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Sk8man

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  1. Sk8man
    Aaron over the last few years I've had the opportunity to meet some of the folks on here and fish with some of them as well on their boats and on mine and without exception it has been a mutually rewarding experience. In some cases they have become close friends. This forum is potentially a very valuable resource but only if people are open to treating it in that manner and placing value on learning. Some folks are more comfortable "lurking' in the background and that is fine while others are more interactive and comfortable sharing information or asking pertinent questions. There is potentially something in it for everyone. I remain grateful fo Chad for his efforts in creating and maintaining this great resource and to the experienced folks on this site willing to share their experience and expertise so that our fellow fishermen may benefit from it and hopefully accelerate the learning curve that may have taken nearly a lifetime to accumulate through "trial and error" learning otherwise
  2. Sk8man
    I think that number could easily be tripled if there was a more convenient weigh station towards the north end of the lake and ideally on the west side. For many with smaller boats and potentially rough water or excessive wind the trip south to weigh fish might be daunting and the distance by vehicle towing a boat is considerable as well for those who live northwest of the Ithaca locality. I know it may not be easy or perhaps cost effective to set up but could make a heck of a difference in participation.
  3. Sk8man
    Paul's suggestion of going on an "instructional" charter certainly has merit and is something to consider for folks that can afford it, but like a lot of things on LOU such as the purchase of the latest and greatest (and expensive) equipment. or large boat not everyone has the resources available or else has different pressing priorities like food, shelter, and clothing. Some may have a lesser commitment to fishing itself and may have to divide their money between it and numerous other interests. There is nothing wrong with the suggestion itself. There is however, a big difference between charter captains too and their ability tto communicate and instruct. - just as in about everything else some may have much greater experience, teaching ability, patience, willingness to answer questions or "give up" specifics, and ability to communicate ideas or experiences; especially to novices without experience asking uninformed questions. Sometimes even personality factors come into play in the sharing of information. Some may be excellent fishermen with extensive knowledge, superior navigation skills, and be eager to share specific informational knowledge without charge as is done by some great ones here on LOU. Some others may have taken their classes for the captains exam, paid substantial money to do it, have a large boat and brand new expensive equipment - but lack the years of fishing experience or instructional skills best suited to the acceleration of the learning curve for the "student". So, in one case the money paid for a charter may be considered "indispensible" and the other a potential waste of time and money depending on either careful selection or else using the "dartboard" approach and taking your chances. There are many excellent choices possible right here on LOU. It might be beneficial to someone considering the instructional approach to first do your homework in selecting the appropriate charter for this purpose, ask the captain if he/she is comfortable answering your questions and instructing you during the charter, and then taking some responsibility yourself by carefully thinking about what you want to achieve and what specific questions to ask them. Write them down on index cards and then ask the captain at opportune times, not necessarily while they are in the midst of navigating traffic or rigging lines etc. Some folks will be stuck with the second option of learning all this stuff by the "school of hard knocks" and although the path may be slower with more twists and turns it nevertheless is possible and is worthy of pursuing.
  4. Sk8man
    Beautiful buck and gorgeous job on the mount Sean
  5. Sk8man
    Nice rainbow. Looks as though your girl was busy trying to prevent a bad hair day for you too In addition to the great Gambler rigs, the cowbell /peanut and cowbell/Spin N Glow both can produce bows, brown and landlocks as well as the lakers but just not as frequently. They also work behind flashers or dodgers or Spin Docs for them.
  6. Sk8man
    Quite a few people have been killed thus far in the Carribean including a 16 year old pro surfer so this storm is no joke. People are fleeing Florida in droves heading north. I hope this thing turns out to sea.
  7. Sk8man
    This has to be one of the most interesting and informative threads in a long time and it is good to see logic mixed with passion done in a civilized way
  8. Sk8man
    As far as the leaders go I tie my own and a few years ago went to 50 lb Big Game mono after losing large fish on well known commercially tied flies with fluoro and have never looked back.
  9. Sk8man
    Just don't do a comparison of the price with the price of fish in the store because you may be old and wrinkled before you break even....I didn't say that did I Dave?
  10. Sk8man
    The issue sure points up something that should reside in every lure and hook buyers mind before purchase The most common concern of fishermen is usually the sharpness of the hook but the strength of the metal comprising itt is not changeable after manufacturing and is determined by the hook diameter, composition of the metal and the tempering of it. If you take a look at the "old school" J plug hooks for instance you'll realize that they are very hard, thicker, and look different thickness wise than most of current hooks being used. They are beefier, composed of a different mixture of components or alloys in the steel, and harder than most of the 'fine wire" type hooks now available. The Mustad stainless steel single siwash salmon hooks although having a different look have the similar hardness feature and they will only when under very extreme tension break rather than bend. This is related to the hardness factor. The metal for these hooks is tempered during manufacturing to give them this quality in very specific ways and the diameter of the shafts and hook points combined with this give them increased strength and also make them more brittle so they don't bend. These hardened hooks can be more difficult to manufacture, sharpen and probably add to the cost of manufacturing as well as expanding the retail price so often other less expensive options are often used now days. Under usual circumstances these "softer" hooks may perform adequately but especially at this late point in the king season this softness shows up because of the hardening of the mouth area of them combined with the ferosity of their strikes..Suggestion: replace questionable hooks with triple XXX (hardened) hooks.
  11. Sk8man
    Looks like Fishnut did an incredible job on the mount Mike
  12. Sk8man
    Good report John and goodto see you're back at it here. Good luck out there.
  13. Sk8man
    Knowda you have a PM (Personal Message)
  14. Sk8man
    To me it looks like living proof that you can have a wonderful time and catch great fish without a 30 ft boat and state of the art expensive equipment. The look on that kids face proves it
  15. Sk8man
    Might also want to place the bag (s) of sand in construction grade trash bags or something as the container bags sand comes in often leaks and it can be tough to get out of the boat and when wet can clog a shop vac
  16. Sk8man
    Beautiful male specimen with a huge kype....what a fish.Different markings on the gill plate SuttonTroller.
  17. Sk8man
    " but the population must be sustained by annual hatchery supplementation despite the presence of appropriate habitat." That may be the most significant statement in the article.
  18. Sk8man
    Question regarding invasive water fleas I don't fish Lake Ontario as frequently as some of you as I fish the various Finger Lakes as well as Lake O. I have noticed every time I have fished Lake O this flea season that the previously notorius and irritating fishook type whitish grey in color and sticking to the line much as cottenwood does were replaced on my lines by light to medium green and sometimes translucent invasives that resembled prickly pears or bottle brushes and could be shaken from the lines regardless of type of line very easily while retrieving them and the other type was only very lightly present if at all. Was this different than the experience of others out there? I'm wondering if this was a localized situation or lake wide... On Caanandaigua on Sunday we had extremely gooey dark brown to black gobs of what appeared to be dying or already dead fleas all over ourlines regardless of type line and they hung in clusters andwere difficult to get off.(very slimey). On this one my hunch is that the fleas are "tanking" and dying off now on Canandaigua as part of the annual cycle. Anyone with a scientific take on this?
  19. Sk8man
    Kind of a "loaded" question ("experts") just a serious sport fisherman 30 lb stranded ss wire TO the dipsey. I use 40 or 50 lb test mono now to the attractor from the dipsey and 40-50 lb test from the attractor to the fly. If using just a spoon behind the dipsey - 30 lb Big Game mono and solid ring swivel snap. I start with about 25 ft. lead on the riggers of 30 lb Sea Flee and experiment from there. Shorter tighter lead the deeper I set the riggers usually and close to the weight around this time of the season for better hookups. I use 30 lb test Sea Flee line as mainline (to repel fleas) and 20 lb Seguar fluoro leader about 20 ft long solid ring swivel to spoon. If I run hardware off riggers (e.g. attractors) I remove the fluoro leader and go with straight 30 lb Sea Flee.
  20. Sk8man
    Beauty Brian and probably one of the reasons I don't prefish derbys anymore...get the nice ones before and or after and searching for them during Nice going bud!
  21. Sk8man
    Very cool! WTG
  22. Sk8man
    Brian I tried to adjust the pic to see the fish better> Don't know whether it helps but here it is...
  23. Sk8man
    Hell hath no fury like Lake Ontario scorned
  24. Sk8man
    I run the 124 mm Deeper Divers too and often run two per side on my 18 1/2 ft boat. I set the closest in to 1 (to stay away from my riggers) and the outside ones to 2 1/2 or 3 and they seem to run fine in terms of outward and separation between them. I seldom run smaller divers than them any longer because of the increased depth range of them.Trolling speed is always a consideration as are severe turns
  25. Sk8man
    Lilly is right. The seven strand stinless steel wire can act like a hack saw on the tip and or line guides unless the friction path is redirected by either a roller tip or a twilli. The twilli tip is the least expensive and perhaps the easiest solution for most folks as good quality roller tips can be expensive (some wellover $100 in the salt water environment) and they vary greatly in diameter so you have to pretty much know the actual diameter of the rod tip shaft and how it corresponds to the diameter number of the roller tips for a good fit. The twillis come with several adaptors in the package and the total cost is less than $10. The cheaper roller tips may have aluminum side plates which when the rod is at an inappropriate angle (say from wave action when in the rod holder) the 7 strand wire may see saw into or through the side plate. All steel roller tips with steel side plates are necessary when using the 30 lb 7 strand wire.
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