On Thursday April 20 at 7pm, the Lake Ontario Trout & Salmon Association (LOTSA) will be sponsoring a Seminar by Capt. Joe Oakes on spring King Salmon fishing on the west end of Lake Ontario. Joe has been fishing the lake for 30 plus years with the last 6 years chartering clients aboard his 29ft Blackfin named Salmon Boy out of the Port of Wilson. Joe has competed in many tournaments through the years. Some of his wins are first place in the amateur division in the Niagara Pro Am and winning the 2021 Reeling For A Cure Tournament. He has also placed numerous times in the LOC winning first place in the Salmon division and also winning the Fish Odyssey. Joe will be sharing his knowledge and techniques while also taking your questions on what has made him successful fishing the west end of the lake in the spring season. This should be a great meeting to kick off the 2023 fishing season on Lake Ontario. LOTSA is a group of mainly weekend recreational fishermen who are dedicated to the enhancement of the Lake Ontario Sport-Fishery including the pen rearing project at Olcott. Each meeting also features a sharing of information on the current fishing conditions. So come join us and become more successful at fishing Lake Ontario! The meeting will be held at the new location for our LOTSA meetings, The North Amherst Fire Company, 2200 Tonawanda Creek Rd. Amherst, N.Y. The Seminar is open to the public and free to attend. See WWW.LOTSA1.ORG for any questions. Article written by John Suttell LOTSA

Pen Rearing Update Today we were notified that our fish in Olcott will be delivered next Tuesday, April 4th at 1:30pm. Once the fish are in the pens, we need to move the pens to their regular docks upstream of the boat launch. We were able to secure a second boat (Thank you Andrew) to work with Captain Vince making the move easier. We will need 10 or 12 people to help with this evolution so if you have some time Tuesday afternoon, please come out and lend a hand. Remember that Penn Assembly Day is this Saturday, April 1st at 9:30am at The Town of Newfane Marina. The pens will be placed in the water after assembly, so stick around and help with that if you can. Please dress according to the weather and bring your side cutters. Hot coffee, tea and hot chocolate will be provided as well as packaged pastries.

Spring is almost here! With that brings the LOTSA Pen Rearing events. This years Pen assembly day is Saturday, April 1st. We will be meeting at the Town of Newfane Marina at 9:30am to begin assembling the net/pens. Refreshments will be provided from East Side Market in Olcott. Good news, we will be getting about 13,000 more Chinook salmon which takes the total to 126,000 Chinook and 15,000 Steelhead. Come out and see old friends or make new friends and support this fishery that we all love. Please remember to dress warm and bring side cutters to trim zip ties. LOTSA places a heavy emphasis on Education including recruiting new Anglers to the Lake Ontario Fishery and providing continual Education opportunities for the experienced Anglers. If you haven’t renewed your membership this would be a great time to do that. At only $10 membership fee this is a great way to support the local fishery and learn from some of the most experienced fishermen and women on Lake Ontario. We will have membership sheets available.

On Thursday December 8th at 7pm, the Lake Ontario Trout & Salmon Association (LOTSA) will be having our annual end of year meeting. Special guests for this meeting will be the New York State DEC including Steve Hurst DECs Chief of the Bureau of Fisheries. One of the ways that the DEC is managing the Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Fishery is by participating in meetings where a significant number of Lake Ontario anglers will be in attendance. They want to hear directly from those anglers who heavily use the Fishery and their input about the 2022 season along with answering any questions they might have. We highly encourage those anglers who are interested in the constant improvement of the fishery to attend and provide their input. Pizza and drinks will be available compliments of LOTSA. Rumor has it that Santa (our very own Marty Polovick) might make a special appearance; you sure don’t want to miss that. Hope to see everyone there as it should be a very informative meeting to end the year out. Article written by John Suttell LOTSA LOTSA is a group of mainly weekend recreational fishermen who are dedicated to the enhancement of the Lake Ontario Sport-Fishery including the pen rearing project at Olcott. Each meeting also features a sharing of information the current fishing conditions. So come join us and become more successful at fishing Lake Ontario! The meeting will be held at the new location for our LOTSA meetings, The North Amherst Fire Company, 2200 Tonawanda Creek Rd. Amherst, N.Y. The Seminar is open to the public and free to attend. See WWW.LOTSA1.ORG for any questions.

Salmon School Registration is Open! Below is a message from Joe Yaeger, LOTSA President taken from the most recent News Flash #11. Click the link below to go to the registration page. It’s now that time of year again when we are putting our open lake Salmon boats and gear away for another season and starting to look forward to Spring Kings in 2024! While the season was going on we were working on the Salmon School. We’ve expanded the format again based upon input from the last School and have 3 excellent Salmon fishermen as instructors (Vince Pierleoni, Russell Gahagan and Rob Mallory) who are willing to share their knowledge on catching Kings with all of us. We are proud of the fact that it has become the premier Salmon School on the Great Lakes! The Salmon School will again be held at the Greater Niagara Fishing & Outdoor Expo this coming February 16-19, 2023. The School will again be a 3 day event with the kick off “Social” on Friday night, Saturday is the full day school and Sunday Q&A with the instructors on any remaining questions you might have. The price will be $100 and we have secured very reasonably priced hotel rooms for those traveling from out of town. You can see all of the details on the School and sign up at LOTSA Salmon School | Greater Niagara Fishing & Outdoor Expo If you are traveling to the show/school from out of town here is a link for lodging. Please note that these are pre Covid prices, so book soon before they are sold out. Lodging | Greater Niagara Fishing & Outdoor Expo (niagarafishingexpo.com)

Don't forget that this Thursdays LOTSA meeting has been rescheduled to Thursday September 15th due to the Bills season opener. The discussion on the 15th will be a recap of the 2022 season with several club captains. Come on out and talk some fishing and tell us how YOUR season has been.

On Thursday June 2nd at 7pm, the Lake Ontario Trout & Salmon Association (LOTSA) will be sponsoring a Seminar by Captain Brandon White of Rochester Sport Fishing Charters on Summer LOC Derby Tactics. Brandon has been chartering since 2001 after mentoring with Captain Kip Mammano also of Rochester Sport Fishing Charters. Over just the last 5 years Rochester Sport Fishing is responsible for putting over 30 fish on the LOC leader board, including 3 first place finishes and the Grand Prize Winner in the 2021 Spring LOC. Fishing in the local tournaments around their home port the team has placed 4 times in the top 5 in the last 3 years including a 1st place in the 2019 Sandy Creek Shootout. As an added bonus Captain Kip will be joining Brandon for this seminar. The duo will be going over fishing techniques that has helped them become successful Charter Captains on Lake Ontario. They will also be taking and answering your questions using their over 50 years combined experience to help you put more fish in the boat and hopefully on the LOC Leader Board. You won’t want to miss this one with the Summer LOC just around the corner. Article written by John Suttell LOTSA LOTSA is a group of mainly weekend recreational fishermen who are dedicated to the enhancement of the Lake Ontario Sport-Fishery including the pen rearing project at Olcott. Each meeting also features a sharing of information the current fishing conditions. So come join us and become more successful at fishing Lake Ontario! The meeting will be held at the new location for our LOTSA meetings, The North Amherst Fire Company, 2200 Tonawanda Creek Rd. Amherst, N.Y. The Seminar is open to the public and free to attend. See WWW.LOTSA1.ORG for any questions.

On Thursday September 9th at 7pm, the Lake Ontario Trout & Salmon Association (LOTSA) will be sponsoring a Seminar on Fall Stream Salmon and Trout Techniques with club members Scott Rohe and Wade Rowcliffe. They will be discussing techniques that they use to be successful in the fall and winter season fishing the tributaries on the western end of Lake Ontario. Wade grew up fishing Oatka Creek with his brother Vic as kids. He has been trib fishing for the last 15 years and has refined some of his fishing techniques he learned as a young adult and applies them to the fall and winter fishing season. He starts steam fishing in late October and goes through April until it is time to get the boat out and getting back on the lake. So if you already fish the steams or are thinking about starting to, you won’t want to miss this seminar that is sure to be very informative. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE BACK TO MEETING AT THE NORTH AMHERST FIRE COMPANY ON TONAWANDA CREEK ROAD AFTER BEING UNABLE TO BECAUSE OF COVID FOR THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF. LOTSA is a group of mainly weekend recreational fishermen who are dedicated to the enhancement of the Lake Ontario Sport-Fishery including the pen rearing project at Olcott. Each meeting also features a sharing of information the current fishing conditions. So come join us and become more successful at fishing Lake Ontario! The meeting will be held at the new location for our LOTSA meetings, The North Amherst Fire Company, 2200 Tonawanda Creek Rd. Amherst, N.Y. The Seminar is open to the public and free to attend. See WWW.LOTSA1.ORG for any questions. Submitted by John Suttell

LOTSA Members - We are changing the location for the Saturday weigh in and picnic location to accommodate the large number of boats and individuals who have already signed up. We were unable to get our usual large pavilion at Krull Park this year and we decided based upon the signups so far, that we need a larger location to make it work for us. We will now be at the Olcott Harbor Resort. This is located directly across the road from The Boat Doctors. There is a large parking lot there and two party tents which we will be using for the Saturday event. I want to throw out a big thank you to Nike and the Olcott Harbor Resort for helping us out last minute. Come and support this local campground and motel the same way they supported LOTSA.

Hi LOTSA members! Our club tournament is approaching and just over a week away! I just want to remind everyone that the sign ups close on this upcoming Tuesday. Pleased get signed up and get ready to catch some of those big kings that are out there this year! I also want to inform everyone of a few things/ updates. We will be going back to the buffet style bbq dinner instead of the original prepackaged meal that we originally had planned. With this being said, a ticket will still be REQUIRED to eat. We also received a donation in honor of Harry Zimmerman. At his wife's request, it will go toward kids prizes. The kids (under 16 years of age) MUST fish to have a chance at winning the prizes. So please get the kids involved in this great sport and get them out fishing! We are also paying back at least 8 spots for the Saturday main tournament and possibly more if additional boats sign up. Lastly, I want to remind everyone that we will have a Big Fish payout on Friday along with the traditional top 3 spots receiving money. Please direct message me with questions!

On Thursday July 8 at 7pm, the Lake Ontario Trout & Salmon Association (LOTSA) will be holding their June meeting at the Town of Newfane Marina in Olcott. PLEASE NOTE THE MEETING LOCATION CHANGE FOR OUR JULY MEETING. The meeting will feature Capt. Chris Petrucci on Fall LOC Derby Winning Techniques. Chris fishes out of Bootleggers Cove Marine at the port of Wilson aboard D Day his 27 ft Tiara. Chris has been quite successful the past few years placing in all of the late summer tournaments. Last year his teams finishes included LOC 16th& 19th in the Salmon division, Big fish of the day twice and LOTSA big fish award. The Fish Odyssey Salmon division 2nd & 3rd, Big fish of the day twice also the LOTSA big fish award. NYS Summer Classic the Salmon division and the LOTSA big fish award. Chris will be sharing his techniques and answering questions on what has made him successful fishing the western end of Lake Ontario during the late summer tournaments. Be sure to follow all CDC and N.Y. State Covid guidelines to help keep everyone safe. Hope to see everyone there. LOTSA is a group of mainly weekend recreational fishermen who are dedicated to the enhancement of the Lake Ontario Sport-Fishery including the pen rearing project at Olcott. Each meeting also features a sharing of information the current fishing conditions. So come join us and become more successful at fishing Lake Ontario! Written by John Suttell

The 2021 LOTSA tournament is a little over a month away! We are excited to get the tournament back to "normal" with the picnic and raffle back this year! Please get signed up and let's bounce back after covid with a bigger and even better tournament! The LOTSA tournament website is live and ready for sign ups! https://lotsa1.org/

On Thursday June 3rd at 7pm, the Lake Ontario Trout & Salmon Association (LOTSA) will be holding their June meeting at the Town of Newfane Marina in Olcott. PLEASE NOTE THE MEETING LOCATION CHANGE FOR OUR JUNE MEETING. The meeting will feature a roundtable discussion of LOTSA captains featuring Marty Polovick, Steve Olay and Joe Yaeger. They will be speaking and answering questions on July Salmon Tournament Techniques. All three of them have consistently placed in our LOTSA and local tournaments throughout the years. Between them they have a lot of years and knowledge of fishing the western end of Lake Ontario. It’s a great time to pick up some helpful tips as we get ready for what should be another great year on the lake. Be sure to follow all CDC and N.Y. State Covid guidelines to help keep everyone safe. Hope to see everyone there. LOTSA is a group of mainly weekend recreational fishermen who are dedicated to the enhancement of the Lake Ontario Sport-Fishery including the pen rearing project at Olcott. Each meeting also features a sharing of information the current fishing conditions. So come join us and become more successful at fishing Lake Ontario! Submitted by John Suttell

2021 LOTSA Pen Rearing Wrap Up This year LOTSA’s Pen Rearing Project expanded again. For 21 days we held 111,000 Chinook salmon and 17,000 Steelhead in nine fish pens located at the Town of Newfane Marina in Olcott NY. The pens were assembled on March 27th LOTSA members and a few volunteers from Lake Erie Chapter of Fly Fishers. The fish were received on April 6th and moved in pens to their temporary homes on “A” dock in Eighteen Mile Creek. At receipt, the Chinook salmon weighed 126 fish/lb and the Steelhead were 24 fish/lb. During their stay, they were fed continuously via belt feeders that were loaded every morning by Dennis Stabler, Capt. Vince Pierleoni and Marina Director Scott Scheffler. The warmer water temperatures and continuous feeding led to impressive growth during their stay and some of the best product that we have seen. On April 25th the Steelhead and April 28th the Chinook salmon were released into the harbor just before dusk to minimize risk of predation from birds and other fish. At release the Chinook averaged 67.4 fish per pound and the Steelhead averaged 15.97 fish per pound. NYDEC had “Hazers” working in the harbor for 2 days after the fish release to deter predation from birds as well. This project would not be possible without an incredible amount of help from volunteers and generosity from local businesses. I would like to thank Scott Scheffler and The Town of Newfane for support throughout the project, also The Boat Doctor/Tackle Barn and The East Side Market in Olcott. Please support these businesses and show them your appreciation too.

On Thursday May 6 at 7pm, the Lake Ontario Trout & Salmon Association (LOTSA) will be sponsoring a Seminar by Capt Mike Johannes from the back of his boat at the Bootleggers Cove Marina at Wilson Harbor. Mike will be sharing his knowledge and techniques on fishing for spring King Salmon at the Niagara Bar and the port of Wilson. Mike will be doing his seminar from the back of his boat a 39 ft Sea Ray “On The Rocks IV with a hands on approach, going over boat set up and also proven techniques he has developed over his many years on the lake. Mike has been fishing Lake Ontario since the early 1970s. Mike started chartering in 1991as a first mate with his father then in 2000 he got his captain license and has continued on with the family tradition ever since. Some of his accomplishments include winning the 2000 Niagara Pro Am and 2nd place in 2018 Wilson Invitational plus many top 10s in other tournaments. Mike has also helped many of his customers place in the top 10 in the lakes different tournaments. As an added bonus Bay Rat Lures will be there to do a short presentation on their new Salmon and Trout product offerings for this year.The seminar is the day before the start of the spring LOC so you might be able to get some useful tips you could use to better your chances in the derby. Remember to wear your mask and practicing social distancing to help keep everyone safe. We hope to see you there to kick off the 2021 fishing season. LOTSA is a group of mainly weekend recreational fishermen who are dedicated to the enhancement of the Lake Ontario Sport-Fishery including the pen rearing project at Olcott. Each meeting also features a sharing of information the current fishing conditions. So come join us and become more successful at fishing Lake Ontario! . The Seminar is open to the public and free to attend. See WWW.LOTSA1.ORG for any questions. Written by: John Suttell

2021 LOTSA Pen Rearing 2020 presented challenges for everyone, especially with Covid19 thrown into the mix. With the regulations set by the state and the uncertainty of how the virus would affect us and the process that we use to build and maintain the pen project, LOTSA decided not to put our members at risk of infection. Some local charter captains stepped up and decided to make sure that the project still took place. There were a total of 6 pens and 111,000 chinook salmon that were held for 4 weeks before being released. In 2021, LOTSA will be running the project again. The pens will be assembled on Saturday March 27th at 9:30am at the Town of Newfane Marina. We will be assembling a total of 9 pens as the project is expanding. 5 pens will hold the 111,392 chinook salmon, the other 4 pens will hold 17,000 steelhead. This is the first year that 100% of the chinook salmon and steelhead stocked in 18 mile creek will go through the pen project. This will give all of them the best start possible and hopefully provide a stronger staging salmon fishery in 2024 and into the future. Easter is early this year which complicates the timeline a bit, so we aren’t sure when the fish will arrive. This information will be circulated at a later date. As always when building the pens, dress warm and bring your side cutters to clip zip ties. This year however with the virus still hanging around, we ask that you wear a face covering/mask at all times and do your best to keep socially distant from one another. Hot coffee/chocolate and pastries will be available to help keep you warm.

2021 LOTSA EVENTS WWW.LOTSA1.ORG SEMINARS & GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS: The dates of our meetings are listed below. They begin at 7pm at the North Amherst Fire Company, 2200 Tonawanda Creek Rd, Amherst, NY 14228. Please note May 6th meeting is in Wilson at Bootleggers Cove Marina. SEMINAR SERIES: Thursday April 8th - Canceled due to COVID Thursday May 6th - “At the Dock’ talking Kings With Captain Mike Johannes Thursday June 3rd - July Salmon Tournament Techniques Roundtable of LOTSA Captains Thursday July 8th - Fall LOC Derby Winning Techniques With Captain Chris Petrucci Thursday September 9th - Fall Stream Salmon Techniques With Scott Rohe and Wade Rowcl Thursday December 9th - Annual Christmas Party 18th Annual LOTSA King Salmon Tournaments & Free Picnic July 17th 11th Annual Curt Meddaugh Memorial Free Tournament Friday July 16th See LOTSA1.ORG to sign up and for the details on these 4 events LOTSA “Tournaments within a Tournament, free for LOTSA Members” Spring LOC Derby $1000 Cash Largest Salmon 5/7 – 5/16 Summer LOC Derby $750 Cash Largest Salmon 6/25 – 7/25 Fish Odyssey $700 Cash Largest Salmon 8/21 – 8/29 Fall LOC Derby Wk #1 $500 Cash Largest Salmon 8/20 – 8/28 Fall LOC Derby Wk #2 $500 Cash Largest Salmon 8/29 – 9/06 Salmon Pen Rearing Program: April at Olcott (Newfane Marina). See LOTSA1.ORG for the specifics.

Just a reminder that Wednesday is the last day to sign up for the LOTSA tournament!!!

We are less then a month away from the tournament. Make sure you get signed up!!

LOTSA 2020 SALMON TOURNAMENT!! NEW RULES AND FORMAT SO MAKE SURE YOU READ EVERYTHING OVER CLOSELY!! The website is updated with tournament info and rules. Get your team signed up and enjoy our fantastic fishery! https://lotsa1.org/

We regret to announce that due to virus concerns, we are canceling our April club meeting and Flea Market. Sorry for the inconvenience, hopefully this will be cleared up prior to the May meeting. Sent from my VS995 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

New offering for 2020 is a LOTSA Flea Market: We have had some members inquiring about having a flea market where LOTSA members would be able to sell some of their used fishing tackle and equipment. We are sending this out to see how much interest we have into putting one together. We would be holding this on April 2nd from 5:30 pm to 6:45 pm before our first scheduled meeting of 2020. Tables would be provided for your set up. You would be responsible for selling your items and taking home what you have left. LOTSA will not be collecting any money from you. If you are interested in a table, please contact Board Member John Suttell no later than February 29th at (585) 813-4066 or email [email protected]