Sk8man

You're welcome . Have fun!

One of the great things about the Cape is that the distances between fun places is not real extreme and there are many good choices in the summer months with a lot to do for kids throughout the Cape. You will be staying on the inner Cape so you may want to schedule your charter for the afternoon session if you decide to go with Rock Harbor etc. at mid Cape so you don't have to get up so early with the kids to travel there There are other options (less expensive too) for just some basic bottom fishing on group boats located in at the harbors in Wellfleet and Provincetown (at the very end of the Cape). There s also whale watching at P town but again it is in the ocean and wave conditions can be a real factor to consider with kids (or when rough for anyone). By the way there is a kids museum in Mashpee near where you will be staying. https://www.capecodchildrensmuseum.org/

June is often considered a "transition" month for the lake and fishing can be pretty unpredictable my choice would be July of the two.

I think to underscore the point Brian is making without "tooting his own horn" it is pretty clear that the Lake O lakers love his Gambler rigs which are surely on the small side when compared with 7 inch spoons and yet produce huge lakers in that environment.

Regardless of the weight etc. adjust the clutch drag on the rigger so that it holds the weight fine but if the weight reaches the top it will merely sit there while the pully spins giving you time to shut off. It should be adjusted similar to that in case you hang up on bottom anyway.

Sure John give me a call if you have any questions about the area etc. I think you may already have my cell # but I'll send it in a PM anyway.

Rock Harbor is on the bay side which is why I suggested it. It is mid Cape so there is a lot to do out there in the summer but the traffic is pretty bad on Rt 6 and 6A at that time. There are fluke and flounder and a bunch of other edible smaller fish that are good fun for kids especially. Take Rt. 6 all the way to exit 12 at Orleans then go 3/4 around the rotary and on your right there will be a sign for Rock Harbor. It is only a couple miles up that road from there. Hap Farrell (Stunmai II charters) uses light tackle which might be more suitable than some for the kids. I've been out with him a couple times and he knows those waters like the back of his hand http://rockharborcharters.com/rock_harbor_charter_fishing_fleet.htm

I agree Joe. Good points.

Not sure where you wil be staying on the Cape which is a factor. Something to consider is the age of the kids. The ocean can be VERY rough on a given day and you don't want them to have a negative experience at that age (e.g. seasick). If it were just you the striper idea is good but if you want the kids and your wife to have fun the bay side of the Cape may be your best bet in that you can fish for smaller species and bottom fish etc. without all the rough water most of the time and they will surely catch something . Striper fishing there is off and on and sometimes you need to go out aways on the ocean side to find them. Rock Harbor near Eastham/Orleans is a real good bet. There are 20 or more charter guys there to choose from and an office there with all sorts of information that is manned full time in the summer and a small beach if they like searching for billy crabs etc.. It is pretty well protected compared with the "ocean" side of the Cape. The National Seashore is nearby with a cool museum that has exhibits for kids and plenty of good restaurants nearby including "Arnolds" right on Route #6 that has all sorts of "kid food" as well as seafood for adults. Down the road off Rt 6 is Wellfleet which has a cool harbor area with fishing from the pier and great restaurants and there is often a big flea market on the premises of the Wellfleet theatre near there often during the summer and lots of kids things there.

Ugly Stik I didn't take offense to your comments .....just trying to clarify things from my original post and I agree with youabut the algae boom stuff etc.

Nice one K-9 As far as the newspaper article and information goes - The scientist who presented the seminar at FLCC is Dr. Roxanne Razavi who is an Assistant Professor at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. She gave a presentation to the public in conjunction with Finger Lakes Institute the group that studies many aspects of the lakes and watershed. These weren't political folks with some agenda...they are trying just to inform people while they are conducting research...it isn't the government telling you to do something Ray or some leftist conspiracy. Ugly Stik - there is nothing rotten about it .....just a matter of not getting overly technical about presenting information to a general public audience (i.e. not scientists or colleagues) and avoiding a frequent criticism of the scientific community where folks are overwhelmed by terms and data presentations etc. The article didn't answer in depth all the considerations but rather introduced the topic to the public for further consideration while they are researching it. I posted it because I thought it was worthy of at least bringing to people's attention for their own consideration or desire to research it further.

The main difference for rme is that the shark weights seem to track better in the water.I used the cannonball with rudder and fish type for years before switching and glad I did.

At least you have your stash of perch Mike....and then there is always your favorite seat at Wegmans

Yes Justin. I think the article was a bit short on important details as some of the others have mentioned. It was dealing with Canandaigua which doesn't have walleyes yet they make a big deal about them and don't give any lake specifics mor comparisons for the places that have them.

I'm not a doctor or chemist so alI I know is what I have read over the years. A couple things come to mind Don - .first is that mercury is a heavy metal and we probably ingest small amounts of it along with other chemicals in our lifetimes in a number of ways some "natural" and some not. So, the thing about heavy metals is that they stay in our systems and accumulate over our lives. Other toxins may be just as dangerous in significant amounts but many of them allegedly are stored in the fat layers of the fish; priincipally in the belly and back regions and dark material on the sides, so that when they are filleted in a manner by discarding these sections the concentrations and larger amounts of contaminants are removed - at least this is what has been thought for years. My feeling is that at our age (sorry Don) eating a few fish isn't as worrysome as a bunch of other things that can and do happen. The same is not true for younger people and women and girls of childbearing age as some of these toxins and heavy metals have been highly associated with birth defects and possibly cancer and eating the fish for longer lifetimes could predispose them to illnesses or these concerns. I'd say fillet the laker properly and have a beer to go with it....that way if you croak from it at least you'll go happier.....guess that proves I'm not a doctor eh

Don - I haven't eaten a lake trout in about 20 plus years and other than an occasional relatively small rainbow or landlock on the grill, I do eat perch routinely (3 or 4 times a month) and have had an occasional walleye which is my favorite freshwater fish to eat (unfortunately I guess). Swordfish (another favorite) and tuna also are reputed to have high levels of mercury but they too are a much larger fish....

Rob brings up and interesting issue: weight of the object vs. shape (hydrodynamic relationship in the water). There may be data on it that I am unaware of but either factor relates to "blowback" or the water resistance encountered by the weight pushing it backward and thus forcing the depth of the weight and lure upward. I haven't ever done a direct comparison with specific measurements of the two but an additional thing to consider is whether your downrigger can tolerate the heavier weights. Many of the older Cannon electrics (e.g. older 10's or 10A's) which are still in use by quite a few folks are not recommended for weights in excess of 10 lbs. because of motor wear concerns. In that case the options become more limited and the shaape of the weight may become more important. A 10 lb shark weight slips through the water quite nicely within the first 100 ft or less with less of an angle less than that of a cannonball weight which tends to go a little sideways (especially the ones without a back fin) as well as riding upward more, but trolling speed (and current) is also a big factor. The heavier the weight the more it tends to stay down when speeds are increased and as the weight goes deeper as well and this is especially apparent at depths in excess of 80-100 ft.but you need a downrigger capable of handling these heavier weights too.

Guess we'll have to show a little restraint Skipper

The thing I was surprised about is that the mercury isn't stored in the fat but in the muscle areas..... http://www.mpnnow.com/news/20180307/are-finger-lakes-fish-safe-eating