Capt Vince Pierleoni

Happy 30th Chad! A smart play would be to hang arond your uncle Jer today, as there would surely be french onion soup and seafood with drawn butter nearby. Have a great day.

Just wanted to take an opportunity to congratulate the big winners "Blade Runner", "Break-a-way", and "Screamer". The volunteers and Kevin Jerge did a great job. The new tourny trailer looks great, and the refreshing spirit of cooperation bodes well for event fishing on Lake Ontario.

Yes, the Newfane marina slips sell out for Pro-Am. They will take phone reservations I believe. Otherwise the overflow goes to McDonoughs or Hedleys. The sooner the better.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Glen.

Congrats, Jeremy. I don't know the details yet but nice job. As for the new-to-you boat, it IS a Penn Yan!

Paul, spoken like a true, red blooded Erie, Pennsylvanian!

The days are gone of just doing it casually. Way too much overhead and responsibility. If you are sure you are competent enough in the type of fishing and the waters you will be doing it in, then the first step is documenting your sea time. These days there are courses that can expedite the learning of the text portion. My suggestion would be to crew/mate for a veteran Captain first, but be upfront with him as to your ultimate goal. You will see sides of the business that you may not otherwise, and it will serve you well if you proceed and save you gobs of money if you don't.

Good for you, Pete! Congrats and best of luck with her! "Shock top" fits the bill, I owe you a couple!

It is done with a high speed assembly line-type machine, and some of the techs / biologists have stated a possible 30% "slip by" rate. All the super heavyweights I saw last season were clipped, it makes sense because they get a fast start instead of scrounging. That being said, the true naturals have a better chance for "delayed maturity", leaving them out there for another year of growth.

Definitely a high point in stocks(correct balance), and the scenario written by Rod/Paul? is dead on as far the distribution throughout the western basin. I think a huge factor in the survival of the fingerling Kings is due to the dedicated individuals on both sides of "the fence". Back in the early 90's when we were first pushing for pen projects(Michigan was leading the way, once again due to volunteers and clubs-not the DNR), we were told by DEC King proponents that even an increase of 20% in the size of the fingerlings at the time of release increased survival exponentially. It goes back to the law of the jungle-"eat or be eaten." Being just a bit bigger meant less predators could eat them or catch them, and the fingerlings were big enough to be predators themselves. In my opinion, the emerald shiner population has a huge impact on the survival and growth rates of the planted and natural Kings. This population is now immense, with lots of tiny minnows there for forage until the Kings can graduate to the Alewives. I'm not sure how big a role it plays, but on our late trips(early Oct) we sometimes catch "pre skippers", Kings released that Spring. As we carefully extract the hooks from these fast growing babies, we have seen gobs of fleas in their throats, so they are sucking those in as well. I, as well as many veteran Lake O trollers do not care what the clipping statistics say, we know the uptick in the King fishery is due to the holding pen programs and overall concern of clubs and individuals, who watch over and lend a hand where ever needed. Thank you to all of you! We definitely have a good population of natural Kings, but the percentage of 2 inch fish missed by the clipping trailer is impossible to guage. With flooding, predation, water temp swings, and erratic man-controlled flows in some brood streams, it's impossible and irresponsible to count on the naturals. They are a needed and welcomed bonus, and we are seeing what is possible this year. When Chinnys are in the presence of other Chinnys, they are aggressive and greedy. When they are solitary and full of bait, they make Muskie fishing look easier. As to will the fall run be good, I would say yes , absolutely. There is a tremendous class of 3yr old Kings so harvest away! The important thing is that everyone respect the fish and not take them for granted. If they will be consumed, there is no more noble way for the mighty King to go down than in open water of the lake. A bonus for the stream purists, catch record data always shows that in big Chinook years, the trout harvest goes way down, so winter fishing should be extra great as well. I spent 3 days this week feeding the Kings here in Olcott, and I can vouch that it sure is a good thing we have pen projects, as they were extra small when delivered this year but growing rapidly. If some of you have never fed them, sign up or volunteer, it's quite a sight!

Great news, due to dedication and generousity of several key sponsors, The prize packages at all four Pro-Ams will be considerably more than what is paid in by contestants! You simply cannot beat that, and area sponsors and supporters of the fishery have put their hard earned money on the table to raise the stakes. Just today, 4 C's marina in Pt Breeze has confirmed a greater sponsorship role for the Orleans county Pro-Am. Much more to follow. Online registration deadline is 2 weeks prior to event, which for Niagara(Olcott/Wilson) will be May 18th and the 25th for Orleans county(Oak Orchard). http://www.lakeontarioproam.net

Very deserving! Let's get it done!

I contacted Dave Chilson regarding the Observer/LOC derby question. He stated that as long as the tourny teams were not running rods on observers licenses, then he would cooperate with the WHI and cover the observers. All he asked is that he be provided a list of names of tourny observers, so that will be up to the WHI committee to work out with him. I would imagine it will be the same for the observer regarding fishing licenses, as long as no rods are being run on them and they are correctly not assisting in the fishing, then they would not need a licenses. Best to confirm with WHI officials beforehand.

Burnin', wish I could answer, I guess it's something for Tourny judge(s) to ponder, hopefully beforehand. Last year the fog was a factor, I always see more patrols on fair weather days. I had a conversation with U.S. border agents in Youngstown last week, and they said there has been some "peculiar" activity in the Niagara area--they did not expound on it. The Canadians have been patrolling the area by boat all the way from Toronto. Like I said in the original post, it affects the team you are placed with most. You just don't know where they intend to fish until you are assigned. Better safe than sorry.

Because WHI is an "open border" Tournament, Observers should be carrying passports/enhanced licenses/Nexus cards, whichever is appropriate for the possible situation. Remember, any DWI's makes it a problem to enter Canada also. Both Countries have stepped up patrols considerably around the river, and it would not be fair to the team you are placed with if they are detained or delayed. Keep in mind in Canadian waters most vessels are not permitted to have any open containers or beer consumption, even if just by passengers and not operators.

Thats not a dinner, thats a feast! Do you guys know something we don't? It IS 2012 afterall, LOL.

The only thing I can tell you is I put thousands and thousands of hours on several sets of 260hp 5.7 Chevys and I always had 140 thermostats in them and that was what was suggested in the manuals. It is true they may burn fuel a little better hotter, but too much heat KILLS.

No amount of money can buy those family moments and memories, good for you!

Pretty easy with a few tips. Start by stripping the old cable off. Loosen the clutch and wind on to an empty spool of some sort. Now you can install the new cable. I like to crimp it at the bottom of the spool, while keeping tension on the new cable before you start. The new cable can "jump" off the spool, so keep a thumb pinched on it until you are ready to roll. Make sure the cable comes off the spool without twist, as it is layed on the spool without it. Run a screwdriver through the hole, and maintain pressure to the cable as it comes off while you hit the up button. Keep tension on the cable when you are done, until you can get it terminated.

What, so you can visit one of the many lingerie shops in southern Ontario? Lets hope we fish this year instead of eating banquet chicken wings in a power outtage! The "over all" money can be done online or paid at the mtg for the series entry, according to Yvan, who I think when he text me was running up I-95 with his Bertram on his back!

Thanks for the responses, guys. I let him know and also suggested he join this forum even though he primarily fishes Erie.

17 to 30' depending on boat speed, leader wt, rod position, and lure used.

I don't own one either, I know a couple guys who have had significant problems with the Verado.

The Okuma 30 size reels are perfect for riggers, wire dipseys/Mono or braid dipseys, or 5 colors of lead with backing. Not sure if you can even fit 10 colors on that reel, but if you did you would have no backing. The 45 size in either the Convector or Catalina, or the super fast 553 Clarion are all perfect for 10 color lead with adequate backing.

Powerful and nice looking, but not the most reliable outboard for sure. Are you looking to purchase, or do you have one with some symptoms?