Sk8man

Usually the best water for them is the edge of the colorline. You exploit it by trolling your stuff in and out of the edge itself rather than the colored water. Most fish don't like the muddy water. Take perch for example they usually won't be found in muddy water itself but murky water is what they like where it isn't crystal clear or muddy. There is usually a slight difference in the water temp at the edge of the mudline but if the chocolate stuff is real thick and muddy they won't be found there usually.

I think you'll find mixed reviews on just about any outboard and you can't assume that everyone takes care of them in the same way for starters and it makes a difference. I've had a 135 Opti since it was brand new in 2002 and it is basically the same as the 150. It has been a very good reliable engine. I broke it in carefully and have used non ethanol gas and the Mercury Optimax synthetic oil since day one. By the way it is about $50 (including tax) per gallon today. Although it trolls down I don't use it for that because that can load the plugs up pretty good so I use my 9.8 for that and the 135 for getting from place to place. I've been very happy with the performance of mine but again, I take good care of it too. I use fuel stabilizer year round and keep my gas tank full (much to the dismay of my mechanic buddy who doesn't believe in it)

If you are considering Lake Ontario (not clear from your post) you could fish in the bay at Sodus Point. Folks often over look it in the Spring but sometimes there are some good trout and salmon in there feeding and it is fairly well protected.

How the hell did this stuff get going?...You guys do make me sound like a real piece of work and that part is probably accurate

You guys are too much.but Mike I appreciate the kind words especially coming from you. Hey Stan I don't think they will put the book (if it is even published) on Kindle so maybe the worries are over Many people don't look at actual books anymore....

Thanks guys and PCPete that will be a wonderful gift all the way around... congrats in advance. Nothing like parenthood. I got my son into fishing at age 2 1/2 starting with brief exposures. He has been my fishing partner ever since and in fact outfished me tonight with 8 keeper Crappies to my 2 throwbacks

Good one Keith.....some of the guys you hang with may need one too.....you know who I mean

Thanks Jim and like we used to say as kids "Takes one to know one"

Just a minor clarification Ray.....I was fishing before you were born That is 70 years of fishing as of July 3rd of this year All in all we're both dinosaurs I still remember the first fish I caught as well as the date....a 12 inch smallmouth caught at the Seneca Lake Yacht Club bay near the entrance to the Seneca River (on a crab) with my dad July 3rd 1949. I can still picture that fish and the day itself in my mind after all these years and thousands of other fish. It is an example of how important that first exposure to fishing is for kids especially when with their dad or mom etc. and something for the parents out there to think about

Sorry if I over complicated things for you Ray I'm basically a long time fisherman rather than an outdoor writer per se. I know I get into detail often (and may even get mired in it sometimes) but my main purpose for postings is aimed at helping out people that are either unfamiliar with the Finger Lakes or inexperienced fishing for trout and salmon(or both). After about 70 years of doing this stuff I figured it may be worthwhile trying to give back a little to the sport since many or most of the old timers had the approach of "Hey I had to learn this stuff by myself so I'm not spoon feeding anyone" and I had to acquire most of whatever I know at this point by trial and error or the mutual experience sharing with buddies so the learning curve has been pretty steep. I agree that things out here on Canandaigua have changed radically since I first started fishing the lake itself in about 1967 after fishing the creek before that. There are some big Lake Trout in the lake still but they are not as readily available as in the past or in as great numbers. The bait situation is also different. In the past at the south end in particular back in the 70's and 80's there would be huge pods of bait the size of a football field horizontally and extending over a hundred feet vertically from bottom to surface in the Spring. I haven't seen this or anything close to it for many years. There used to be huge pods of rainbow smelt in the lake and in the creeks in the Spring...they are now pretty much gone.... I have collected data for the DEC Angler Diary cooperators for a long time and on the most recent report one or two fishermen accounted for most of the laker data. I spoke with one of them an old timer in his eighties who uses mostly Seth Green rigs and jerks copper and he agreed with this view and noted that you really have to know the lake very well these days to be real successful. When you combine this with the fact that many of the guys now fishing the lakes are using downriggers, wire rigs, planer boards etc. spending much time fishing "suspended" and not necessarily "bottom fishing" or stillfishing with bait etc. the catch probabilities change and not for the better as far as Lakers go but it does more effectively target rainbows. Most people don't fish specifically for browns here and although an occasional brown is caught trolling it is not necessarily the best way to catch them. They are heavily nocturnal and the big ones are found in closer to shore than most trollers go in the early hours and retreat to deeper water and nearer bottom as the light grows strong. When properly targeted using the right stuff in the right way they can be fairly effectively caught on a more consistent basis. Sorry for being long winded but I figured it as an opportunity to explain things a bit clearer (hopefully).