Reel Doc

When it had slipped back the entire boat was that distance back on the trailer so the outboards hung off the back end of the trailer. All that weight would cause even more slide back when taking the boat out of the water. A couple times last summer when disconnecting from the truck the front end of the trailer would pop up a foot in the air. Thankful I never had to take it very far as a disaster waiting to happen. However, after leaving it with Hank I now know how to get to Lake Ontario so longer trips might start to happen soon.

I know you all have waited patiently to see how this turned out. Note the photos below compared to the original and you see the yoke had slid back to the cross piece. By moving it forward to it's original location all the motor weight is no longer hanging off the back of the trailer. Now it rides nice and smooth like any of the livestock trailers or campers I've towed in the past. I believe that yoke has been slowly sliding back since before I bought the boat as it's always porpoised, just been getting worse. Having never towed a boat before I didn't know better. Note we have a safety chain now too. Thanks Hank, /L&M

Pretty similar to last February. Only light boats are getting out of Dean's. Taughannock today was fine but have to go past the end of the dock to launch. The bubbler side/ South side of the dock drops off better. Tried to load out today on the other side and my trailer couldn't get under the boat nearly 10 feet beyond the dock.

Many thanks to Hank @ L&M for installing some electronic upgrades this month. This morning launched from Taughannock for the first time out with the new toys. Throttle control for pinpoint speed control?? Awesome!! Autopilot so the boat doesn't do donuts while fighting a fish?? Incredible!! Didn't use the Subtroll today, but stay tuned!! Pretty solid South wind early so went North on the West side to start, then angled across the lake and finished running South on the East side. Lake trout are scattered everywhere so had a steady pick of fish from 30-110 down in 80-400fow off spoon and sliding cheaters on the downriggers. Dypsey carrying a fly took 1 fish in 100 fow and another in the middle of the lake. All the trout were similar in size to the ones in the photo with half a dozen going back in the lake to fight another day. Spent the last hour trying some stickbaits and spoons in shallower water, 40-60 deep, wasn't quite ready to get in real tight. Just the one salmon ended up grabbing a spoon straight across from the launch so headed in with tonight's dinner and a batch of fillets for the smoker tomorrow. With better control of the steering I look forward to trying some shallow trolls soon!!

Hoping to get out this weekend too. Low water at Dean's so hopefully Taughannock will work with the trim up...

Always a pleasure to be your first mate. Definitely nicer than last Winter's Taughannock adventure that featured a frozen launch and stiff North wind. 🌊🌊🌊

I went in about 10:30 and waved at the one other boat trolling just North of the launch, that must have been you. It was a bouncy ride back from the silos for sure. Glad it settled down for you.

That sure looks like smoother water than what I was on around Dean's Sunday morning. Where were you fishing?

All Laker day.

I had the pleasure of a trip in that rig last Winter. When the sun is out it is like a greenhouse in there. Andy knows how to make it so comfortable you can't complain when the fish aren't biting

A knee issue has kept me off the water and mostly out of the woods the past 2 months so very excited to get out this morning. Strong South wind made it kind of snotty out there but the fish didn't care about the surface conditions. North out of Dean's to get the push of the wind and ran a simple tight formation of 2 downriggers carrying spoons with sliding cheaters down 35-70 and a long copper carrying a flasher fly down the chute. Everything caught fish and was boxed out in 2 hours. Nothing huge, all 20-24 inches and some smaller ones tossed back. Took over a half hour to bounce through the waves back to Dean's but no complaints here. An early Christmas present to be on the water....can't wait to get out again!!

Do photos from the woods overlooking the lake count too? I'm spoiled as it's right outside our window every day so on the water pics, in the woods and from our deck. How blessed are we all to enjoy what nature has to offer

Thanks for finding and posting the online version as much easier for all to read

Such a great story. Thanks for sharing it. Could not agree more about how great so many fisherman and hunters can be. Without this website I probably would still be trying to catch my first legal salmon or trout trolling from the boat. 😉

This article came out Sunday in our area newspaper, The Fingerlakes Times. Hope you all can zoom in well enough to read it, but if not, perhaps you fellas who created this story can give us the details. My congratulations to Mark and Vince as well as Jonathan Forder. It's no coincidence that great things happen when fishermen work together. An early Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Nice rig. Good luck with the sale!

These are the first flashers I have seen with an echip. Anyone use them before? Feedback on if the echip is effective?