Capt Vince Pierleoni

Plans are already being made to try to minimze the impact of cormorants in this area. I'm not sure if going far out in the lake is the answer as that opens them up to other predators. What definitely needs to happen immediately all over the Lake is high impact cormorant control. These devils are eradicating alot more than just Chinook plants.

While a good thought, it won't happen due to egg disease issues/concerns. To solve the "eggs in one basket" issue, the DEC needs to set up an additional hatchery for Chinook production. Yes, it would be ideal if Altmar could get it done but it has proven to fail in too many seasons(egg eye up, cold water and flow problems causing issues, space issues in Spring with Steelhead arriving). Some here have suggested utilizing more of the eggs and sperm from the NY/Ontario wild strain. I think this is a great idea as a higher percentage of those return as 4 yr olds and are better adapted to this climate and prey varieties.

Rolmops, those 80 lbers of which you speak reach those weights because they are a longer lived strain-7 yrs to return. The 2 yr olds would not be necessarily any larger than our 2 yr olds. The 4 yr olds in Lake Ontario are still behemoths, deep bodied tanks with huge tails and fins. More of each class needs to survive so the 4 yr portion is larger. The cormorants and skilled anglers are cropping the new lower survival amount. Survival must be increased as priority one.

The Lakes were ruined years ago when the Seaway was built and the Alewife and sea lamprey invaded. The Pacific Salmon program was, is, and always will be part of the solution. FACT.

Lucas, Lake trout are opportunists above and beyond anything else. Yes, they love gobies but they also love the taste and texture of tube jigs. They are eating a ton of gobies but many anglers noticed Lakers higher in the column during Summer months in some locations due to the abundance of adult alewife. There are many periods of time when gobies and Lakers are in the same locations but the reason for the additional Lake trout stocking is "just because." You weren't asked and neither was I. It is not to control goby populations, it is a federal initiative to restore a self sustaining population of Lake trout to the Great Lakes. Although this isn't all bad( lamprey control occurs mainly to protect Lake trout & huge Lakers are kinda cool) it is the opinion of many that it is too much of a priority and the other species management is suffering.

It is my understanding that the clipping study will go on another 2 years. Returning to streams this year are 2 yr old clipped Kings and 4 yr old clipped Kings. There are also 3 yr old mature Kings that will not provide any data as the clipping was skipped that year. Many of us are looking forward to next year. Based on all the young fish out there if they make it through the winter it should be better. Keep in mind that many of these could be the result of strong natural hatches and does not resolve any of the concerns we have with the hatchery or stocking practices.

Sadly Skipper, our efforts to do that many years ago were again met with DEC opposition. Retired insiders told us it was because they did not want the stakeholders and user groups to think they had more of a say in management decisions. Sound familiar? Many of us have been cooperating 100% with the DEC and Fed field techs regarding the clipping study. We are hopeful that this info/data is truly going to be used to improve things and not just yet another delay tactic.

Actually K Red, young Bass anglers recently told me they watched the cormorants stealing 12--14" Largemouth from the shallows of Wilson harbor. Others had told me they have decimated the Greece ponds and Braddocks of Largemouth and there is still many hanging around there. There has been documentation of cormorants relentlessly diving on Lake Ontario stockings and thats got to stop.

Wow. Lifetime memories for sure. Congrats!

Rollie, the insinuation that this is all about financial gain could not be further from the truth. Actually, it's been quite the opposite. I have been bombed with inquiries because of the slow fishing/low King numbers. Guys who just want to get their lifetime friends or ailing relative hooked up before they head home. Anyone who knows us knows we weren't short of business. No, it's about being there as a kid when it was a wasteland and watching it rise above the ashes. I have never lived more than 8 miles from the south shore. There may come a day when the carrying capacity of pelagics is reduced, but that day is not now.

Its been bad over here too. Last Saturday approx half were sans nav lights.

There is much happening behind the scenes. In the Western basin we have been concerned with the low Fall returns for several years. We have tried the diplomatic approach and all we have encountered is stall tactics. When there was funding for another hatchery it was met with road block after road block. This was very telling. Those of us actively working with the DEC staff who get their hands dirty do not blame them. We know its at the top of this broken State. There is much more than bickering going on and I and many others have admitted there is much more we can do to improve things--starting with making sure the cormorants don't get all the released Salmon and trout.

There is zero evidence anywhere, that backing off predation on alewives results in increased catch rates of Walleye, Yellow perch, or Lake Trout. It is in fact, just the opposite. Alewife are a voracious predator of the hatches of all three of these species. The catch rates for those species could/already have increased over there(Lake Michigan) out of necessity due to less Chinook, but that read like propaganda. The weaning has begun.

IRon, we do give a rip. We enjoy contributions regarding the Michigan fishery. Thanks.

Good stuff, Rick. I thought you would end up a torch carrier. The bottomline is comparing Michigan to Ontario at THIS time is apples and oranges--other than the agenda which sportsmen seem to have no say in--Lake Trout priority one. There is surplus bait for the pelagics in Lake Ontario at this time. Yes, they did stock 3 yrs ago but keep in mind that much of that was "paper numbers.' If direct stocks are in poor condition they don't contribute. Our fishery in open lake is driven by natural fish and pen held fish. Returns in the western basin are mostly pen fish. On top of the quality challenges of hatchery product, predation by countless cormorants and increased warm water species is not being factored into any equation. Lastly, the skill of the average angler has skyrocketed and the Pacific Salmon are the targets day in and day out for obvious reasons. I feel strongly that our fishery can be turned around quickly with much more care and concern given to the Pacific Salmon species. Not only does this increase quality fishing opportunity and lakeshore/state economies, but helps all species including the native effort by balancing the ecosystem.

The 2 yr class is carrying my port. These are clipped and weigh 12--16lbs. It looked like a good class but if lots of them matured due to an absense of older fish or due to the excessive alewife population(fast growth=early maturity) then they wont be as strong of a class as 3 yr olds. Repeat-there is NOT a growth problem. WHEN we get a 4 yr old, they are the usual 22--30lb fish. We have had several "jacks" of late, 1.5 yr old mature males--they have weighed as much as 8lbs, which is excellent growth even for a King. The whispers that have leaked out are that a different, CHEAPER food was used at the hatchery for a few years. This would be like putting low octane fuel in your tow vehicle or an NFL team only eating pop tarts the week leading up to the game. Unreal. This creates all kinds of problems as smaller direct stocked fish end up as fish food in most cases--if they survive at all. Lets hope this was the primary problem. With some areas experiencing good natural hatches, it makes you think about the whole gauntlet the fish have to go through. In the wild, very few smaller matures earn the right to get the good gravel. It's the "law of the jungle." When the big fanged and hooked jaw Chinny slides in, the smaller ones scramble--survival of the fittest. If they dont leave he will grab them and throw them off the bed. Unless the DEC is taking only the fittest specimens at stripping time, we are asking for trouble.

Good advice. This should not be your headache. If you dont get satisfaction from dealer contact Starcraft. It's not just a performance issue but a safety/liability issue. Mention that to your dealer or manufacturer and watch the action come.

Nice, Rick. The heritage of our forefathers. Did you trade any for pelts and gun powder or just rubles and medallions?

There is a highly respected biologist in the DEC who believes that there is a strong correlation between the number of adult Lake trout in the lake, and King salmon survival. If you think about it, the recent downturn in Chinny numbers does coincide with the uptick in the adult Lake trout numbers. Remember, the feds were having problems producing the target number of Lake trout for several years. No, stocking less Kings is NOT the answer. The adult alewives are the wolves in this scenario. If they are not brought in check, the yoy Alewives and emerald shiners will have trouble bouncing back. We do not have a growth problem, we have a numbers problem and age structure problem. Today we had a 1 1/2 yr old mature "Jack" male King that weighed 8 lbs. In 2013 our team set two different tournament format weight records--why? Because the 2009 natural hatch was incredible along with good survival of that years stocked fish. As 3 yr olds the lake was "alive" with competing Salmon from East to west. That year class produced a good number of 4 yr olds that matured in 2013. We do not have a growth issue, we have a numbers issue.

Not a big drinker but good drafts are where its at for me. Rohrbach Scotch ale WAS my fav until we were at Sodus Pro-Am and I tasted a "Raging ****" at Captain Jack's. I think they said it was from the Flying dog brewery in MD.