Sk8man

I think sometimes we may take a lot of things for granted (e.g. the DEC) and don't fully appreciate the time and effort that goes into making this fishery what it is and still can be. I also regret not being at the meeting the other night but I am also grateful to the guys that went (e.g. Rick, Jerry. and others) and for sharing your impressions with others on here and Vince for sharing his opinions which offer cogent alternative ways of thinking about these complex issues . I sincerely hope this all turns out right and that the lake gets back to a good balance. A good part of this will really reside with Mother Nature in the final analysis and hopefully she will cut us a break

Nice going Ted . Sounds encouraging at least to know there are some trout out there. This is the tough part of the season for me as I'm torn between the perch and trout fishing....guess it isn't such a bad problem to have though

One of the things I've been thinking about is that we had a record number of days in the 90's this year temperature and the amount of penetrating sunlight available had to be at record levels as well and with low water levels I wonder what this might mean as weed growth is very dependent on available sunlight as well as higher water temps and algae as well I should think.

I honestly think Vince is correct in his assessment of the situation. Scott- the computer/meeting approach has been done successfully by business for awhile now but unfortunately after nearly 34 years of working for the state I can tell you that they are not the most computer savvy folks even in terms of their main systems and the DEC has not even been able to put the fishing diary cooperator logs online let alone something more complicated . Most of the state computer system is very antiquated and for many reasons.

Good luck this weekend folks. I strongly suspect next year you'll keep lakers in the mix though here. It hasn't been easy fishing out here this season for most. Let's hope the weather cooperates but we sure as heck need some rain around here.

The apparent poor turnout is regrettable but sometimes it is a good idea not to throw stones until you actually know the "position or nature" of the"target". The ability to post something regarding the issue on here while engaged in other pressing issues or business or unplanned events (like vehicle problems) is very different than arranging to travel distances in the evening (e.g. older people driving in the dark with f'd up eyesight at night etc.). I'm sure there are many reasons that transcend the stocking issue in people's lives which does in no way diminish the issues involved or the desire to see things turn out right.

I'm with Vince

I launched at the south end of Canandaigua Saturday with my boat and outboard which is pretty much the equivalent of a 20 footer without problems. I was at the north end ramp last weekend and although I didn't go there to fish or launch the boat I spoke with the girl that was examining the boats for invasives and she said about 60 boats had been in and out again from the channel but I would recommend going out on shallow water drive or with your lower unit up aways. The lake is lower than I have ever seen it right now and there is an advisory in effect as far as using caution navigating near shore.

I'm pretty sure in the past they have treated both places (i.e. Catherines and the outlet).

Good going Brian. Glad to see you are back in action bud.

It is probably no accident that you spotted them near the Keuka Outlet as that is a major spawning area in addition to Catherines and they nail the browns something fierce there too. In the past I have had them actually attach to the transom of my little Whaler in the late Fall and winter. They were probably grabbing the first large object they saw for the least energy expenditure. I hope that the large size means the young ones are on the decline from the previous treatments Nick .

As far as kickers go I recently bought a long shaft 9.8 4 stroke to replace my 1987 9.9 2 stroke long shaft. I was able to steer my boat with the 2 stroke long shaft without a steering connector although I had the EZ steer set up on it originally. I found that I could steer the boat in most conditions with the big motor (135 outboard) without it. The exception was in real windy conditions (e.g. white cap stuff) which I had to use the big motor most of the time. The new 4 stroke is able to run it into even stiff wind without having to crank up the big one. It seems to have more torque at the prop I believe as everything else is virtually the same (e.g. 20 inch shaft, similar 3 blade prop, 91 lbs vs. 87 on the 2 stroke). I don't think it pushes the boat as fast top end though but that is important only in an emergency situation and the gas economy is more important there with a separate 3 gal. tank. It works sweet.

Very encouraging news Jason. Thanks for posting it and thanks to all you folks involved in "rescuing" the derby Sounds great!

Hope you had a great one Hank!

The 8 or 8 1/2 ft medium light Daiwa Heartlands or Okuma GLT rods are relatively inexpensive and will do the job. They have responsive tips necessary for a downrigger rod and enough backbone for most trout and salmon setups yet can still serve as walleye rods as well. The Daiwa Sealine series, Coldwater, or Saltists will work well in 30 size. Blood Run Sea Flee in 30 lb (because of the fleas) is a good option for the main line and then leader off of it with Seaguar fluoro leaders 20 lb for Ontario (12 for Spring browns) and 12 lb elsewhere (e.g. Finger Lakes). I use the 20 lb fluoro on worm harnesses as well. Although line counters aren't necessary for the downrigger stuff they can be handy for walleyes and for top lining in the Spring and late Fall. I have about a dozen of the older Diawa 47H's and they work fine for everything.