Rich s

This is my second full time season on the Great Lake and it's a goal to vertical and live line lake trout on light tackle . I'm pretty avid at jigging lakers in deep water on the ice using electronics .

2 weeks ago we gave jigging a try using a 2oz slip egg sinker and the usual laker jigs ( buck tails , plastics etc ) . Some challenges that need to be worked out are .

1. Every time I touched or dragged the bottom , my hook points were covered in zebra muscles . That was kinda tough .

2. Given the currents , you lose you jig on the electronics . I like to know and see what's happening and you are mostly blind jigging which is very difficult .

Good luck and post your results and methods as will I

Can't say for sure but it looks like pressure treated , big no no on aluminum.

Also did you raise the floor I assume ? It looks like the same 3 piece floor as originally.

I hope there is some sort of air space under there . The biggest issue with the Starcraft islander ( I own 1 ) , is they foam everything right tight and up to the floor thus creating zero air space to allow wood to dry or water to drain out of the hull .

Good luck and be safe

I kept my 1989 islander in mexico slip all season.. I waxed it before putting in .. It came out cruddy and I before storing. It was a chore but scotch brite pads, pressure washer , simple green and tons of elbow work took the crud off , the rivet areas are tough.

I thought about anti foul paint only due to electorally corrosion.. Even with anodes, I still see it happening. 

Good luck

GMO was introduced into our food supply about 20 years ago not knowing the side affects . If you notice, many of the big brands are now saying- NO GMO , such as Cheerios. Now that time has passed, effects are being realized.

I prefer organic which is not allowed to contain GMO.

Back to topic:

For any cause there is an effect.

The key for how I view things is to control the cause first . If the federal government doesn't regulate the importation of invasives through a filtering system of cargo shipping then their presence is inevitable and the states will always be backpedaling .

Stop the cause first !!

Rich

Just to add ,

I also work for a massive industry that intakes water from the Hudson River , its industrial water used to cool pumps, compressors and mills . It has a grinder at the intake to deal with zebra mussels and a screen to not allow fish to pass through. After that it goes through a multi million dollar filter treatment system then to the pumps and back to the filter system where it is treated with sulfuric acid and yes released back to the River.

For me to say I approve of the treatment , no but the State of NY does and it's happening

Don't think I ever mentioned putting chemicals into watershed. I said put something into the ships, not chemicals.

I worked on commercial cargo haulers and have discharged ballast.. Wither you are adding or discharging, it all goes through a central pump system. There should be a filter system in the ballast line to prevent invasive from entering the holds.. Every so often these holds should be (ok) sterilized with an agent , chemical of course , but discharged into a containment tank and disposed of on land..

Maybe I'm wrong in thinking a filter system instead of unleashing GMO fueled monster ??

Rich

Trying to control the invasives by unleashing scientific methods across an entire watershed is only creating another monster in the waiting. Aka placing matts across weed beds or copper sulfate!!!

NO GMO !!!!

Stop the big problem to begin with, there must be something to put into ballast that will be able to eradicate any invasives in holds of cargo tankers ..

But alas, we are just the pawns .

Ugh

Rich

Yes having the internship from Cornell at the adk ( Schroon and Mexico) launches was no big deal. They were taking surveys, passing out information of invasives and doing a walk around. In no way were they going to approve or reject if you're ok to launch.

Lake George is a whole different ball of wax , it's some type of clam ( not zebra mussels) that is the big deal there. They started putting matts on the bottom of lake to try and smother them.

If things escalate at the scale LG is then we are all in serious jeopardy of being able to launch our boats anywhere but a single water body.

Right now yes , it seems like it's a judgement call to use reasonable precaution.

Rich

Well one of the toughest lakes in NY with regs that I have been is Lake George. You need your boat inspected and a sticker before entering the water . Anything, such a water in the boat at all requires a power wash prior being allowed to pass and get a sticker.

Hopefully things don't go that far because LG is a nightmare not to mention the time and resources that it entails.

My 4.3 islander trolls great on Ontario for salmon, can't really get it down to 1.5 mph though without something. It has a trolling plate which I use but hate.. I have will and use bags , I took the plate off.

Something to consider :

I have a boat mechanic that told me he could tell ( rebuilding my out drive) that I trolled a lot .

Also I asked him why # 3 & 6 plugs looked fouled compared to the other plugs . He said it's because the back of the motor gets extremely hot and causes the seals to leak or oil thinner in those cylinders . I have no idea if this is factual only his explanation.

My suggestion would be bags over plate . For sure you need to keep the rpms up while the speed low otherwise the oil pump will not have enough pressure to properly supply the engine:

Rich

Can you show us a picture?

I know the more food I put on my plate the fatter I get , especially around thanksgiving, lol

We must consider the Lake Huron Salmon disaster where the salmon matured at ten pounds due to a forage base collapse. What is Lake Ontario's forage doing with hatchery salmon and stream hatched salmon?

Bingo !!

Wow ! Set that up if you have time ! Rich S.

Setting up an informational meeting there is easy, all it takes is to petition for it. Enough signatures to a public office can NOT be rejected.

Setting up to change something is different.. If you wish to make a change then it has to be an organized united effort from a defined organization .. Media follows the crowds..

Believe me , I have been involved in many organized efforts to represent a change, I know how the system works and the steps and effort that it takes.. The first step is an objective..

What I asked was for and suggested was an informational meeting to be held there.. What I see and read here are many views with different objectives.. If the objective becomes clear and I am in support then yes, I can help to make that happen .. If it's not something I support but understand that it is a solid value to others then I can help in that direction.

The reasons I say this, that it should be held in Albany, are that is where you will gain the highest level (their house) of influence..

Also remember this, the Great Lake is used by SO many more people other then those that reside along it's shores, that's your leverage .

The strategic thoughts of where they are held now (Just IMO) are to limit and reduce the presence and media to just that demographic location

Rich

Personally, I'd like to see a meeting held in the heart of the headquarters or the state capital

Albany , NY .

Don't you think going to their house and being there with the huge amount of media that surrounds them would carry a powerful message?

These meetings now are largely held at strategic locations for a reason and I do feel it's to limit the public, just an opinion.

The NRA for strategic purposes held theirs at the capital of the state and had thousands show in support.

Just something to think about

Rich

These last few posts are exellent examples of sharing information , ideas and opinions.

From what I gather from them , folks are listening, understanding and developing changes .

This is what needs to happen to make thing work .

Thanks folks:

Rich

This topic obviously carries a lot of emotion beneath it and the unfortunate part of it is we have little functional control over much of it so the threatening nature of the fishery going sour can easily obscure the fact that we need to remain united and respectful of each other in our quest for information and solutions to this highly complex situation. It isn't fruitful or productive or fair for that matter to cast blame on anyone at this point as there are too many unknowns for one thing. It also is not right or even logical to blame the DEC guys out in the field either as they are mere pawns in the "chess" game that the State managers play on their big monopoly board and even they are at the mercy of his royal hindness (spelling intentional) King Andrew. it might be wise to stay within the realm of information sharing and bouncing around ideas instead of casting blame on anyone or any entity. We all have a lot yet to learn about this.

Could not agree more !!!!

Thank you Sk8man

Ok so now I did some investigating back on the things that have been posted here by those doing some busting/finger pointing starting on page 12.. These are your words , not mine..

1. Apparently they stocked brown trout without the barge do to weather conditions at scriba Launch and they were decimated by the birds.

Anyone who thinks risking the lives of others is worth the price of a FISH is outta their mind ..

2.They said their stocking schedule is so set that they can't make changes! I agree it's a waste of resources to let the birds eat the browns.

I'm sure all and everyone has at sometime had a schedule that they had to meet and unable to change do to logistics. A decision was made to stock the fish, possibly not a great decision but possibly the only one that could be made..

3. As for the DEC they're union, and it doesn't work for what they need to accomplish. Many examples of how their union rules haven't allowed them to "do the right thing" in the past. The latest being the BT getting dumped rather than waiting.

The most absurd thing I have ever read here on this forum, obviously you have no desire to learn about facts, concerns over peoples safety or understand than most upper management, the ones who make such decisions are typically non-union.. I cant believe this was even brought up..

Management/Confidential

Employees designated management or confidential by the Public Employment Relations Board are not members of a negotiating unit. The Taylor Law does not permit them to organize or to bargain collectively on terms and conditions of employment because of the nature of their work. M/C employees formulate policy, assist directly in preparing for or conducting negotiations, administer labor agreements, or assist in a confidential capacity those employees who have employee relations responsibilities. There are almost 12,000 M/Cs, covering a broad range of occupations including managers, middle managers, and specialists in fields as diverse as education, law, computer science, medicine, administrative support, and law enforcement.

4.This is perhaps the best voice of reason I have read, it means people understand and are focused on addressing issues and concerns, THANK you Capt. Vince

I'm encouraged with what I have heard from and about the new hatchery manager. I'm also happy to hear that the DEC acknowledged the poor returns the last 2 years and have already started to make changes.

The cormorants will be a problem from now on, and it will take alot of effort from all of us so they don't get the stocked fish. Their predation is much worse than what we thought, and that was already a huge concern. More volunteers will be needed at the stocking sites than in the past, and the DEC will probably have to rethink some of their normal practices.

Some contingency plans had to be put into place in the western tribs as when low water was found stocked Steelhead would hold in what deep pools they could find and wait for rain. Unfortunately the Cormorants would get them before the flow would come.

Some guys just got it all figured out. Heard about everything here now , yup it's the unions fault ,

My last word on this subject until factual information comes out .

Rich

Dude you are so off base I don't even want to get into it . Maybe troll that boat over to China

Now we are getting WAY out there and I do take offense to that statement.

United steelworkers local 4-00429 president

Proud to represent workers rights

Rich

No disagreement there , where are they ? If they show up in the tribs then they came from the lake and not mysteriously planted in the tribs between 3-4 years old . yes - no ?

So that question is not for the lake management to explain where are they ,

They may say , (I hope,) the returns provide the numbers , it's up to you ( us , me , I ) to find and catch them .

I really don't see why we shouldn't continue discussion about this topic.. It brings points of views, discussion and opinions that can be helpful, at least it has for me..

I'm a 36+ year trib fisher and sophomore lake fisher, invested plenty in the past/present I would say.. At this point my only investments now are for future fishers..

This thread in hopes will bring attention to those who hold the future.. Hopefully the views, opinions, observations and knowledge will help bring things to the table for the future, all IMO are of value..

Will I make it to the ELOSTA or SOL meetings, probably not.. Does it mean I don't wish to be concerned , want answers/findings or continued research , ABSOLUTLY I DO .. If I don't like the answers given then I will get off my tired butt again and request more.. Remember , it's about the future as gambler says..

One point of note:

As to the "runs" , last year everyone including myself thought it was terrible, maybe the worst.. Well the same story is being written this season..

The thing however is the TOTAL return, not just the "runs" folks experience.. I know many fish have been filtering in under the depth of water and the cover of darkness.. Have the fish out smarted us ? lol..

Just because we cant find , see or catch them doesn't mean they aren't there..

Lets let the tally add up and show the proof ..

Thanks for everyone who contributed, really I don't have much less to add:

Rich

I did fish the lake EVERY week from June -13 until September-15. Yes , I struggled . We marked very few and caught less. I felt it was a lack of experience and knowledge but also understand that many more knowledgeable people then me also struggled at times so I'm trying to figure out if the salmon were just more difficult to target OR if it is a down turn in total numbers of salmon.

The tell tail signs are the tribs returns.

If the tributaries receive good returns then we can make a conclusion.

Personally, in my only trip to the tribs October-1-3 I felt the fish that " should " be there were not.

However, and yes , others are seeing a different picture AFTER that time frame of good returns. So who is right and who is not , that's the question I'm waiting for from an official statement from the fisheries biologists and SOL report.

Right now I'm in a holding pattern until the information is processed and released

Rich

Awesome !!

Tell Kelso not to wear any red bandanas to scare all the fish , inside joke..

Enjoy and THANK YOU to ALL that make these projects happen for all our great men and women throughout..

Rich