choo-choo

The boat "Citation" caught an 883 pound blue marlin to win first prize of just under 1 million dollars (1,000,000.00) at the Big Rock blue marlin tournament in north carolina . Then they were Disqualified for a rules violation!!!! It turns out after the tournament ends ,all winning crews are given a polygraph(lie detector) test.One member of "citations" crew admitted not having a valid resident North Carolina fishing license....which costs only 15 dollars!!!!!!! To add insult to injury,they were stripped of the title for catching the largest blue marlin ever for any of the previous big rock tourneys!!!What a damn shame.....i bet that crew hasn't been able to sleep since!!!!...UNREAL!!!......choo-choo steve

I havn,t seen it posted anywhere,but there were hundreds upon hundreds of pods of baitfish (looked and sounded like alewives)cavorting,flitting skittering spawning from right on shore to several hunded yards out on this past friday evening.I pulled into golden hill state boat launch at sunset,dead calm wind,lake as flat as it could be and the sound was unmistakeable. I walked out to the point and watched as pod after pod sufaced as far as i could see and hear along the shoreline and shallows....quite a spectacle.Stayed there untill almost11 pm trying to fix my trailer under the boat launch lights and they were still going wild in the shallows. Was that the beginning or is it near the end of their spawn in the big lake near 30 mile point?...choo-choo steve

hey rick,it sure was tough out there on the bar saturday,i wasn't fishing the derby but decided to fish there fri and sat..Got there late morning fridayand headed out to the red can...saw billy v and others ....the screen was really ,really good,with nice cold water,43,44 to 52 degrees down around 40 feet in many locations. I marked lots of fish and bait but could only get 1 to bite. I figured sat morning woul be an awesome bloodbath of coho's and kings out there north of the red can area........WRONG!! the wind started blowing friday afternoon into the night,and through the night into saturday morning. I headed out of the river ,to the can, as the derby boats from wilson were setting up. All the cold water was gone!! I found 1 patch of 60 degrees down 40,and caught an 8 lb coho...1 other hit ,and that was it for me all morning.Lots of 64 degreeish water from the suface down past 50 feet. That wind moved all that cold water and salmon ,i guess, far to the east.....i sure could not find that cold water around the bar saturday....man how that wind changed everything...did the tams that did well,did they catch the fish way east of olcott?..i would like to know for future reference....good luck in the next couple of weeks, and thank you and billy v for the reports last month...steve...choo-choo

Pete...congrats...will look for you!!!

Way to go Tom...good start to the season....now your warmed up for the derby....good luck all year!!!

Wow...great job Pete.....AWESOME!!!!

Hey Steve (lund)...just looking back on your leadcore question...do not use only 20 lb backing for your leadcore...use 40 lb or heavier ...backing should be heavier than your leadcore line(27lb)and your leader. If you are using a 20 lb leader , and 20 lb backing ,and you run all your leadcore out with several passes into your backing ,and you snag your lure,your backing could snap instead of your leader...resulting in loss of your entire leadcore!!!! Go heavier on your backing...choo-choo

A few weeks ago,i mentioned about using a release on the rear of a dipsey with a 2 rod system...i havn't tried it yet, but on my shakedown run sunday(white lake ) i tightened the trip arm of a magnum dipsey so it wouldn't release , clipped an offshore release to the rear of the dipsey,then took off my downrigger ball and replaced it with the dipsey/release.Worked great...spread my lures nicely . What i found out though, i couldn't lower the dipsey electrcally,(walker)had to let it down manually.But the rig comes up nicely electrically. Great for shallow,spooky fish...leaves more room in the stern for fighting/netting fish...or more room for junk rods or flat lines down the chute. Ithink it would also be a good option for shallow uneven bottom, or debris filled areas where you might hang up a rigger ball .Losing a 10 dollar dipsey is alot less painful than losing a 20 or 30 or 50 dollar rigger ball !........Just clip on a dipsey/release with the trip arm cranked down tight onto your down rigger ball clip(probeless rigger,no ball retriever),let out your line as short or far as you like,clip it in the release,clicker on,and lower the the rigger ...Engage reel and thats it....(don't crank down rod to load it)Give it a try sometime....choo-choo

Pete....nice idea...and a real nice job too! I don't have a hard top,but i might try a horizontal,side mount version .

Steve...only expect about 4 to 5 feet per color (10 yds...30 feet) at about 2.3 to 2.5 mph....Leadcore will sink deeper per color (10 yds)at slower speeds.....speed will have a great effect on your sink rate per color (10 yds).....good luck.....choo-choo

LG....here is another one....Weather underground, their website www.wunderground.com/mar/...this is their marine weather site...put in a lake ontario zip code or click on lake ontario on their great lakes map,then the part of lake ontario you want to check ,they will give you a near shore forecast or an offshore forecast(5 miles and further) both with wave heights.Always have a plan B,due to incorrect forecast with bigger than expected wave heights,or wrong wind speed and direction,or the conditions might turn out much better than predicted too! Good Luck...choo-choo

Thanks for the replies ....i can't see that a dipsey rod with no hook or lure on it would count . I was just thinking of a way to use the large dipseys, without some of the negatives that go along with them as i stated above. I don't think the lines would tangle at all, i'd put a 12 or 18'' tether to the release...the lure rod would be mono trailing the wire dipsey ,the mono would have a much bigger bow to it , like when letting down your rigger and rigger rod...no tangles. I was just thinking how much fun it would be to be able to use large dipseys ,with a soft , lightweight downrigger rod,8 or 10 or 12 or 15 lb class line and rod!!! Especially when there are lots of smaller fish around. Fighting 3 lb and 4lb and even 6 lb cohoes, browns , and steelies are not that much fun on 20lb or 30 lb class rods and line and a big dipsey ,.....but 3lb ,4lb and 6 lb fish are a blast ,and tons of fun on a lightweight ,rigger or casting rod,with no dipsey!Even the smaller kings would be lots more fun, on those days when the dipseys rule, with a much lighter set up....or you could use heavy mono set ups for the big boys too ....well ,...i'll give it a try and see what happens.....choo-choo

I love the way dipseys catch fish,out and down, but dislike the exta drag when fighting fish,using snubbers or playing with the drag settings on my reels,dipseyes flying around while netting fish,false or inadvertant releases etc..,....Iwas thinking about running a 2 rod ,1 dipsey sysyem...Rod #1,wire dipsey rod with a release off the rear of the dipsy. Rod 2 any light ,medium ,or heavy rod , depending on lures and species targetted,clipped to the release on the rear of the dipsey. Let lure out desired distance 5 feet ,8 feet, or further for stealthy presentations,clip line into the dipsey release,put both clickers on an let them both out simultaneously to desired depth. Fish strikes,line releases from rear of dipsey,and you fight fish with no dipsey . The dipsey rod and dipsey with a release attached would be working as a downrigger and ball, but way way way out to the side with the fish catching dipsey signature in the water. It would be great for woman and kids to fight fish without the extra dipsy drag too. What do you think?...Has anyone ever tried it?.....choo-choo

Ray...forget racing the road bike,unles you are just racing against the clock,,,,Mountain bike?..well,ok but forget the mountains and hills.....camping would be your best bet,but only on week-ends 'cause you are gonna fish fish fish during the week,otherwise you should just skip retirement and work 7 days a week!!!

Awesome looking ,super stealthy fishing rig Ray. Iluv it...add a set of oarlocks,tilt up motor and you'll be trolling in ultra shallow ,virgin water ,that no one else can get to. I'm sure Musky Bob will be happy to do the rowing. It looks like it is also set up for the new 3 rod rule!!!! Good Luck with it Ray! Are you gonna christen it by busting a bottle of expesive bubbly on the bow? or maybe a cheap beer or Red Bull? Let us know....choo-choo

I'm 100% all for a three rod rule on Lake Ontario.It would help us try to figure out the daily puzzle, as to what and where the fish will bite. There can be so many variables on any given day....the third rod would help connect the dots to put that salmon/trout puzzle together . Lets see...LURES 1) spoons, dodger /flies,flasher /flies,stickbaits,body baits, spinners,cut bait . 2)Fishing method..Downriggers, , slide divers , planer boards, jet divers, copper line ,leadcore line, wire dipseys,mono dipseys,braid dipseys,flatlines. 3)Speed...Surface speed, down speed. 4)Temperature throughout the water column . 5)wind speed ,wave height,wind direction,trolling direction,currents on top ,currents down deep.Time of day, sunny, overcast, raining,. Lure colors and combinationsof lures and of colors for flasher/flies ,dodger flies,spoons,spinners ,stickbaits, body baits and cutbait.Water clarity...and everything else that i have forgotten to list here .

Happy Birthday to one of the funniest,knowledgeable,and informative members of LOU !!! Thanks for all your tips and information on fishing lake Ontario ,it is greatly appreciated. Have a great birthday...and a great 2010 fishing season too.

Ray...DON"T DO IT !!!! After you move all the fish and game mounts out there, a "single" bed or cot will be next!!! Your current warm, cozy, snuggly sleeping arrangement with mama is much better than sleeping in your new trophy room with those cold,lifeless deer and fish mounts!!!

Pete...you got that right....those were the days...even if the Beaverkill was "blown out", or not fishing very well,stopping at the Darbees and the Dettes sport shops made the trip worthwile. "TROUT TOWN USA".......steve

I've been lucky to be on this great earth for 57 trout seasons.....fished the last 50 of them!!! Man,half a century of trout fishing, and i still get skunked from time to time. STILL A LOT TO LEARN !! (Mitchell 308's and Mitchell 304 and the old workhorse Mitchell 300 ....Fiberglass spinning rods ...Orvis split bamboo "Madison" fly rod and Pflueger Medalist fly reel,HCH fly line ...Dan Gapens Muddler Minnow..Joe Brooks' streamers ..Curt Gowdy..The American Sportsman show..The Flying Fisherman Show, Gadabout Gaddis..Harry and Elsie Darbee's classic catskill flies..Heddon and Creek Chubb and fred Arbogast "jitterbugs"..Mepps spinners ,cp swings, daredevles. Becoming a fisherman was the best thing that ever happened to me. Fishing has filled my life with so many wonderful experiences and memories ....I.m praying and hoping for many more"trout seasons"

Rick...still praying for your dad down here in Hancock...stay strong and positive...choo-choo steve

From one fisherman to another..."get well soon Rich"...praying and hoping for some positive news, and a complete recovery for your dad Rick. Stay strong and positive.....(steve)Thanks for the update Billy.

Wow....Incredible.....awesome...great job.

Rick...I hope your dad gets well soon.

Jimmy...i'm glad your ok. We got rid of those clamp on seats years ago,even when tight,they lift up with any side to side motion.Get the bolt on type,but not the ones with the high type bases,because you sit up to high in a rowboat,changing your center of gravity.The low base seats work great. Also, never wear waders,hip boots, or any other rubber or leather type boot that doesn't have laces or zippers. Warm winter boots are ok,but only lace them up ,loosely,2 or 3 eyelets,so they can be kicked off quickly and easily in the water. And most importantly,if your in a rowboat that doesn't have a motor, keep a length of rope tied from one handle to the other handle in the back of the boat.Make sure it is long enough so when it is draped over th transom,it will hang about a foot below the bottom of the boat. In case of an emergency, you can then use the rope as a "step" to get yourself back into your boat, or anyone in the water,you can get them in by using it as a step also. Never try to get back in from either side, it will roll on you. If your boat has a motor on it, tie a loop of line from either handle on the back of the rowboat, so that it can hang in the water about a foot below the depth of your prop You can step into the loop with one foot,then the other foot onto the plate above the prop,then haul yourself up and into your boat . Good luck and good ,safe fishing in the future. choo choo