Prof T

Much more comfortable than traditional type. It is now an automatic for me to wear it, even beyond May 1. Keep in mind that in NY they only count toward your 1 PFD per person IF THEY'RE ON. I still carry traditionals.

You know Kevin doesn’t exaggerate when he says it was “a little” windy. I know for a fact that Kevin enjoyed this day more than anyone involved. Well deserved! Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Ttt Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

If you are lucky enough to have a fish market in town, go there and get a bag of their Golden Dipt all purpose breading. $9.25 for 5 lbs. It’s not the same as you get in the store. My friends run Stan’s in Rome and have cooked thousands of pounds of fish and supply all area restaurants. It has a binder in it so it doesn’t fall off into the oil, burn, and wreck your next batches. I also use their prewash Batter Mix instead of milk and egg. Constant temp 360 degree oil, 1 min 15 sec deep dry perch, 2 min 45 sec walleye, both at room temperature, Perfect every time. Never any left. Cook like the pros! Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

ttt

Congratulations on your success. Your persistence is to be commended. If I could be so bold, I'd like to offer some unsolicited advice. First, if you don't already, start keeping a detailed journal. Pay attention to water levels, temp and clarity. Pay attention to what's not working as well as what is. I only started a few years ago, and regret how much I don't recall from great trips in years past. The second is a tip I got from one of the best fishermen I know who is a frequent poster on this site. He'll say that "patience is one of the most overrated qualities in a fisherman". If it's not working , change it up. Don't beat a dead horse. We've all got hundreds of lures we don't go to unless the old favorites aren't producing. Get them in the water. Be unconventional and don't be afraid to experiment. You're going to nail a fish or two that's learned to ignore what everyone else is doing.

ttt

Minn Kota solid state unit distributes recharging power from main (starting) battery to 2 trolling motor batteries while running. Automatically senses state of primary battery, switching output once fully charged. New units are $149. I got this one in a package with some other items and just don't need it. I was assured it worked when removed by previous owner. This particular unit is designed for 3 battery, lead acid systems only.

Kevin had help!

Cheers, Justin Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

I've got a question for "extreme" users. My boat's usually in the water for about 8 months and I put about 200 hrs on it annually. Power is a 2017 90 Merc Fourstroke w/ Command Thrust lower unit. I'd say 80 % of the use is trolling at about 600 RPM until October, then operation becomes more normal running from spot to spot for a couple of months. I pulled boat this week and am going through the normal pre winter chores. Lower unit grease, Merc High Performance only, is as beat as any grease I've ever seen. Black and stinks! I realize now, after looking it up, that I about doubled the 100 hr recommended change interval. (or as buddy Kevin suggests, every 100 WALLEYES!) My question is to those guys who keep their boats in. Do you pull mid season to do the 100 hr gear lube change? To anyone who runs 200 -250 hrs before change, how does the lube hold up? Research says that black and smelly is "normal" indicator for worn out lube. There's an acceptable amount of fine particulate, no shavings or chunks. I've run boats for 40 years and unless there's a problem with water infiltration of a part giving up, it's always come out looking just like when it went in. I tend to create problems, but beaten up lubricant to me is a sign of problems to come. Next season I plan to start checking it at 50 to 75 walleyes, I mean hours,

Didn't think this would take off like this, but it got me off to do some research and I found some pretty interesting, at least to this old shop teacher, stuff pertaining to threads, bolts and TORQUE. (I just wrote a long, long explanation of what's going on when you tighten a bolt and decided to delete it because who really cares except race car drivers and astronauts) I always try to follow manufacurer's recommendations. Somebody a lot smarter than me writes them, and for good reason. That's why the NO ADDITIONAL LUBE position. I say additional because the plating is there to provide a controlled amount of slippage so torque readings are consistent. Yesterday I changed my plugs and had just looked this up. Factory plugs in a 2017 Merc 90 Fourstroke. 556 hours. Thats a lot of heat/cool cycles. No evidence of lube on the old plugs, and they all came out just fine. New ones went in dry, torqued. Will let you know at 1000. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

NGK does NOT recommend anti seize. Plugs, as long as they are not the black steel type, are plated to prevent seizing. Spend your money on a torque wrench to prevent overtightening. It will save stripped out threads and seizing from its number one cause, overtightening.

High capacity trailer to pull behind ATV / UTV. 1 7/8" coupler. Sits level behind wheeler. Large tires pull easily though the woods, slides over stumps and rocks. I built this from thick wall 1 1/2" tubing to haul firewood, equipment, gear, deer, rocks, you name it. Sides are smooth so they slide along trees. Track is slightly narrower than wheeler. Bed is 5 ft by 40 inches by 12 inches deep. Sold camp so no longer needed. Possible delivery within reason.

Nope..folks pretty quiet. I think the fish come in from the lake and stage deep. Sure would like to get a confirmation on that. I also believe it's still early, there's limited to no runoff because of lack of rain, and the water's warm. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Kevin's said this numerous times. It'sard to find an area of the state with more opportunities for a fisherman. I live on the river now and this summer has seen an explosion in the number of fishing boats. Don't know if it's the Bassmaster publicity or the stay close to home recommendations dealing with Covid. Probably a combination of both in combination with a lot of good PR from this site and others. Bottom line is the pressure has increased on the fish and that poses a bit of a problem. I remember easy limits on Oneida 40 years ago, so much so that even I, a devoted stream fisherman, bought my first boat and got the Walleye fever. Populations were booming, launches were jammed and bait and tackle shops happy. After a hot run, it was followed by a deep decline in numbers. A lot of that was also attributed to factors other than pressure, but my point is that there will be swings in any fishery. After a long dip Oneida is booming again. It's hard to release summer walleyes here because they're caught relatively deep, the water's warm and they usually have an exhaustive battle in the current on the way to the boat. I've tried hard to revive fish in the livewell with little success. End result is that most fish caught end up in somebody's freezer. That's going to have a lasting effect I'm afraid. So for that reason, I plan to slow down and stow the walleye gear for the remainder of this season and concentrate on the perch.

Roughrider, You may want to consider postponing that retirement. I get to fish whenever I want and hunt as well. Get up at 3 to get a couple hours in before sunrise and still have time for a decent nap. I have time to keep my gear maintained, always clean my guns before putting them away, and have organized everything in my boat. I even sorted my nuts and bolts in the shop and separated the fine threads from the coarse ones. All of my drill bits are sharpened as well as my knives and scissors. Its a very busy life and not everyone is cut out for it. I hope everyone who reads this realizes I am extremely lucky and grateful for the life, family, friends and situation I have. Tight lines to my online friends, I need to go look for some perch. Prof T

I cleaned over 80 and didn't have the worm problem in any of them. I always associated that with warmer water. River surface temp is now at 67. When I do, I discard them.

Hey Rider, Congrats on the success and thanks for the mention, but I've got to pass this one up the ladder. Had it not been for Kevin's help a few years ago I'd probably be learning how to cook gobys! It turned out we're neighbors, and we've had some great adventures since we put things together. Here's what I did NOT do. I didn't ask for a spot, or a particular bait. What I did was put the time in, like you, alone, till I got it down and finally started to connect. Took half a summer and 30 nights out. Only then did I contact Kevin. I've limited my posts recently because I got followed, and now I can't fish my most productive spots because they're crowded and overfished. Same deal for a couple other friends whos names no longer appear in these posts. Fortunately, its a big river, with lots of good structure. And now, most of my fishing is in the dark, while most humans are asleep. It's been good having conversations with you. By the way, I've turned my attention to mr walleye's cousin, the yellow perch!!!!! Prof T

Justin, Congrats on the big day! I'm imagining 9 rods on a day when the bite's hot! Most guys know Kevin and I have a pretty successful program going here on the SLR. Your post highlights MY biggest flaw: when I get a pattern working, I beat it to death until it stops before I change it up. By waiting till then, new patterns that might have worked great when the fish were active don't get a fair test. The best time to experiment is when you know fish are catchable. Kevin and I have talked about this before. Whey do we catch most fish on the same two patterns? Because its what we put out first! If they're active we catch fish and say that's the golden lure or presentation. I don't try the rest of the tackle box until the bite slows. Not a fair comparison. The same goes for location, depth, lead lengths, etc. Case in point: Picked my rigger up to mid depth this week even though I usually chase the bottom and have had great success. Past 2 trips, limits, and some of the best fish of the season. Also left the structure for the flats, even when I knew I could get them there.

18 perch and a northern from the river today. Fished edges of weed beds, tons of small perch to pick though to get some keepers. 20 - 22 ft. Northern an "accident" on a perch rod. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Had good luck ice fishing Long Point last winter. Now I'm wondering what the program is in the bay for fall perch? Not looking for spots, but looking for general information on when the bite begins and what type of area to start out in. I see Greg is selling a drag weight for drift fishing at the hardware store. Nothing more enjoyable than a day on a hot school of perch!

PM Sent