chowder

You guys need some barn cats around! I can leave my shanties sitting on a pile of chaff in the hay mow w/ no mouse issues at all. It's my landing nets I have to protect (from fish craving, net eating cats!).

Thanks, Hank- keep us posted, I gotta get outta here & do something! -Andy

Link for show http://www.northeasternsportshow.com/attractions.php3 Hey LJ I might make it up there if there aren't too many arctic issues here in the morning (I'll PM ya my cell, I can't find yours, thought I had it here somewhere...) -Andy

Have a good one! -Andy

We've got some bad slush conditions going on around here, hows the shanty dragging out on PB?

For what it's worth Kevin @ Wilson Boatyard is the guy who I talked to about this situation, he seemed to know more about what's going on than anybody else I've run into and I've been trying to figure out what's going on w/ the availability of these units since late last summer. -Andy

For what it's worth I ran approx the same thread a few years ago and I did use the rubberized spray paint (got it at Lowes). I cleaned up my weights & removed the oxidizing but that rubberized stuff started to come off at the end of the first season. I wound taking the advice that I got from some of the charter captains (Hank,Rob,etc) and now I just repaint any weights that look like they need it w/ a good quality flat black exterior spray paint in the early spring- sometimes I think simpler is better but you be the judge & good luck! -Andy

Sounds like a great day! WTG -Andy

Ensenore point, eh!

From what I understand Raymarine will be releasing the new version of the Raymarine X-5 Sport Pilot at some point this spring. Until Raymarine unveils this new version you will not be able to (nor has anyone been able to for quite some time) actually buy a new Sport Pilot anywhere.

Looks like an awesome ice fishing venture! Those lakers can put up a real good tussle if you winter troll the Fingers like some of us 'crazies'. -Andy

There's a couple of really good ones you guys got there, congrats Three years ago I got a 10lb+ slammer right out in front of RR's place in 250' fow down 55.

I'm not trying to be discouraging but, again I feel compelled to say I would be very careful in that 14 footer w/ a 10hp outboard. Even a West wind on Cayuga can come up very quickly, producing waves that will swamp a boat w/ out much free board and that 10hp is not going to allow you to make a real quick escape from an approaching front. Though these quick Westerly blows are more typical of spring thru early fall weather cells, they are possible in the winter too. Anybody fishing the Fingers in the winter needs to be ultra aware that the margin for error out there is really very small. Be absolutely sure you have a functional (unfrozen) bilge pump w/ fully functional wiring and a backup plan for what you would do if you lost power,etc. I hate to sound like a worry wart but this kind of fishing demands extra caution at every turn. Be safe, have fun & good luck! -Andy

I like the picture of Gray getting ready to take a swim!

I've been messing around w/ long range shooting lately since getting a 22-250 w/ a decent scope. Although this question about the effective range of a gun was originally framed w/ respect to muzzys I thought I'd just throw out what I've seen so far about any gun's effective range, especially once you start reaching out much past 150yds. 1. Correct shooting form becomes an essential issue because small applications of improper torque ( twisting the stock w/ the forehand, pushing or pulling the firearm due to improper trigger finger form, too much or canted butt stock pressure and poor follow thru after the shot ,etc) lead to poor shots. This is especially true of muzzys because there is a considerable period of time after you break the trigger action before the bullet actually exits the barrel. Follow thru and form are therefore very important for longer range shooting and even more important for muzzys than a typical center fire high powered rifle. Go to some of the sites that deal w/ longe range shooting and you will see what I mean http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p ... 9CF2CAABC5 2. People who expect to make long range shots count have to spend a lot of time practicing to understand the ballistics of their powder/bullet combo. Though this information is available for many standard factory load combos on paper it is essential to see just how the whole package comes together in your specific firearm. This part of the longer range shooting program requires real dedication, and importantly, access to a long range range w/ targets which enable the shooter to develop a very precise picture of the way their bullet drops. The precise understanding of the exact way the bullet drops enables the shooter to develop a strategy for either making MOA adjustments on the scope or establishing a truly excellent 'gut' sense for 'hold over'.We are talking about hours and hours of range time here! In summary; Don't underestimate the dedication it can take to become a longer range shooter, buying a certain firearm is only the first small and easiest step. First you must have an excellent understanding of shooting form do's and dont's , then you must develop a clear understanding of your gun/charge/bullet package in order to be able to truly enable you to make shots of a longer range nature. Before you start messing around w/ this stuff make sure you can get access to a range w/ a bare minimum of 200yds (300 yds is much better- most people don't realize how 'close' 300 yds is!). Many smaller gun clubs only have 100yd rifle ranges. As my grandfather once told me, "the biggest thing in how a gun shoots is the nut behind the stock" I try to remember this every time a shot of mine is off the mark!

Launch at T-Falls (see map on link) http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/62/getting-there.aspx Don't go out on Cayuga in a 14' unless the wind is projected to be fairly mellow, the lake can get very,very bad quickly & no one will be out there in the winter to help! Go south from T-Falls and work the shallows early am w/ stix off boards,don't stay at this approach for too long w/ no results. If shallow/stix no go then start working the entire water column out to mid lake w/ divers, riggers, core & flatlines. Typically the fish are scattered but concentrated around & above the bait. Lots of years it's a different day each day when you are winter fishing. See recent posts, land locks can be very active this time of year - if you get mostly small ones try deeper.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/quickquest ... up5895.htm

You can get the Walker braided steel cable from St. Peter's Outfitters in Oswego. It won't lose signal @ deeper depths, has much less blow back and should last longer too but it is more expensive!

John if you want to get out shoot me pm. My little boat is rigged & ready! -Andy

In theory; Core gives you 5' down /color or 16.6' down/100' of core out Copper gives you 22' down/100' of copper out. In reality both of these estimates are just that 'estimates'. Personally I think that core is better suited to applications where you don't need to get below 50 feet down but need the stealth that a lot of line out and no delivery device (rigger weight or diver) gives you. Core just seems to stop sinking very much after you get 12 or so colors out, especially if you try to run flashers on it. Copper is better suited for deep presentations, like trying to get down into the 60-110' range in a stealthy way(no rigger weight or diver in front of the bait). Most anglers are using copper and core off boards out to the sides of their standard diver and rigger lines so that they don't get tangled. When you do this the core or copper should not be clipped in the release so each rod & reel combo is only good for one depth zone. There are ways to change how deep a certain fixed length core or copper rig will go down using 'snap weights' or 'torpedo diver weights' but I would have to say that the jury is still out on whether these techniques will produce consistent results. -Andy

I've used Jared Johnson's Kokanee spinners behind small dodgers & flashers w/ out seeing any major line twisting. These spinners are very light weight, maybe that's why I didn't have a problem or maybe I was just lucky. Anyway, I just started playing around w/ them last fall & could be I'm in for the same problems you have had! -Andy

I'm envious of you guys! I got up @ 2:30 this morning & got my chores done by 7:30. Stopped in the house quick to change before hitching up and heading over & there was a message from the guy's wife who was supposed to fish w/ me today saying he was 'under the weather'! This guy's been after me for a while to take him fishing but he's all out of chances now

The mating season for Eastern Coyote's is Jan/Feb & males will move out of their home area to find mates. It is in this period of time that more people are often aware of them out & about. Gestation is a little over 2 months and the pups can run by 4 weeks of age. In the early fall the family disperses and again it is in this 'dispersal' period that yotes are noticed more by people as the young move around and attempt to find core areas of their own. There is a fair amount of howling just after dark in early bow season as groups shuffle around & try to claim or reclaim their core areas which get stressed by the introduction of the 'new' generation.

Hunters will NEVER "control" coyote populations. Man has tried to do that for decades. Predators like coyotes are controlled ONLY by food availability. If you want to eliminate coyotes---take away their food! Studies in the western states have proven that killing "excessive" numbers of coyotes results in the remaining coyotes increasing their litter sizes to compensate. The more you kill the more you will have! They are here to stay! Not doubting the OP's fact but I would like to see the actual data that states coyotes alone kill 80% of fawns. Seems very high for a state with tremendous habitat and lots of "other food". I'm not trying to pick a fight here but I agree w/ what Paul has said .In my opinion Coyotes are opportunistic predators that are able to change their forage base and population dynamics quickly as a response to changes in their environment and as such they are basically a 'natural' part of a healthy ecosystem. I find it really hard to accept that Coyotes are a one size 'fits all' villian that is eliminating large portions of the N.E. deer herd. I will readily admit I'm not a coyote biologist or predator hunting expert by any means but I've killed over a dozen of them on our farm and several more as a 'favor' for my landlords and found nothing but mice & other unrecognizable small animal remains in their digestive tract. I'm not saying they never eat anything else but I do think they eat a lot of rodents even though this doesn't fit w/ their 'evil' public image. -Andy

Dale, how did you finish up boning out deer b4 me! I've got two quarters to go & we can get back to trying to hit the water . If you get out on your own fish the whole water column, you just never know where the LLs are gonna be but a lot of days the better LLs are below the little guys. I should be ready to go next week, gonna do some hard water stuff the next couple days. -Andy