Sk8man

Nothing like a good captain with a great attitude

The absolute best bait I ever used for big carp (and catfish as well) is corn meal balls (cooked in a pressure cooker until they are like soft play dough and made about the size of a marble

The first thing I consider is getting SOLID RING (not split ring) swivels The split ring type can cut the line with heavy fish (it cost me a real money fish a few years ago in a derby)

It is interesting given the size and nature of Ithaca (right at the end of the lake, a lot of tourism etc.) that there isn't a tackle store right there.... my daughter goes to college there and I spent a morning a while back looking for a tackle place unsuccessfully. You would think that it would be a pretty good market with the lake so close by. I did notice though that a lot of actual shopping is done outside of town (e.g. Triphammer Mall) other than the great restaurants and a few clothing boutiques etc.

I think the problem you encountered is more related to weather factors than anything else...the incredibly cold winter we had has set back the clock on things environmentally. For example the trees around here appear about a week or two behind the usual (still budded instead of full fledged leaves etc. Most folks are reporting colder than usual water temps in close and the bait appears to still be out deep in many places yet so the fish aren't in in the usual numbers yet where they might be expected. You might try working out deeper than usual for this time of year and toward the bottom and also look for wherever you can find bait pods and fish that area. At this time of year wind direction can really mess up the water no matter where you are fishing...sometimes in just a few hours.

Actual silver plating as on Sutton Spoons.....has the greatest visibility under water....not real durable finish over time but VERY effective

Ditto on Chris' comments....you know it was tough fishing if you guys had trouble....Les

I second that recommendation. Very competent and great service.

We used to disassemble the Luhr Jensen Ford Fender troll and use the single blades the same way the Shortbus Flashers are rigged....