I have run buckets since around 1980
I have a 21 ft hardtop . I tie them on each Side mid ship so they drag about 2/3 back from the front . I run 2 ,1 or none . They are in and out of the water the entire time I am fishing . They are as important to my set up as any piece of equipment on my boat. I would not trade them for anything . Had a trolling plate and hated it .
To make , take off wire handle . Drill 4, 3/4 holes equally spaced in the plastic rind molded where the handle was . Drill about 15 , 3/4 holes in the bottom of the bucket . Take about 3 ft of 3/8" or 1/2 " braided nylon line and go in and out of the 4 holes and make a harness for the tow line so it pull from the center , tie that off with a square knot . Tie tow rope to that . Hope this makes sense .
You must always fish like the fish are there . Even if you have a blank screen or see very little . Many times especially late summer I have had great days and saw little or nothing . Except for the occasional little slash , which represents a fish moving fast through your transducer cone .
Less than 30 ft , I rarely look at my screen except for depth and structure.
I thought it was a LAKE ONTARIO thing ? No closed season .
Look at the symposium goals .
I appreciate Bass Pros support , but it is just good business sense .
I don't know if you have a 9 to 12 ft steelhead light action rod , but the last few years my best way of fishing is a light jig under a float. Just off bottom.
Land 2 nice Brown's and lost 2 more the last 2 times out in a few hrs total.
1/ 32 oz head with a crappie style body
Twitched back slowly under a weighted float . Orange head / chart body .
I am in the stream but in frog type water about 8 ft deep .
I do quite well doing this , especially in cold water . Might be worth a try .
A Krocidile spoon outfishes a Cleo for me hands down .
Not sure of the weight , 1/4 or 3/8 I think in silver prism with some blue , green .
If Water is cloudy brighter stuff . I like to use jointed rebels or rattletraps if it's dirty .
Water clarity dictates color / size .
Seeing how the DEC is going to manage the kings under a lake status and now the steelhead under a stream status and all will be pen reared , it might be A nice gesture to reach out to the trib guys and get them involved .
The DEC also said they want to act on the unethical behavior on the tribs .
None of us that are / were hardcore trib guys like seeing that so maybe they can help out with that .
Time we all maybe took a step forward and all got on the same page which could only be good for our fishery . There is power in numbers .
I was going to post this on the trib section but this should be Robs call .
Any thoughts ?
I listen to the meeting last night that was posted on here . Very informative and sounds like the DEC has a good handle on things . It confirmed a lot of my suspicions .
When they raised the steelhead limit from 18 " to 21" and the 21 % catch rate increase was interesting. Sounds like the tribs guys want to up the limit to 25" to further help .Sounds like the lake guys are against that, as I am . One guy confirmed the copper / lead core thing.
And the fact that stream guys are 85 % c & r .
Also the " education" initiative to curb the unethical behavior.
I guess what bothers me the most about the ongoing discussion on her at nauseam , is the disdain some have on here for the tribs fishery .
Fact is , you can't have one without the other . Like it or not , we are all on the same team . We need as many guys doing this as possible to insure funding and improvements.
All the woes of the lake are not the tribs guy doing . Some are . But lake guys need to take some responsibility also .
I have done both ,a lot , and can count on one hand the trib trout I released that I thought would not make it . I wish I could say the same about the released summer lake fish .
And from the sounds of the baitfish
assessment , the average size of the fish is here to stay .
Back in I think 1977 when I bought my first boat I bought a Lowrance Brown box paper graph cause I just had to have it . Was clueless , as most were , how to troll for salmon . After a long while I figured out that I was more watching the graph than fishing .
Worry more about location & presentation . And use the fish hawk for reference IMO.
Unfortunately , all those crowds are good for the fishery . Every out of state licence or dollar spent at a tackle shop, restaurant ,motel,etc means sales and state income and licence taxes and fees . And that's why our governor continues to fund the program . Also why DEC writes tickets and local judges have a hard time convicting . They don't want to chase away paying customers .
Off the Fort in the Niagara jigging for Lakers , a totes boot , right the through the toe . My fishing buddy who is now deceased , laughed for 2 days . And never let me forget about it .
Also a few seagulls and a cormerant got tangled in a flat line but got loose .