Sk8man

I fished at Sodus Point today from the public launch. When we returned from fishing and I was straightening things on my boat and trailer in the parking lot a fella approached my buddy and i and introduced himself as Dave LeRoy a member of the Sodus Point Town Board.He asked me what I thought about the new dock.at the launch. I told him I thought it was a massive and positive improvement and that i had heard many of my friends say the same that had recently used it.. He then queried me about any suggestions I might have about it. I suggested that we go down to the dock so I could better show him what suggestions might greatly improve use for fishermen and recreational boaters alike. We went to the dock and I indicated that the front of the dock (furthest east. out in the water where you come in from the bay) really needs some protective vinyl to cover the corner and front edge and also a strip of it about at least half way along the length of the dock from there toward the launch pad. This would both protect the dock and peoples boats from damage both from docking when coming in and from rubbing while tied up. I then mentioned the deteriorated condition of the pavement sections leading down to the water and especially the pot holes, and lack of pavement near the dock itself which can lead to trailer tires falling into it and possibly damaging them or axles etc.. The gap between the pavement and the further section which is currently under water was pointed out as well. I mentioned that people invest a lot of money in their boats and equipment and that the corner of the dock situated as it is could punch a hole in or otherwise scratch or damage the bow or hull of a boat. Dave took pics of the items mentioned and indicated that he will report them to the board for further review/possible action. He did not promise anything but I was very impressed that he and the town board were open to suggestions from the folks actually using the facility and I am hopeful at least that they will implement the suggestions as they are very straight forward and not terribly expensive things that could greatly improve the launch and dock for the public. I left feeling very grateful for having the opportunity for giving feedback and hope the board will act to help out the public in this way and maybe even prevent potential liability situations from occurring relating to the damaging of boats and trailers. I noted that many LOU members use the launch and hundreds or thousands of fishermen may see this on LOU. A big thank you to Dave and the board for their consideration If I have missed anything here Dave provided his email address but unfortunately it doesn't work as given. Les

I thought about not responding to this suggestion but after thinking about it I decided to pipe in I know a lot of folks like to 'cheap out" on things and I may be guilty on occasion myself with some things but not this one. Fishing line of any kind is probably the most important part of a set-up and it has to be strong enough and long enough for the job. Stranded wire is no exception to this and when using the standard 30 lb test wire the full 1,000 ft is the norm for many good reasons such as achieving the desired depth with minimal line out and less water resistance than monofilament, leadcore or braided copper and getting down to where the fish are. Most of us are glad to have the 1,000 ft. capacity without getting into the backing which is primarily on there for possible hang-ups on the bottom as much as anything. Seldom does an unruly king spool the 1,000 ft of wire and the backing serves its purpose tucked away until needed. Using less wire especially 333 ft subjects the connection of the wire to backing connection to undue wear (unnecessary potential failure point) because most of us frequently exceed the 333 ft. length with our dipsy set-ups getting down to where the fish are. Depending on the particular diver used some may not get past 100 ft. with that 333ft.setup so if fishing for Chinooks or lakers in the summer months you may be missing out on a lot of fish.A thousand foot of wire is usually less than $50.00 and it lasts a long time when properly taken care of. The practice outlined may not be saving as much as you expect if you have just one failure with the usual equipment attached.

Good advice Murphy.....you wouldn't be sorry. In addition to the latest info has some nice tackle there too some of which is hard to find in other of the places around here.

Good report....nothing like family life and entertaining in-laws eh Bob?

Good going .....sure doesn't get any better than that