Sk8man

I Think HB2 makes some good points. We may need to be more accepting of the attempt to make a more diverse fishery. There are some known impediments as well as the unknowns though. One of the major obstacles for the Atlantics long term has been the lack of access to the traditional spawning environments on the south side of the lake (damming of streams, poor water quality and lack of food sources in streams for the young etc.) as well as the thiamine deficiency. The Atlantics won't be feeding heavily on the Round Goby (or sculpin for that matter) as other fish like lakers, browns, bass and others as they are not traditionally bottom feeders and normally populate the upper stratified areas of the water. Populations of the other potential food sources like Cisco, Shad, and others may not be of suitable levels or may not be accessible to them for various reasons. I have wondered for years whether Atlantics access the Atlantic ocean while maturing via the St. Lawrence and Hudson and then have trouble getting back to Lake O streams or imprinting doesn't occur properly and they go other places to drop their eggs. I know it sounds a bit far fetched but I have never seen the issue addressed anywhere It is always assumed that the poor "survival" rate reflects mortality when it possible is that they have left the area.

America has always been a land of extremes in cultural and political differences since its inception, and today is no different; only the issues are different. We have survived a revolution in the 1700's, a civil war in the 1800's, two world wars, and numerous other serious conflicts as well as the Cold War. Our country is imperfect but we differ from many other countries in that we can express our opinions and beliefs freely but that does not mean that Free Speech is without responsibility - both in terms of the individual, or society itself to keep speech and consequent actions stemming from it from leading to anarchy or loss of larger freedoms (e.g. martial law). The tee shirts saying "Freedom is not free" is right on the mark. We should never take our personal or societal liberties for granted. A lot of our fellow Americans have given their very lives to insure this continues. Veterans Day is not just a day to say "Happy Veterans Day", and Memorial Day isn't just "another holiday". Our Constitution and Bill of Rights are the backbone of our country and culture and many folks seem to have forgotten this, or perhaps haven't even been familiarized with their contents. Today the dollar rules the day; witness the funds recently devoted to the elections.....billions of dollars that could be used to solve the homeless problem for example. We have lost trust in our government, the media, and as importantly have lost respect for each other. Differences in beliefs, race, political affiliations, or personal preferences and opinions have come to define impenetrable boundaries which gives the appearance of a society in decline. Our numerous enemies have made inroads in sabotaging a number of important elements of our culture and government (e.g. interference in our electoral process, theft of critical technology, hacking of various supposedly secure websites of governmental agencies etc.). They see us as weakened and vulnerable by this lack of solidarity and lack of trust in our system. Regardless of which party controls things we had better get our act together very soon and stop this highly polarized and charged environment. Just something to think about....

Yes I was also astounded by the fuel efficiency. It is actually better on gas than my previous 1979 35 Johnson.

I have the 135 Optimax and I love it.... top end 40 plus and trolls down to 1.8 mph with stainless prop. They are great motors. I would imagine it will sell fast at the beginning of the new season.

Yeah I was one of the ones they yelled at and spit at at the Port Authority in NYC.

Their position on the abortion issue sealed their fate because a lot of women voters out there regardless of party affiliation voted according to their belief that their personal rights were being infringed on. What we need is a strong third party that takes a more moderate stance on the primary issues this two party system no longer works because of the polarization and our comments here reflect that very fact. Yes I am an Independent and I have voted for people in each of the existing parties depending on the candidate and the specific issues. We need to get away from dogmatic thinking along "party lines"'

Yeah I got a couple referring to me as "Virginia" (had to check myself out to make sure)

I haven't laughed this hard all week

Very cool Mike. Congrats

Nice buck Bill and great description of the hunt.

Looks like you've been having a lot of fun this season John

Nice rig Pete