meteorological personnel because they are "reliable". By this logic, you imply all other fishermen/women would be "non-reliable". BTW, I am by no means knocking charter captains whatsoever, but I would like to know how they have more reliability recognizing a waterspout from a down spout? Do they have special training, do they have special testing in this arena, etc? If so, I'd like to learn so that myself and my team can be safer on the water. Disclaimer - I cannot tell the difference between a gustfront and a homefront or a graupleshaft and a craftshaft, but I'm pretty certain I can tell it's raining when it's cloudy and the top of my head is wet......nyuck, nyuck, nyuck....

Tom and Brian - thanks for the support here and I agree with both of you. I think my 8 year old daughter could probably identify a waterspout, but before she tells me about it, I think I'm going to have to get her a captain's license so that she would be "legit and reliable". I would argue there's many more recreational fishermen/women on the lake at any given time then charters. I guess I'll have to cross off "member of the waterspout reporting network" on my resume since I don't have the proper credentials. Thanks, - Chris

Question - why would this only be applicable to "charter captains" and not anyone fishing the lake? Thanks for helping me understand this, - Chris

Matt, Nice job pal - you gave those birds a beat-down. I can't even imagine how many hornets you had flying around when you were cleaning so many birds on a hot day like today. WTG! - Chris

Pulled the vessel out yesterday for the year - and it's the lowest I can ever remember at the I-Bay launch. That being said, we pulled out my 22' Trophy without any problem at all. It always feels good to finish up another year safe and sound. - Chris

Sean - thanks very much for this informative article. In all my years fishing the lake, I can't remember the sand bar in the I-Bay channel being so prominent ABOVE the water line than this year. Time to get my boat out and work on my treestands. Good luck on the water, - Chris

Hi Gang, Sad as it sounds, I think I'm forced to pull my boat quite early this year b/c of the low water levels. Has anyone used the public launch recently? I was over there yesterday and I saw one guy struggling to launch a 22' (he had his truck backed in 6-8 feet in the water just to get hit boat off the trailer). The launch attendant said it's getting a little "hairy" with bigger boats. I know the ramps go to the end of the docks but I think I'm going to need every inch I can get just to pull the boat. Just to put my mind at ease, what exactly is the water level this year compared to historic levels? Thanks, - Chris

Good feedback on this - I always like to apply science whenever I can to fishing, but not at the expense of making things complicated. In my opinion blowback does matter and it's something to keep in mind. I actually carry a depth chart on my boat which converts actual cable length out on your downrigger to actual depth of your ball, relative to the blowback angle. At most of our fishing depths (i.e. 75-130 feet) and at a typical blowback angle around 30 degrees, your actual downrigger ball depth is about 10-15 feet higher than what the cable reads. At higher depths it's much less (usually only about 5 feet) and at deeper depths (over 150 feet) it can be much more - even approaching 25 feet higher than what the line counter reads. Keep in mind the downrigger line counters are also not that accurate. Many times my FF doesn't even read my down rigger ball depth b/c of too much blowback and it's a very old unit. However, Hermit hit the nail on the head when he stated that it's reading distance to the ball (i.e. the hypotenuse) not the actual depth of the ball. So what does all this mean to me? Not much, other than it affords a starting point for me when I first go out or if I'm fishing the bottom and I want to be within 2-4 feet of the lakefloor. If I'm marking fish at 80' and 100', I'm putting my DR's at 80' and 100' on the line counters knowing that they're about ten feet above those fish. After that it's simply repeating what you're doing when you get a hit. Good luck, - Chris

What a great fish of a lifetime - congrats! Brian - the DEC can age lake trout by scales (highly unreliable especially with older fish) but I know they can also look at bone structures (possibly called otoliths) in their inner ears which I think can grow like rings on a tree. The only way they could do this would be to cut into the fish and I don't think you're going to want that until the Derby is over...lol. Great job on your fish bud, - Chris

Awesome!!!

Way to go and thanks for the kind words. There's plenty of thanks to go 'round to hundreds of other anglers on this site who help us all out on a daily basis - guys like Bobs-Boy, Yankee Troller, Missdemeanor, Longline, Pike Hunter, good ol' Ray K, Gambler, WWIV, Reeljerks, Upgrady and the list goes on and on to many of these great guys who also help me on this great site. What a great year its been - be safe and good luck out there, - Chris

Fishing Report Chris / Liv n' Ellie: ============== TRIP OVERVIEW ============== Date(s): 8/15/12 Time on Water: 4:30 til dusk Weather/Temp: sunny Wind Speed/Direction: NW <10 Waves: 1', then calm Surface Temp: 70's Location: I-Bay LAT/LONG (GPS Cords): =============== FISHING RESULTS =============== Total Hits: 14 Total Boated: 10 Species Breakdown: coho, chinook, steelhead Hot Lure: Trolling Speed: 2.8-3.1 sog Down Speed: 2.3-2.5 Subtroll Boat Depth: 160-180 fow Lure Depth: ==================== SUMMARY & FURTHER DETAILS ==================== Did a little "impromptu" fishing with my buddy Jason and we started north of I-Bay in the similar water I fished the day before. We started marking lots of bait, but it took an hour or so until we had our first hit. Then we had non-stop action for the last three hours of fishing. The best depth was 160-180', and they liked an east and west troll the best. The coho salmon seemed to have migrated into the Rochester waters and we had our personal best of the year, a very healthy 15 pounder. Otherwise we had a great mix of 5-10 pound steelhead, 5-8 pound cohos and a few nice kings mixed in. The highlight of the night was a major which crushed our 600' copper. We were almost spooled (I believe there is 450 yds. of powerpro backing) and the fish jumped at least 6-7 times and it seemed as if it was a mile away jumping like a marlin. We fought it for 30 minutes but it shook the hook and I wasn't even close to getting line back to the copper. I've never seen fishing like this before on this lake and I've never seen majors like this which are so hard to land......however, that's what makes it so much fun. The MVP of the night was the white/green dot Spinny/Hammer fly and the 42 sec Flasher/Fly on the 600' copper. The following all took fish: 600' copper - 42 sec Spinny/42 sec. Fly 400' copper - live wire Spinny/shredded mirage fly 280' wire - white/green dot Spinny/Hammer fly 300' wire - Wonderbread Flasher/wonderbread fly 100' rigger - 42 sec NK spoon 115' rigger - NBK spoon free sliders - DW SS Seasick Waddler, DW Regular Mixed Veggie For those of you following my reports - I have used the same baits the past few weeks Good luck to all in the Fall LOC, - Chris

Fishing Report Chris / Liv n' Ellie: ============== TRIP OVERVIEW ============== Date(s): 8/14/12 Time on Water: 6:30 til 9:30 AM Weather/Temp: cloudy, 60's Wind Speed/Direction: Sw <10 Waves: <1 ft Surface Temp: 70's Location: I-Bay LAT/LONG (GPS Cords): =============== FISHING RESULTS =============== Total Hits: 13 Total Boated: 12 Species Breakdown: kings, one coho, few steelhead Hot Lure: Trolling Speed: 2.8-3.3 sog Down Speed: 2.4-2.5 Subtroll Boat Depth: 160-180' Lure Depth: ==================== SUMMARY & FURTHER DETAILS ==================== Fished solo this morning for a little challenge and I thought it would give me time to just relax and scrub the boat down while fishing. The good news is I didn't have time to relax b/c the fishing was stellar. The bad news is the boat still needs cleaning. I started in 150' and worked north, but I consistently hit fish in the 160-180 fow area. The cold water was deeper today - 51 degrees with 115' of cable out on my rigger (my fishfinder doesn't pick up my cables but I estimate I was down about 80 feet or so). I fished two riggers and alternated between a 400' copper and a 275' wire. Tons and tons and tons of bait marked and quite a few fish marks as well - mostly 80' down. The riggers were my MVP's today and for once I landed almost every fish except my last which was a major after it straightened out a brand new 60 # Spro swivel. The following all caught fish: 115' rigger - 42 sec NK 105' rigger - NBK Stinger 85' rigger early - Bob Fuller King of Sting free sliders - King of Sting, DW SS Seasick Waddler, Standard mixed veggie with holographic tape The wire diver and copper were both quiet, although I didn't fish the copper much Awesome day today - I landed two doubles solo which is always fun. Fish were smller today - 5- 10 pounds, except the last one which was in the twenties for sure. All fish were released to fight another day. Good luck to all, - Chris Wire and copper were quiet

Fishing Report Chris / Liv n' Ellie: ============== TRIP OVERVIEW ============== Date(s): 8/12/12 Time on Water: 6:30 AM ti l10 AM Weather/Temp: cloudy, 60's Wind Speed/Direction: SW prob. 10-15 mph Waves: 3-4' Surface Temp: 73-75 Location: I-Bay LAT/LONG (GPS Cords): =============== FISHING RESULTS =============== Total Hits: 8 Total Boated: 3 Species Breakdown: all chinook Hot Lure: Trolling Speed: 2.7-3.6 sog Down Speed: 2.2-2.6 Subtroll Boat Depth: 120-385' Lure Depth: ==================== SUMMARY & FURTHER DETAILS ==================== Decided to go out this morning after almost pulling the plug b/c of the waves. We started in 120' and headed north. It was rougher out there than I thought it would be, but we fished for a few hours before we got tired of getting bounced around. First hit came quick when setting our two riggers - small but lively king on the 75' rigger pulling a DW Standard Seasick Waddler over 120 fow. We tried running two coppers, two wires and two riggers, but it was too hard to turn with the two coppers, so we changed it to just one 300' copper, 2 wires and the two riggers but no hits on the copper today. We had another day of the dropsies, but the fish stayed buttoned longer, but with the waves we lost 'em closer to the back of the boat. We had very chilly 44 degree water down only 75'. Most fish came in the 30-60 foot band of water where it was in the 50's. The following took fish: 75' rigger - DW Standard SSW 75' rigger - free slider DW standard Mixed Veggie 65' rigger - NK 42 sec spoon 65' rigger - free slider Bob Fuller King of Sting 225' wire - Wonderbread SD/Wonderbread Fly 200' wire - White/green dot SD/Hammer Fly Wires were harder to land today, fish were also small and most shook off behind the boat, but at least we were able to enjoy a few good fights and we didn't have to net that many today and injure them...lol. Good luck to all, - Chris

Past few years I've lost: 3 Subtroll probes (my BJ riggers do not have auto stop and a few rookies have retrieved the probe/ball and pinched it in the pulley and broke it off, and the other time I simply wasn't paying attention to a creeping clutch and I lost it all) 3 12# cannonballs 200' coated cable 2 caps on my BigJon rodholders A 5 gallon pail at least 2000' of copper 2 scotty's planer releases (were in the net when my buddy rinsed it in the water) a handful of towels wrapped around my rigger boom to make my Subtroll work at least a dozen spoons a handful of cheaters one clear dipsy at least 5 or 6 Spin Dr/fly combos a pair of prescription sunglasses and the case a brand new Black's release I simply dropped in the water and the grand finale.........a brand new cell phone But it's still always fun and worth every penny! Good luck to all, - Chris

Mike, I had the same thing happen to me last year - I was fishing with abt. 135' of cable out on my SB rigger but I was working on my port rigger when I heard a "sliding" sound and when I looked at my starboard rigger, the clutch on my BigJon was too loose and it was slowly creeping and finally "poof" - gone was my Subtroll probe, cannonball and 200' of cable.....lol. Funny thing was that was my THIRD probe lost since I started using a probe. Good luck out there and thanks for the report, - Chris

Definitely not 17 miles out. Outlet of the Bay is roughly 43 deg. 16N and 400 fow is about 24 north. Thus it's approximately 8 miles north of the Bay.

Scotty, You have a PM

Just picked up the Elite Answer and it shoots unbelievably. Just my third time shooting it this year and I have a very nice 35 yd group including a first for me - a "Robin Hood" arrow split. I'm still enjoying fishing, but the cooler nights have me thinking about Fall already.....good luck to all in the field. - Chris

Thanks guys - it's hard to see in the pic but the DW Mixed Veggie spoon actually split on the green edge from one of the salmon we landed!! What the heck is going on this year with these brutes? If anyone has any ideas on how to improve the landing rate, let me know....lol

Avid, I'm a family physician and here's a few tips I tell my patients: 1.) Try and start the day off with good hydration, and have something in your stomach but don't overeat (i.e. eat some crackers, granola bar, etc). Try and avoid eating acidic foods, fatty foods, lots of coffee as these will tend to irritate your stomach and make the nausea part worse. As the guys above mentioned "ginger" can also help, but it's more for settling our stomach rather than preventing sea sickness. 2. Stay focused up on deck of your boat and keep your eyes on the horizon. Stay out of the cuddy. Avoid reading or staring at your fish finder. 3.) As far as meds - Meclizine (also known as Bonine or Antivert) is over the counter and works "OK". Dramamine is another OTC product and is basically an antihistamine which also works "OK" but causes a lot of drowsiness similar to Benadryl. My favorite is Transderm Scop (scopalamine patches) which can be prescribed by your doctor. They last for 72 hrs, so you can put one on behind your ear the night before and be ready to go the next day. Good luck and stay safe, Chris

Fishing Report Chris / Liv n' Ellie: ============== TRIP OVERVIEW ============== Date(s): 8/4/12 Time on Water: 6 AM til 12:30 Weather/Temp: hot Wind Speed/Direction: SW Waves: 1' Surface Temp: 75-77 Location: I-Bay LAT/LONG (GPS Cords): =============== FISHING RESULTS =============== Total Hits: 16 or 17 Total Boated: 8 Species Breakdown: kings, steelhead Hot Lure: Trolling Speed: 2.8-3.2 sog Down Speed: 2.4-2.6 Subtroll Boat Depth: 220-500' Lure Depth: see below ==================== SUMMARY & FURTHER DETAILS ==================== Started my morning off with a surprise visit from my good buddy Anthony who dropped off my cooler - boatside - loaded with ice and he wasn't even fishing today!!! Talk about a great friend. I fished with my buddy Chris B. today who drove in from Watertown. We started right out of the channel with my boat alarm going off again from last week. Temp was fine, lower unit fine, oil presssure fine, so we decided to pul the temp sensor and in five minutes we fixed the problem and were on our way.....whew.... We started in 220' and headed on a NW troll and we had steady action all day, but our biggest problem was keeping fish on. We started 1 for 8, and that included a broken fly leader on a real pig of a king, three bent hooks, and lots of scratching our heads. The two bent hooks were on White/green dot spinny/Hammer fly combos on 225' wire and the large king was a broken fly on a 42 sec/green glow fly combo on 300' copper. After we figured out how to catch these guys, we had steady action on two riggers (85 - 115') both with fixed and free cheaters. We MUPPED one rigger with a DW mag and SS Seassick Waddler and also had a bite. We had a few doubles and hit some nice schools of steelhead later in the day - 380 fow - and they liked the mixed veggie spoon 85' down on the rigger and the Bob Fuller king of sting as a free slider on the same rigger. The folowing all caught fish today: Rigger 85' -115' - NK 42 sec. spoon, DW mixed veggie, DW super glow Buffalo Bill, DW seasick waddler Sliders - Bob Fuller King of Sting Wires - 225' -250' - white/green dot SD/Hammer Fly, Green Nuclear SD/42 sec fly, 42 sec Flasher/Fly, Gator SD/ green glow fly Copper 300' and 400' - gator SD/mirage fly, Dreamcatcher Glow UV/Hammer fly Good luck to all, -Chris

I really enjoyed this! Thanks for sharing. - Chris

Parker Wildfire XP Bow - 31.25" axle to axle length. 60# draw weight, 28" draw. New string (Traditions Archery) and peep in 2011. Includes quiver, camo Whisker Bisquit rest, Tru-Glo 5 pin sight, stabilizer, silencers and three Beaman MFX arrows. Those who know me, know I take meticulous care of my stuff and this bow is no exception. I'm upgrading to an Elite Answer Bow so I'd like to sacrifice this to a new home. Many deer have been taken cleanly with this bow. If my kids were a little older, I'd save it for them. Price - $190.00 for everything PM me or call me at 585-301-2197 (pick up in Ontario, NY or I can meet someone close to Monroe County if needed) - Chris

Double G - I run 12.5# torpedos with no problem on these same riggers (somewhere I read or saw that 12# is max). Yes they're a little slower, but they work fine and have never tripped the breaker. Good luck on the water, - Chris