Sk8man

Just like Tim B I ran 12 lb (Hombre which became Berkley Big Game)on all my rods for everything including kings for many years (Daiwa 47H's with about 500 yds) but with the invasion of the fleas I switched to 30 lb Big Game and Blood Run SeaFlea line and fluoro leaders for spoons during the flea season (Fingers and Lake O)....but for the Spring non-flea season I have downrigger rods setup with the 12 lb test and I leave them that way and switch to the other 30 lb test rods as soon as the fleas start and then switch back when the fleas aren't present in quantity any longer in the Fall

That is what I call walleye fishing! beauties.....

Not sure about today but New Years day we did pretty good on the bass and panfish.

About 6 years ago I tried the top of the line Ryobi 18 volt and then a Dewalt and couldn't get them to do much at all (they may be different now). I then bought a Bosch 18 volt Lithium Ion Hammer drill with 2 Lithium Ion batteries and whammo....over 50 holes using a 7 inch Lazer blade auger on 6 inch ice on a single battery. After thousands of holes later I still use the same batteries. I used an Ice Master II adapter/conversion kit which I had to "adjust" by filing down the hex sides on the spindle so they were flatter and the drill chuck can get abetter purchase on them but that was it. I use the drill on the low speed high torque setting and have to be careful because it has so much torque it actually can pull you toward the hole. Keep the battery off the ice and if possible between major moves put it in your jacket to keep it warm....that way I have never had to use a second battery despite drilling a lot of holes. Keep blades very sharp and let up on pressure when drilling as you get near the water so the torque lessens.

Just as an update - people are fishing both the north and south end of Honeoye today. There is about 5 plus inches of ice.

Yes it is We went out two days after that post and there was3-4 inches of solid ice. It is now at least 5 inches plus.

Thanks Tom

I'm still unclear whether everyone has to take it right now (except for exempt people) or if it is geared only for folks under18 yrs. what's the scoop?

The issue in my mind that is unclear is they refer to a 10 round magazine limit....they haven't to my knowledge ever said anything about a round in the chamber in addition to the ten in the magazine....anyone know any different for sure?

Here is the email I just received from Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb: Good Afternoon, I would like to take this opportunity to update you on the recent court ruling regarding the New York State SAFE Act. I am encouraged that one of the most onerous stipulations of the SAFE Act, the seven-round limit in magazines, was rescinded. As I have previously stated, this is a terrible bill, brought about through a terrible process that tramples on the constitutional freedoms of law-abiding gun owners. However, I am dismayed that other stipulations of the SAFE Act were upheld, particularly the ban on so-called assault rifles. While acknowledging that those types of firearms are “commonly used,†the judge said the State can regulate items that are deemed a threat to public safety. I would point out that far more New Yorkers are killed by baseball bats than semi-automatic rifles. The New York State Rifle and Pistol Association and its President Tom King should be commended for their continued hard work on this litigation. I will continue to be a vocal opponent on this issue in Albany and will continue to provide updates as the legal process continues. Below, please find links to recent local and national stories regarding the Federal Court rulings on the SAFE Act. Thank you, Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb http://www.whec.com/news/stories/S3265192.shtml http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/01/nyregion/federal-judge-upholds-majority-of-new-york-gun-law.html?ref=nyregion&_r=0 Contact Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb District Office: 607 West Washington Street, Suite 2, Geneva, NY 14456, Phone: (315) 781-2030 Albany Office: 933 Legislative Office Building, Albany, NY 12248, Phone: (518) 455-3751 E-mail: [email protected] Find me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter To unsubscribe from this e-mail please click HERE

The only criticism I've ever had with my Fl-20 is that they designed it with too many separate scales on the face. I know from human factors engineering that humans have a great deal of trouble discriminating between and interpreting more than 3 or4 things on an instrument face or panel. I discussed this issue with the design techs at Vexilar and they designed the FL-22 with that in mind....(not just my input but complaints from other users as well). The new digital readout add-on solves that in terms of looking at the screen from a little distance and knowing the specific depth regardless of range setting.

Question: What would be the reason/rationale for having different criteria depending on zone or region? Is it because of the judge's jurisdiction?

The low power setting has nothing to do with any problems with the Vexilar. It is basically because it is TOO powerful at shallow depth where there is a lot of weed growth and the return signal bands are very close together so if the lower power setting is used the signal from the weeds is"muted" or "filtered" and the signal from a more dense object such as a fish appears stronger and more "distinct" It is a different concept than the Marcum uses (increased power for increased target separation. I should also like say that my recommendation regarding a zoom wasn't intended to make anyone feel that I was disparaging their units for NOT having one...I was merely saying that after owning many units without it I feel that it is a real handy thing to have if you are considering buying a unit for the first time.

The Humminbirds are fine and do a good job(my son uses one) but they don't seem as hardy as some others....especially the the transducer and battery life....something to look at....(he has had 2 transducers and 3 batteries while I haven't replaced anything in my Vex and we bought them at the same time and used them together so same usage) Also it was mentioned that high power is good for separating out weeds (such as in shallow areas) but it is actually the opposite...low power to "filter" out weeds...some units (like mine) even have a special low power setting just for that.

Sneaky - I've had many flashers over the years including the first Vexilar model ever made and there is one function I would strongly recommend to you no matter which brand you decide on.....get one with a ZOOM function. They have different zoom ranges so that will depend on the type of fishing you intend to do (and species you are after). Basically the zoom magnifies a portion of the water column within the transducers cone coverage. Why is that important? Because you can actually monitor the fishes behavior as they come into the cone coverage area...say for example from the bottom up to12 ft.up from bottom or so and some flashers have more coverage options. As a fish comes into the cone the flasher detects changing signal strength of the object (fish) and as it approaches the center of the cone coverage the flasher converts the signal strength to a color band on the face of the flasher usually going from a weak signal (green at outer edge of cone) to orange or yellow colored band (closer to the center) and red when entering the center of the cone coverage...thus you know when the fish is below you. The width of the color band is also important asit can be an indicator of relative size of the object (fish)You don't always know exactly where though because of the shape of the cone and the way the signal is interpreted. The zoom also allows you to see your bait or jig better when your gain (sensitivity ) is set properly so that you can actually watch fish behavior such as fish movement, an approaching fish to the bait, one getting ready to bite (hopefully) or one becoming disinterested and leaving the area around your bait. You can also learn important things about your jigging technique, how to set your sensitivity to that particular bait or jig, and how well individual jigs sink, what type of motion imparts a desired action in it to the fish so they strike and a million other "finer points" . You can often also see the condition of your minnow if used (whether alive and swimming or not). There is a learning curve to using them and the more you do it the faster and more completely you figure things out below you....but basically you are interpreting color bands instead of fish marks on the screen and inmany cases it is a much richer "picture" in some respects.

Yes they certainly are "elusive"

and on behalf of Vets everywhere may God bless you Rollie.

There is from 3 inches to 4 inches of ice on Honeoye as of today. There were guys out there with their shelters (even way north of the launch)but I wasn't one of them....we went with the "old school" bucket approach for now

Welcome to LOU and congrats on the retirement. I'm nearly in year 12 of it and loving every moment. I put in my 4 years (Air Force Air Police Vietnam Era) and that was enough for me... Best of luck with the fishing.