Sk8man

Yeah if you are thinking charters check out Hap Farrell of Stun Mai Charters fishing out of Rock Harbor (Orleans)

If you're referring to the pic it is a 16 lb BROWN trout

WTG Justin!... man what a beauty

If you go after Tuna you'll want a stiff roller rod instead of a downrigger rod if you want to ever use the downrigger rod again Chris' suggestion of the Goose Huummock on 6A is a good one and they carry some fairlly high end stuff and Blackbeard's a few miles up the road but on 6 (past the rotary a couple miles) )has the terminal tackle etc. less expensive and bait as well. I truly share Chris' passion for the Cape... no place like it on Earth been going there since 1967 and my in-laws lived there in Eastham/Orleans for 30 years. Larry you'll have a blast on Nantucket too.... a true fisherman's place and another favorite of mine (especially Madeket Beach the most eastern point in the U.S I believe. The main golf course there is so exclusive it turned down Bill Clinton and Bill Gates from membership and when I was last in Nantucket they had a waiting list of over 500 to pay something like $250,000 for membership according to a long time resident I spoke with.

Paul brings in some great points and as a guide and in my view an exceptional trout fisherman he is spending more time these days on this lake probably than anyone I know out there. I too believe those previous die offs had an impact on the fishery and where I used to frequently catch big ones incidentally on riggers or my Seth Greens I haven't caught a single one in the last couple years. It is interesting that the bait and fish seem to be at the north end because for years they would be heavily concentrated at the south end and middle sections of the lake in deeper water (e.g. rainbows out in the middle suspended out deep) at this point in the season with the exception of a few good fish off the drop off at the north end and at the one on the east side as well. The bait would also be heavily concentrated there in the south and middle and often near bottom. The north and south ends of the lake are like two different bodies of water from a fishing standpoint as the north end is a shallow basin stretching for a considerable distance from the north shore while the south end is very shallow at the extreme south end but quickly drops off to very deep water near shore on both sides just a relatively shorter distance from the south shore. I'm wondering perhaps if the deeper dwelling Quagga mussels are more established at the south end and perhaps straining the food for the alewives forcing them to forage at the northern part of the lake with the fish following the bait migration because the south end has seemed pretty barren with few exceptions for a while now while it used to be brown and rainbow trout "heaven".

I believe that the lake itself like most of the others around here has changed significantly. I have fished this lake for a variety of species since 1967 and as with Seneca (my original "home" lake) and others there are many environmental factors present that are major change factors taken by themselves let alone in combination. There are now many grape vineyards along the lake, with runoff likely, hundreds of new homes in developments especially along the (higher) west side of the lake (with intermittent flooding in some years) and I have seen for myself in the development in which I live and increase in homes from 25 to over 250) and landscape companies spreading fertilizer not only on these lawns but also getting it directly on the sidewalks and gutters that empty directly via the sewer into the lake. These fertilizers and pesticides have very clear warnings on them that say they are toxic to fish and other water inhabitants. The recreational boating traffic on the lake has increased by a hundred fold since the earlier times. with cigar boats, ski boats, and a multitude of jet skis often starting in the early morning hours and running throughout the day and I am quite sure that the fish are spooked by all this commotion and noise. I can hear some of these cigar boats cranking from my home a half mile away and up a thousand feet off the lake just as though they are in my yard. Right now is the height of the tourism season (boat rentals, people using their docked boat at he marinas etc.) so this is pronounced compared with early Spring or Fall when things are much reduced. All of this is on top of major water quality changes generated by invasives like increased clarity of the water because of the phytoplankton and zooplankton being filtered out putting increased pressure on the baitfish populations and possibly leading to huge crashes ion some such as the rainbow smelt which used to be present in huge numbers and serves as a complementary forage base to the alewives. The levels of these Zebras and Quagga mussels is pretty high as suggested by the large floating foam accumulations across the surface of the lake. I have used recording capable depth finders since 1979 or so and I can tell you that the bait concentrations although present are nothing like they used to be nor is the density of fish marked despite the increased resolution and capabilities of depth finders spotting bottom dwelling bait and fish. In the past I have marked literally miles of bait sometimes more than 100 ft. high at the south end and middle portions of the lake and although there are still some intermittent pods it is nothing like in the past suggesting to me perhaps the missing smelt as well as reduced sawbelly population. This stuff is just off the top of my head and I'm not a research scientist but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that things have changed greatly out there either. There are still some large lakers and browns out there but they are much less common as time goes on and different methods of fishing for them need to be explored. The rainbows seem to be pretty healthy and although not as numerous as in the past there si still a pretty healthy population present but again I think the heavy boat traffic is a factor.

Sounds as though you had fun and that is what it is all about and you also got to experience the other side of it ...the recreational boating crowd If you decide to come back again send me a PM beforehand and I'll be glad to help you out in any way I can. There still are some fish in here....

Gammo makes a scoped .177 cal. 1250 FPS pellet gun called "Silent Cat" guess it might be a coincidence

They've moved right onto Route #6 now (nearby). I found the info: Blackbeard's Bait and Tackle 3700A Route 6 North Eastham Mass. 02651 Tel: (508) 240-3369

Just a suggestion Larry but it may be worth a short trip to Blackbeard's Bait and Tackle just east of Eastham/Orleans on Rt 6. They can set you up with everything you need as well as info. The guys there are very helpful and know exactly what is happening out there from day to day. The place is right on Rt 6.

This might be a good example of a difference between statistical modeling and real life situations I understand the logic behind what you are saying Jerry.

Basically you need at least 3 data point to make any inference about a "trend" anyway.

Might want to try some Sea Foam in the gas or through the carburator.

After using these things since the 70's on the Fingers the yellow clown color is the top producer, followed by lime green, red on silver, and as Gambler mentioned the old blue luminous. Just a little tip: you can use nail polish with a protective coating of acrylic nail polish hardener to experiment with colors and "glitter" on them. One of the most effective additions is to add red spot eyes outlined with a black sharpie especially on the "clowns" or white with reddish pink dots. There is also a larger type (manufacturer?) that works well and is about double the size of the standard one and slightly different shape. The skirted ones do work too. Here is one from the old days with a vinyl skirt Although it is not "rocket science" to use the do it yourself approach my advice would be to get some of Gambler's setups to at least start with to be successful right off the bat as he has the lakers "dialed in".

In watching this particular thread progress it strikes me just how important this website is to the fishing community and how whether sport fisherman or charters or American or Canadian we are all in this together and all have a very big stake in these issues both short and long term. The expression of varied opinions and perspectives and willingness to share them is also vital to the process and we are all benefiting from this discussion in understanding this complex problem. I would hope that the DEC and Canadian counterpart are exposed to this information and set of opinions as well and that it somehow helps shape their thinking and actions in the end through concerted group pressure. We all need to remain vigilant and informed and I for one appreciate the sharing of information that is taking place here.