Sk8man

The docks were still in earlier this week when I was perch fishing nand the handicap dock is in all the time anyway at this time of year but you'll need to be careful and have your lower unit or outdrive up a bit as there is some sort of obstruction (looks like a light colored boxy item in about 3 ft of water right near the south edge of the Inn on the lake hotel building and just a hair west of the center of the canal so stay a little to the left going out toward the lake at that point. I nailed it going out and luckily I was going slow so it didn't do any visible damage. Fast trolling with medium to small spoons is usually the ticket this time of year.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/this-year%E2%80%99s-disgusting-green-algal-bloom-in-lake-erie-was-the-most-severe-on-record/ar-BBmWfWZ?ansmsnnews11

If you need the counter think about the Sealine 57SGLC3B. Very nice reel good capacity and retrieval rate, reasonable size/weight and smooth effective drag.... I love mine.

Thanks for posting. I remember the day it happened and for awhile they thought the ship may have been taken someplace by the wind and they were hoping it didn't sink.....only to discover there was not a trace.... real lesson about the ferocity of the Great Lakes each of them has its true danger and it always has to be kept in the back of ones mind when out there.

JJ you have a PM

For the past few weeks of perch fishing I and my friends have experienced unbelievable rudeness from fellow perch fishermen and I don't mean young inexperienced guys either. These idiots have either moved right in next to us with their motors going, or gone to their spots full tilt driving right between us and land ruining any chance of a drift or catching fish for that matter as well as following from place to place. Pretty unnecessary as well as rude....big lakes with lots of room out there. Another thing is the brazen disregard for the law and greedy "take care of your own butt and f everyone else" attitude including one guy who with his partner actually proudly displayed his cooler full of perch at the launch ramp with about 150 to 200 of them a lot of them little too....unreal....50 limit and they take double that and no DEC guys to do anything about it. I honestly think the limit should be reduced to 25 keepers with a 9 inch minimum size (compatible with the reg on Crappies), that it should be strictly enforced by DEC and that nobody should be allowed to sell them. They will be the first to complain when the perch are decimated by their own actions.

Always leave mine in after making sure all water is out (I can visually check my bilge from the rear of the boat by opening up a compartment lid (boat is stored inside barn near my house) but I place a garbage bag with an open bag of charcoal briquettes inside the interior of the boat which is completely covered by custom canvas to absorb any potential moisture to prevent mildew. I also cover the prop on motor with a garbage bag and bungee cord and cover/block any places where rodents might get in as well as encase the transducer wires for my depth finders with plastic sheathing and duct tape to prevent potential chewing despite never having it happen.... but rodents of various types can be attracted to the urea component in the plastic covering of wires.

What about the stuff you spray (rubberized stuff) on gutters? or the stuff they advertise on TV for fixing leaks? As long as it adheres it would also flex and not be brittle and it sounds as though you don't currently actually have leaks so more of an added precaution than a "fix".

Thy are a blast to fish for Rollie. As a kid we used to fish the heavily and used corn meal balls about the size of marbles.....they hammer them. When we cooked them we let them set a while in lemon juice (to reduce the fishiness) before breading them and baking in the oven. Same with bullheads. Later in life I became a little concerned about them being "bottom feeders" with all the pollutants now in the waters around here so I haven't had them in a long time. Never had them smoked though.

Awful hard to keep them lit Rollie sorry....couldn't keep myself from being a wise-azz.....must have been the coffee

I'm already over the edge (the norm for me) and my last outing before putting the boat away will be for trout and Ted's report offers good encouragement (nice going Ted). Little to no room left in the fridge for more perch anyhow I should think Bob should be in the same situation too.....

Mike Dan is right both riggers and dipseys much like your chain saw and pole clip are different but useful tools in the arsenal

Pequod 1 is 100 percent on the mark with his strategy and it is chlorine in tap water not ammonia.. I use two aquarium filters and keep a couple buckets of lake water handy in my garage for replenishing. I also have a portable aerator that I take with me in a 5 gal bucket when I am using the bait to keep them alive and healthy in case I have left overs to return home. With larger bait like shiners etc. you can't put as many in the container as you might with say fatheads. The round container point is also a good one and can be critical especially with fragile bait like sawbellies. It is also important not to "shock" the bait by introducing too extreme changes in water temps. . Ice cubes do contain chlorine if taken from tap water but if just using the bait say in the boat that day it can help in hot weather because it reduces oxygen consumption but I don't then return unused bait home afterward and placing a small frozen water bottle in the bucket can also help and will more gradually reduce the water temp than the cubes. The key to keeping them is related mainly to oxygen consumption and you 'll know if either the water temp is too high and/or the density or number of them is too great if they are at the top of the container "gulping" air even with aerators present. When in the boat or even shore fishing with bait I frequently take out and add lake water to my bait container.

Pap is right about the garbage bag over the prop I do it too. Make sure if the motor has been in an up position that you lower it fully to let out any water that may be inside and drain your bilge compartment as well.