Capt Vince Pierleoni

NIB was a Tourney prize. $50. Left hand crank. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

Thanks for the kind words Reel Doc. The best people I have ever met have been anglers and hunters. I originally wrote the above post on Nov 8th, the day Mark took his crossbow deer. Unless someone has seen what he has to go through to spend a day hunting it's hard to truly appreciate how awesome the whole experience was. I can say it's the first time I have sat by anyones side as they have let an arrow or bolt fly. There was some interesting convo that went on. At first I could not see the deer and did not want to blow it peering around his front window. After the Buck got done staring us down, he went back to his fast rut walk--I reminded Mark to aim low and told him I would stop him. As soon as he hit an opening I mouth grunted(Mark said later it sounded like a lost lamb) and he seemed to stare through the back of our heads. Mark let it fly and I could tell by the bucks sprint it was solid. I said excitingly--"you smoked him!" His reply was "really?" I gave him a 1 arm hug and waited a bit before looking for sign. Our host Jon Forder must've jumped out of his tree stand across the road as he was there before I recovered the deer. Very little blood as he caught part of front shoulder but Buck was only about 50 yds from impact location. Ironically Mark followed this up with a rifle buck he took on opening day. He was invited to a special hunt for handicap hunters by a generous owner of a large land tract. I don't know all the names but another fisherman and hunter Richard Brant helped organize the volunteer helpers that sit with each hunter and help them retrieve their game if needed. Mark called me that night and said, "its my first two buck season of my life!" My own gun season hasn't gone so well but needless to say my season is already made. Thanks to all that have helped me with Mark this season and in the past.

Absolutely one of the greatest highlights of my years of deer hunting. Those that know my brother understand that he is limited to hunting from a wheelchair. If it rains or snows he gets a lap full. We are limited to areas we can get a truck or my utv into. I scored last Saturday so Mark and I already had an all day sit planned for today- rut timing and perfect cold snap. 2 days ago we got a text from Jonathan Forder, asking how Marks hunting season was going. When he invited us to spend our day together at one of his spots I jumped at it, as we have been enduring some trespassers ruining hunts lately. It takes alot of prep and work for Mark to hunt, and for todays all dayer he got up at 230am. We sat from before daybreak until 330pm before we saw our first deer. Shortly after this beautiful buck cautiously snuck in, looking very uneasy at one point due to the newly placed blind. Once the bucks thoughts turned to does again he gave Mark a 37 yd shot and he made it count. To be able to be there with him when it all came together is a memory I will never forget! It is one of his best deer of his life, and definitely the best one since he got his wheels. We both feel very grateful and blessed to have friends share their access to get close to these amazing animals. The above post was originally written Nov 8. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

Awesome story Tommy, great work finding the hunter!

World class buck. Congrats! NY is quietly producing studs regularly now. Congrats to all the successful bowhunters on this thread.

I use those for my smokeless charges. When you only have 43 grains you have to be even cooler!

Great Job! Great memories!

I also modified with a utility knife the height so he can shoot his compound over it. Depending on what you use for a chair/stool you may not need to do this.

Its a valuable tool. With my brother being wheelchair bound this blind has been quite an asset. I would say dont skip staking it down if any wind is present as it catches wind but he has had deer 5 to 7 yds away feeding. We had to laugh as the first deer he took with it using a firearm he shot thru it! The scope peered over the top but not the barrel. Took the deer cleanly as its corrugated board. I saw enough to buy one for myself but have only actually used it once. It must me good as a trespasser walked to within 3 yds of me during late muzz last year before I startled him. "My bad" was the best he could come up with after walking through the middle of the greenfield I was sitting on. I think it is as good as whats in front of it. Corn-great, snow- great, a couple of well placed branches in front of it make a lot of difference. Of course it's only for one side of you so planning for that is the most critical. It's worth the money IMO.

These are all good observations and yes can have an affect in a case by case basis. I agree that the mid 90s was the peak of the mussels influence but for several years now their impact on water color has been drastically mitigated. The high water, lake Erie inflow, and the normal adjustment downward(after the initial explosion) in numbers of nearshore mussels have all had an impact on the return to fertile, colored water to nearshore waters. We routinely see Salmon set up inside on the southshore, and it is more often the norm on the northshore. The color is there and so are the alewives. Your point that catching returning Salmon in shallow water and off piers in clear water is extremely difficult is true. However, when they are imprinted and actually exist to return they sulk to the bottom and move as deep as needed for their needs/security. When this clear water is present the night casters do very well if the fish are there to catch. Also several locations at Canadian ports have had normal staging behavior especially this season making the original posters concerns very valid. The Canadian Salmon are not from the Altmar hatchery, and some of the locations discussed like the Genesee, the Oak, Olcott, and the Niagara(being Lake Erie water) do not suffer from clear water conditions in most cases, especially this late Summer/Fall. The returning numbers just are not very large.

Lucky with all due respect your background does not qualify you to speak as an authority on the current state of the Pacific Salmon fishery. You are doing quite a disservice to anyone that reads your many personal attacks on this board, by not admitting that you are not a Pacific Salmon advocate--certainly not in the open lake. As usual, you have taken liberties as to the information you spew on here--much of it is false. I am going to address your targeted misinformation below in the order you wrote it above. Don't expect lots of back and forth because frankly I think you enjoy it and I'm not playing. 1) I have enjoyed a good relationship with Dave MacNeill through the years, he did a nice job for Sea Grant. I consider Dr. Brian Weidel a friend, and we communicate much more often than you know. He has a set of parameters and guidelines that he must follow to formulate his conclusions. I think we learn a lot from each other and even when we strongly disagree it does not get mean spirited. He can only provide his findings--how it is used is out of his control. My conclusions and my positions are based on observations/interactions with the Lake Ontario Salmon fishery for over 40 years--35 of those years nearly every day for 7 months of the year. 2) I'm sorry but as long as you make personal attacks and biased statements from a keyboard using an alias you have zero credibility with me. As for your accusation that anyone that doesn't hide behind a keyboard alias is "self promoting", that is simply nonsense. I was long established prior to the existence of this board. For me, it's about standing behind what you say and believe. To each his own, and I certainly understand why some have "user names". However it's widely accepted that making personal attacks from a position of anonymity is bush league, and often referred to as a "keyboard warrior". 3) Yes I serve on that Great Lakes fishery commission citizen advisory panel(if you are who I think you are your attendance on the calls has been less than stellar) but also the Niagara county fishery advisory board, and served on every single panel and board that I have been asked to sit on for the last 3 decades. I have also volunteered for every single DEC diet study and clipping study ever conducted for Lake Ontario-- just ask any of the managers. How many have you participated in? How many hours a season do YOU spend on the open lake? 4)Your accusation that I "went to a major outdoor print outlet" to plead my case is yet another falsehood you spew. I was contacted by the editor out of the blue asking my take on the issue. Certainly you aren't suggesting censorship, are you? 5) My "screen shots" have nothing to do with you, and certainly you cannot relate through your own recent experiences so simply MYOB. Your fascination with them is creepy. If you must know, the hour by hour observation of "the screens" is only part of the equation. The actual behavior of the target species, along with stomach content analysis is much more telling. For me, "size at age" is fascinating but I won't get into that as it is WAAY beyond your level of understanding with such little "hands on" experience. 6) I'm not the least bit bored, I find every aspect of the daily challenges worthwhile. As to your theory that anglers are leaving the fishery due to boredom--I can assure you if they felt a decent chance to catch a returning Salmon the piers would be chalk full again. 7) Once again you take the liberty to accuse me of "cherry picking" "graph" shots. Sorry but graphs were pretty much obsolete by 1990. My screen shots are actually quite random. Contrary to what you may believe, I would never want any management decisions that would harm the fishery. I find it sad that the Pacific Salmon isn't recognized more for what it actually is, the savior of the Lake Ontario ecosystem. Until the alewives were somewhat controlled none of the fantastic improvements that we have seen over the years would have taken place. This can quickly reverse, and the health of the alewife population put in danger if they become under predated again--and I have seen this on Lake Ontario more than once. 8)To call my observations "noise" is once again a cowardly cheap shot. I think my observations are certainly valuable, and many of the biologists and managers that you enjoy name dropping have told me so. Don't worry about me and my clients/guests. I have survived the first unnecessary Pacific stocking cut, and surely you aren't suggesting that I misrepresent what I can offer the tourist anglers, are you? We have been fortunate to have some bumper crops of naturally hatched Chinook Salmon that have masked the inequities in the stocking portion of the program. When I sit on the various boards/panels I feel a responsibility to look out for the small boater and the shore anglers--not just big boat anglers. Our area and approx half of the southshore of Lake Ontario has had some issues as the wild component does not contribute and 2 to 3 months of the season the small boat angler and area businesses are drastically impacted--not that you care one iota.

I actually thought you would keep your nose out of stuff you know nothing about,”lucky anonymous 13”. I guess I was wrong! LOL. The last year Bill Abraham was employed by the NYSDEC all the central and west plants were coming from the Caledonia hatchery. On the last day of September- ANY of those years- there was 30-40 boats working Devils hole in the Niagara. Regardless of the temperature, which even back then could still be in the high 60s the fish would be packed into not only the Niagara, but 18 mile, Oak Orchard, and the Genesee. The piers at the mouth of these rivers would be shoulder to shoulder. Today, there was 3 anglers on each pier at Olcott, and no fish hooked as of 8am. Today in Devils hole in prime time for the run, there was 6 boats trying and most left after a couple hours to try for Bass. The Niagara temp is down to 67 degrees and Olcott harbor is down to 64 degrees. Stick to what you know “Lucky”. What is that btw, instigating? Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

It's not just the Genny, Bruce. Same for all returns in region 9. This was "pre cut" returns to top it off. Oh well, lots of alewives out here from 25--500 fow.

Coho used to be a Summer and Fall player in the Western basin. When DEC stopped stocking yearling Coho the returns dwindled. Yearlings are released in the Salmon river and they do return well. There is the Coho clipping study going on now to help substantiate this. Coho are a great sportfish and great table fare. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

Chinook Salmon always target larger baitfish unless not available. They are still eating large to mediums. We have seen the small alewives coughed up by Steel and Browns. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

Because there is a drastically reduced number. The fishery cannot be sustained by a good wild hatch at the Eastern end every 4-6 yrs. Lots of scratching for fish going on in Niagara county right now. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

With the current relentless intelligent pressure on the Chinooks,(and Jerry you know I'm right) no cuts were ever necessary. Anglers are doing a fine job. In recent years we finally achieved a fishery somewhat in balance, the alewives were massively in surplus for decades. Alewives were routinely in jeopardy of die offs from cold winters or from spawning stress. The over populated alewives were skinny, and provided less nutrition. In recent years the engine has been more ideal with a bigger Salmon fishery, healthier individual alewives with better food value, and better natural reproduction of Perch, Walleye, and even Lake Trout(Alewives prey heavily on all of these species eggs/hatches). We have already seen in Lake Michigan that any miscalculations in predator/prey ratios are completely reversible--UNLESS you are pouring tons of long lived Lake Trout into the system. The real danger is allowing the alewife population to become top heavy(too few predators). They become sickly and prone to die offs. This is the real threat. My 2 cents is return to the original stocking number--as many ports do not realize Summer/Fall returns of the wonderful Naturalized Chinook Salmon. Most of what anglers enjoyed this year was a very strong natural class of 3 yr olds, and right now some areas are experiencing much denser returns. The fish at all ages look outstanding.

Very well done article! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks so much for putting a crew together and making the trip from Sodus--very generous on your part. Donations are still coming in but Steph and her committee will soon announce how much was raised for "Hope for two". Congrats on winning one of the top raffle prizes!

I started trolling the lake out of a car topper with an air cooled outboard but my first "real" boat was a Sea Nymph. I "get" you aluminum warriors.

A little recap from the Tournament side of the event: 1st) "The reel alewives of WNY" 174.89 pts boat volunteer Capt. Bob Cinelli 2nd) "The reel warriors" 170.88 pts boat volunteer Capt. Pete Alex 3rd) "Reel Cranky" 166.57 pts boat volunteer Capt Mike Johannes 4th) "Fish N Chics" 164.54 pts boat volunteer Capt Vince Pierleoni 5th) :"Nauti Nurses" 163.12 pts boat volunteer Capt Tony Sambunjak 6th) "Skippers for Nippers" 158 pts boat volunteer Capt Marshall Stearns 7th) "Reel Pole Dancers" 148.79 pts boat volunteer Jeff Smith 8th) "Legacy Ladies" 139.41 pts boat volunteer Capt Rob Wescott Special thanks to the rest of the boat volunteers in no certain order: Capt Marc Bottone, David Peterson, Capt Alan Sauerland, Capt matt Yablonsky, Capt Matt Dunn, Chad Kahler, Matt Niezgoda, Tom Cosnyka, Bill Crouse, Brian Cook, Capt Frank Godina, Jeremy Goodison, Capt. Paul Nau, Nick Allers, Mike Schooley, Capt. Mark Lewandowski, Matt LeClair, Capt. Tom Pearse, John Bracken, Capt Carl Martin, Mark Keller, Capt Lou Tepas, Andrew Dissette, Nate Stephenson, Dustin Peterson, Jon Forder, Capt.Mike Diel, Capt Matt Bedient Big shout out to sponsors/donors that I have knowledge of: (I know the committee kicked butt and gathered lots more stuff for the basket raffle. Again, in no certain order: Keller technologies, L.O.T.S.A., Beamin' Sounds Entertainment, St Johns Trophies, Maxwell Station/Bob Stedman, Tents Unlimited/Marty Brummer, Bear Creek Landscaping/Jeff Zimmer, Lions Club, A-TOM-MIK, Dreamweaver, Gambler rigs, Finn Tackle Co., Team Tough Duty, Linda and Gerrit Moot, Renee and Jim Boyd, Team Chasing Chrome, Team Dutchie's Angels, Andrew Dissette, Fish USA, and Glosser Custom Rods. I apologize if I missed anything or anyone. The participants themselves from all teams dumped lots of money into all the raffles. Anyone interested in a complete standing list and more info please go to Reelin' for a cure on facebook.

Thanks Chad for your continued support/participation. The visitors will never believe that the wind blows anywhere but from the East/NE in Niagara county waters.