BSmaster

On the way to Otisco yesterday every crk from Fall creek up was blown out badly so I am not surprised. It must have been a really bad down pour the other night.

I am so use to using 1/8oz as my heaviest that I can not imagine what it is like. When Kevin showed that pic of his homemade bouncer I was in total awe.

Congratulations. Kevin is the river's best ambassador.

I didn't catch any bass last weekend. But the weekend before all of the bass I caught were prespawn with absolutely no red on their tails. When season opens fisherman will be slaying them off the beds. Think of all of those tourny fish sitting in a live well. Gobies, gills , perch - they all eat.

It is a good debate. Let me first add that I do not target bass out of season although I have caught them out of season. I could see adjusting the CnR seasons for bass based on a lot of different criteria (my personal favorite is to open it 1st Sat in May in waters where there are pike and walleye). It would look a lot more like trout regs accross the state. It would be different depending on where you fish and different because of different factors. Gobie terror for Lake O and its tribs as well as parts of the canal and a few of the lakes associated with the canal and perhaps Cayuga and eventually Seneca but in my mere mentioning of what could be there has to be readers getting fired up about it. It is like shutting down the tribs in the fall because of googans. It won't happen easily. Bassholes provide a lot of $$ to the economy just like the Orvis crowd does in the fall. Abstinence in theory does work but in practice it doesn't. My 2 pennies, Joe

I have had salmon chunks boiled in salt and fresh celery and when dipped in melted butter was a very good poor man's lobster. This was after I had lost my taste for salmon so it was pretty good.

I think he was referring to grass carp. I should have clarified. Asian carp is redundant. I should have said big head and silver carp taste better than common (aka European) carp? - because they are in fact different fish. I am purely going by what chefs have testified to. Also, judging by my friends pallat experince. I have never eaten any species of carp. I do not want to. That is on my when I am hungry list. Joe

Guy at work asked me for some carp. I said really? He said back in China they pay $12/lb for carp and it is good. I said that is asian carp which is mild and tastes good. These are European carp which tastes undescribably horrible. Do you know how to remove the mud vein? He did not and he insisted, so I caught him two in May last year while bullhead fishing. He confirmed what we already knew - don't eat the carp. For reference, he also asked for suckers and I caught him a bunch of them he raved about them for weeks.

Use your fishing rod for a measurement tool. It is right in your hand. Nice post. Should bump it to the top every spring. Hero shots are nice (to share) but if it is likely going to kill the fish maybe you should just take a quick mental pick for reflection later. I have discovered that summer is the hardest season for reviving any species of fish. Colder liquids hold more gas so maybe this is why warmer water may have less O2 making the fish stress more? I never asked a fish, I just notice the difference. Good luck to everyone this season. I saw a nice tiger this past weekend looking for crappie in the stumps.

Catching a cat is a let down when you aren't fishing for them. It is a let down because you get excited when you feel the power of the head shakes and realize you have a nice eye only to find out it is a cat. I do not eat cats. So while your point is valid that catching any fish should be enjoyed, It is the roller coaster of emotions that makes it a let down. I catch bass, crappie, and perch a lot while fishing for them but it is not a let down because they do not fight like walleye, therefore, no surprise and no let down. a 6lb walleye and a 6lb cat fight identically. Throw a 6lb laker in to the mix for that matter. Finding all three in the same location is rare. But in the rivers I fish, the cats and eyes eat the same baits in the fall and been fooled more than once and yes it is a feeling of a let down even though the cats are impressive in their own right.

I would eat pickerel before I would eat lake trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, chinook salmon, and coho salmon amongst other more universal choices. Pickerel are so much harder to fillet than pike that I usually leave all the bones, parboil to remove them and refry in butter and seasoning. Can add to alfredo for pasta dish or make fish cakes for sandwiches. Never had Sheepshead but I want to try it. There is a list of things I will eat when I am hungry meaning I won't eat those things unless I am starving and sheepshead is not on that list yet. Bones are a deterrent to keeping for the table more so than flavor or texture of the fish. If you have the extra time, you should consider it.

In the river I have seen walleye cluster together by species and not by size but I do not know if this works on the lakes. Bass, for sure. When I start to catch small bass, I move. Maybe I use a slighlty larger bait or change color. I am not saying it is a rule but I have a feeling that the smaller fish like the metrosexual colors more so than the bigger fish so I tend to stay more natural in my presentations. Perch, Alewive, gizzard shad. I don't have a specific reason for not participating in fishing tournies, however, thinking about your great day and that it fell short anyways is definitely a big part of it. A lot of fisherman want to say congratulations on your success (me included) but can't because you didn't place in a tourny and that makes it disappointing. I hope you get it dialed in. I have a feeling you are right there and only need to tweak it a little bit. Good luck.

also can snip it or print screen or do not share AND leave the fish alone to spawn in the first place. I seriously doubt they are gonna come after you. If it was tied into taxes , maybe, but cmon??? Seriously??? That whole idea is laughable. Nobody can honestly tell me they do not see the intent as positive but that the logic supporting the solution has a very weak foundation.

Well, If it is about ethics... I am confident I can outdrive any law enforcement officer, however, he/she speeds even when there is no emergency and most everyone thinks that is ethical. I speed and that's a bad thing. Analogy relevancy you wonder? DEC constantly and consistently do not practice what they preach. Last example was the 17lb walleye from Ashokan that they photographed before releasing. Are they better than me because their education and experience is better than mine. Sure - whatever. BTW - I have no problem with them photographing that fish whatsoever. To me it is about absolute security. Complete and utter abstinence works for sure. A blanket law of no pictures to save all of the fish. However, as human beings we know that instituting that abstinence idea doesn't work. Also, (mishandled) fish will die even when no snapshot took place. It is a misguided rule at best. Persons justifying their position in the government. They should end (or coincide with walleye/pike opener) the bass CnR season on some bodies of water. People are using this as an avenue to fish for toothy critters which is a bigger issue. This would be a + change for the good of the fishery. The seasons are so long anyways, so why not? Patterns are totally different by tourny time anyways. Does it seem odd to anybody else that they have time to patrol social media? With all the budget constraints and lack of actual physical presence at some critical fisheries. Just venting - I pretty much do not care what they do. I imagine a lot of them have to save their jobs on a weekly basis with how NYS operates. Good luck to everyone and tight lines. Remember, it is only breaking the law if you get caught. Don't post your pictures. And if you truly care about the health of the fish be prepared to release it before you catch it. Joe

I talked with someone at work who is in a bass yak tourny right now. Have to be in a yak and have to have the angle ruler with the fish in the picture. Fish go back with no issues but I can see how this could be misconstrued. This law is a direct response to a small percentage of people who are not prepared to handle the fish they catch. An unnecessary knee jerk reaction. by the empire. As stated above, it would be more beneficial to have known violations enforced before making new laws that are questionable. I never gave it much thought before but now I suppose it will be a good idea not to snap a pic. I usually take the shot while the fish is in the water. In most cases I can take the pic and release it without ever touching it. Without a photo, my fish are going to be much bigger!