1st trip of '09!

[Yankee Troller]

Well, my ol' lady bought me some Larry the Cable guy tickets for Friday night. So, I had to go and watch him, and boy was he funny. He came with all new material that I have never heard before. Earlier in the week I saw the forecast and knew this weekend would be the first weekend for me to get out chasing some of them Brown Trout I have gotten so good at catching. Well, I rushed her home on Saturday with hopes of making it out, but the rain was on its way and I didn't want to get the boat soaked. Therefore, the trip was put off till Sunday. Jax and Legacy wanted to go so we piled in the bass boat around 10:30, and off we went.

Stopped at shipbuilders, which was our "honey-hole" last year, and not even a sniff! Picked up and drive down to Webster Park, and again nothing. Figured Hedges was only a few more miles, so we made the run down to there and as god as it looked nothing again! On the way back we figured we would give Shipbuilders a shot again. We tossed out 3 top lines and had the electric trolling motor pull us along at about 1.6 to 1.8 and right about the time my bait came out of the plume at the creek FISH ON! I landed a nice little Brown Trout on my new Daiwa Heartland noodle rod pulling a BPS Nitro minnow. After that fish Jax and Legacy would have 4-5 followers to the boat, but they wouldn't touch anything. Water temp was 33-34, so we were thinking they were still a bit sluggish. If the nice weather holds up this things should explode with hungry fish, so stay tuned!

[potsie225]

Thats for the info, I fished shipbuilders last year and had some luck. I heard they were starting to hit in Webster. Your first hand report tells me to wait awhile.

Thanks, Doug

[Yankee Troller]

I don't recommend waiting! When you get a chance to fish I say go for it. I'm no Pro, so maybe you could entice a fish or two with something in your tackle box.

[muskybob]

Thanks for the early report Rick. Probably was nice just to get out.

[Yankee Troller]

Sure was! Especially after the cop nabbed me for an unregistered trailer on the way there! I told Jeremy as we were driving there that I forgot to register it for 2009, and that I wanted to keep the trailer backed into the water while we were fishing. Well, we didn't have to worry about that! Not 5 minutes later here comes Mr. Trooper.

Oooooooooooo, and to top it off when he pulled the trailer put of the water I noticed the license plate wasn't there. On bass boat trailers it tends to bend a lot from the constant in and out. Well, when we got back i fished it out with a net. You guys know....typical shake down!

[muskybob]

first trip of the year is always an adventure.

[Legacy]

And to add to the story because nothing can be easy...

When we returned to the launch and we fished out the license plate that had broken off, who was waiting for us on land? A DEC officer and park police officer wanting to do a safety equipment check on the boat, wanting to see some licenses, etc. Never a dull moment!

[10thMTNDAVE]

My jealousy factor just went through the roof!!

Less than two months to go, and I will get to join the frenzy. Don’t stop the reports!! As much as I am crying about not being able to get out, reading about (And seeing those great pictures) in everybody’s posts are fueling some serious deep burning fires.

You will all have to excuse me for hoping for a dramatic cold spell that keeps the water hard until mid-May.

Ray K: You know any old Indian ice dances??

[Erbyjoe]

Dave hang in there you will be back just in time for when the fishing starts to heat up

[FISHINMAN]

And to add to the story because nothing can be easy...

When we returned to the launch and we fished out the license plate that had broken off, who was waiting for us on land? A DEC officer and park police officer wanting to do a safety equipment check on the boat, wanting to see some licenses, etc. Never a dull moment!

Had the same thing happen to me at I Bay a few years back. The day it happened to me I got in a bit of a shouting match with the "park ranger" over the fact that I had had a safety check done by the coast guard (they gave me a sticker that was proudly displayed on my boat window) and they never told me I needed a flag . So he gave me a ticket and was going to arrest me for getting mouthy with him if I didn't back off

Lucky for me I new a Irondequoit policemen that was in court the night of the case and he got it thrown out when I told him I had purchased the flag

By the way this was a day when a boater had been missing on the water , so apparently they had nothing better to do at the time

[on the lam]

Tom, I'll give this free advise, but only once.

When the cop/ranger said to you that you needed the flag your response should have been " sorry officer, i intended on picking one up last night, but i had to work late at the restaurant. His response would have been "what restaurant". And you say.. "the restaurant where i'm the executive chef, you should stop by some night and i'll hook you up"!!!

No ticket, and you'll have another name to drop when you get stopped the next time while your involved in some outlaw fishing trip.

[Jax]

Heres the crazy yankee with the first brownie of 2009 open water season, It was so good to be on the water even if the fish werent cooperative. Still a bit of slush ice and debris coming out of the creeks.

The best part was watching the shoreline ice bust off into large 8 ft chunks making loud splashes into the lake, it was kinda like alaska but instead of blue glaciers it was dirty white icebergs.

Let this be a lesson to all of you getting your boats out of storage in the next month or 2 GET your trailers registered and inspected because they are on the look out.

[Erbyjoe]

Fishinman what do you mean pick up a flag? I have the coast guard come to my house and give the inspection never heard of a flag.can some one point me in the right direction?

Thanks

[muskybob]

Erin, along with the required flares on federal waters you are required to have a distress flag.

[perchherder]

I never heard of that (needing a flag). But, I am pretty new to this. Also while we are on the subject. I've heard that it's a law that any boat on Lake Ontario has to be equipped with a marine radio. Can anyone confirm that. I know you should have one if you are to spend any time on the big water. Was just wondering if it was a law?

[Tim Bromund]

Not a law as far as I know. REALLY GOOD IDEA!!!! but not a law......yet. Give NYS time, I'm sure they'll get around to it.

Tim

[poverty stricken II]

Perch, When I was in the Coast Guard there was no law that required you to have a VHF radio. I doubt the law has changed since the late 90's. Hope that helps, You con always call the rochester, buffalo, or oswego coast guard stations Non-Emergency line and ask them.

[perchherder]

Thanks for the info guys. You would think living just about on the lake I would know this stuff. I guess you learn new things everyday. Eric