Capt Vince Pierleoni

"Poor planning on YOUR part does not constitute an emergency on MY part"

Sorry to break this to you Matt, but their preliminary findings fly directly in the face of what most ardent anglers observed last season. Last September they said there was still additional data to compile but they did not see excessive numbers using their collection methods. Lakewide, anglers shared that adult alewives spent more time high in the water column and perhaps the bottom trawls missed alot of whats out there. My concern all along has been if the alewife population is left excessively large in relation to the number of pelagic predators, that they could be in dire straits with another winter like what we are experiencing. I thought the plan was to control alewife with Chinook Salmon(last season there wasn't a whole lot of controlling going on) which helps the system in many ways, and of course brings a great economic shot in the arm to both NY and Ontario province. Instead, it appears the lakes Alewives will be dedicated to more and more Lake trout, a noble fish but not Chinook Salmon in any way, shape, or form.

LOLOLOL. I laughed at this when I read it, I was thinking the same thing. It's like oh so many things, you shouldn't look but ya keep coming back for more.

Wow, I did not know about this. Get well Bruce.

Yes Steve, "seriously." All I can share is my experience. My credibility in the fishing industry is highly regarded. I've fished professionally for 31 yrs and work with several of the highest regarded companies around. I moved over to Okuma in 2000, BECAUSE of drag issues with another big name reel co. Soon after, Okuma devoured market share in the Great Lakes market primarily due to complacency by some of the other companies. Now, if you enjoy some other brands upgrades in recent years its because they stepped up their game. Still, all of them have issues of some kind or another. My experience was never with the economy lines like Magda but the convectors were excellent in 2000, and several other lines were launched catering to the Great Lakes, Catalina, Clarion, and even the 55L Solterra answering the anglers requests for a powerful high capacity copper reel. My reels--all Okuma consist of 20D Convectors for lightline Spring shoreline fishing(many a King hooked along the way--excellent drags) 30 Catalinas of both vintages the early silver ones and the gold trimmed da models are used for most everything else, riggers, wire divers included. Leadcores are primarily fished on Clarion 553's--a high speed reel that also sports a great drag. This reel is also excellent for coppers up to 300' sections. 400' coppers and up go on Solterra 55Ls. I also have a set of rigger rods with Clarion 453's for when conditions dictate a high speed reel. From April through early October we will be on the lake nearly every day and will also fish 10 tournaments this year(some in Canada), I invite you stop down to the docks at anytime and ask for one of my outfits and give it the ole "pull check" if you'd like. None of my reels have ever been sent to Tuna Toms but I wouldnt hesitate to do so if needed. Many of my associates have sent their reels there, and many of them have been the brands you favor. Now, we practice 2 disciplines that prevent the vast majority of drag issues--1) Every single reel is stored with the drags fully relaxed at all times. I learned this in the 80's with the sealines--they would set up and chatter if you put them away tightened up. 2) we do not leave our rods/reels out in the weather. Everywhere we go we see outfits baking in the sun and getting soaked in the rain. Ours are only out when out fishing. Like I said I'm going to dig into the issues the OP had, but my experiences with drags in the above models have been the best I've ever experienced with Great Lakes reel. Good luck on the water.

Matt I'm going to dig around on this. The ONLY reel I've heard having drag issues when new was the first run Coldwaters. I can assure you, I have Catalinas that have landed THOUSANDS of fish and I often ask myself if they will ever need a set of drag washers. Mine are all 2 yrs old plus, so I'm going to look into this. That Catalina 30da is built like a watch. This said, I have heard that Tuna dude has bailed out reel owners of all manufacturers.

Rod, thanks for the craftsmanship and artwork you did for the events in the past. Great to hear you will be in more Tournys this year!

Rick he could be talking about Darren's or Danny's boats. If so those are 32's.

Great riggers. I believe the 5's have the same auto stops as the 10's and they are the best.

I bought one there as well. Paperwork all ready to go out the door. Since that time I have learned Krenzers in Sodus Pt and Collins marine near Grand Island are both also Venture dealers with similar prices.

There are wizzards on this site that could pull that off!

Ok, I will apologize in advance for these non-fishing/hunting items. I would rather price them cheap to fellow Sportsmen than deal with the general public. 1) Most flatscreen TVs have horrible sound. Much cheaper than a sound bar, I have a Sony home theatre 3 yrs old with a built in DVD player/receiver w/ remote. This has the front middle, 2 sides, and a woofer. Good stereo sound but no rear speakers. Was $300 new for sale here for $50. 2)Girls/Womens 15 speed bike, like new. Powder blue. Roadmaster brand, $20.

Thanks for the kind words, Chris. Whether you want to participate or not, as Rick said being around the "tourny scene" is a blast and you can feel the electricity in the air. My favorite story about the "Big Dangle" or the "Fast lane fishing team" was a June KOTL tourny held out of Whitby at the time. They were penalized and forced to start 30 mins later than everyone else on Sat morning because they were late to the Captains meeting. It was well known that the best concentration of Kings was around Toronto--a pretty fair run from Whitby. At the blast off 99% of the boats were screaming west, but despite being held back 30 mins they arrived at the fishing grounds at the same time as 99% of the boats in the event! Huge diesels in that bad boy!

You are not wrong, Chris! Great guys who definitely have the Tourny bug. Trust me, its a 52 fter but its a speed demon!

I figured that was the case. Well, start by telling the forum where you are located and how far you are willing to travel. If you dont hear from anyone, walk the docks and introduce yourself to as many operators as you can. No one will consider even a teaching gig without meeting you in person. Good luck!

Humminbird.

Depends on the operation you are potentially working for. Most legit Captains carry insurance that covers one crew member. There are MANY illegal operations, so be sure any potential operator you work with has an updated license and crew and liability insurance.

There is no one answer to this. When the mate is a son or grandson, sometimes they start very young. Otherwise generally not younger than 16. Requirements are energetic, eager to learn, ability to get along with a myriad of different personalities, reliable, safety minded, capable of taking instruction, capable of handling constructive criticism. Sense of humor ius very handy.

Nick the Marketplace "flea" is the Sunday Jan 25th and it will run side by side with the main show which is in same bldg Jan 23--25. More and more of the manufacturers are exhibiting in the main show and the marketplace. I know Dreamweaver and Fish Hawk will be there. All the info should be on the LOTSA website and I would think setting up a new rig it would be worth the ride for you. Its in NF NY.