quality time

2.2 to 2.4 mph

Lil'Troller and I should be up there as well. Give us a call on the radio! Wes

Sounds like primer bulb problem. The ethanol in the gas eats the check balls out. Wes

Love to see kids getting out. I wish we had more kids and women in the sport. I have a hard time finding kids that even want to go. Hey Hanna Marie did you put any fish in the bottom of that nice Trophy yet? Wes

All that new gear must be working Wes

When do the slips go on sale or did I miss that boat. Wes

Thanks, I will give him a call!

Looking for a shop to do my Trophy stand up canvas in finger lakes area. Wes

Hanna, I sent you a pm.

Do not for get zebra mussels. They have had a huge impact.

Does anyone know if the big jon slimline base will fit on Bert's track system?

Yep! But 600 feet is still a long ways.

The copper rod is not to bad. I bought a blue diamond roller rod which makes it much easier. I liked the fact that if you get a hit and the fish gets off you don't have to reel it back in like a dipsy rod. Stoutner I am sending you a pm. Wes

You just had to bring up the old man forgetting the tackle box. I still say anyone can catch fish with a big box full of new lures , it takes a real fisherman to catch fish with a handful of lures scrounged up in all the nooks and crannys of the boat. Thank god for poor housekeeping

Ben, you forgot to mention that we released all those lakers (including the 10 lber) except a couple for the grill. These fish were very healthy. I do not rember catching lakers 30 years ago that peeled so much drag off.

Yep, the copper worked great! I seem to remember that if I bought the copper rod you said you would reel them in. I hope I don't miss any work because of sore arms. That was a great day Wes

The problem we had with single hooks was that the fish would grab the spoon sideways and the longer single hook would fowl hook the fish in the gills. The point of Chowders post was to move deeper when you start getting into the little ones. Mortality rate is higher on these smaller fish when released. The bigger fish are tougher and easier to release unharmed. I would much rather catch 5 large trout than 40 shakers. Maden voyage in the morning for us. Wes

Sean I agree about the small trebles.We were fishing spoons with single hooks and the small fish were getting hooked in gills with the big single hooks. Like Chowder said if you are in small fish move. I'm thinking of keeping a block of ice in the livewell to keep the fish in the livewell later in the year. Hope it works! Wes

Great post Chowder. I think we sometimes forget that teaching conservation is sometimes harder than teaching people how to catch fish. This is not to slam anyone. We all go through phases but we eventualy learn that these fisheries are delicate resources and as we become better fisherman the responseablity is even greater to protect the sport that we all love. I have always been a catch and release fisherman but still love to eat fish. We try to only keep the fish that are hooked deep or in the gills. The rule in my house has always been to keep no more than you can eat in one meal. I have found that fish that go in the freezer never seem to come out or get lost and freezer burnt. I lived next to an old timer that pulled copper and caught tons of fish. He didn't eat them and was always giving them away. That used to make me mad as heck because that same fish if released could have been caught again by some kid who never caught a big fish. I love to derby fish and I am going to try to keep my fish in the livewell this year so that I can release them after weigh in. The picture that goes with my post is one from a derby last year that I kept after gettting the results of the leader board. It got bumped out by a few ounces and every time I look at that pic. I wish I let it go. The other thing that I learned to help release fish is do not net them. We have had better results unhooking alongside the boat. Wes

You guys are killing me. The boy and I are not going to be able to get out for a few more weeks. I sure am looking forward to a nice laker on the grill. Great job chowder. Hope to meet you some day. I think I have property in your neck of the woods. Hanna Marie I am sending you a P.M. Wes

I have a 1992 model 2002 trophy and love it. We have fished in 30 mph north winds on Cayuga Lake. Nice dry ride in a 4 foot chop . She tracks well and the boat is self bailing which is handy in heavy rain as well as rough sea's. My boat will do 40mph with 150 merc. outboard but I don't dwell on top speed. Boat handling at trolling speed is what matters to me most and the trophy does great at that. One common problem with the older trophy's were the scuppers leaking on a following seas and flooding the fish boxes. I replaced my rubber flapper type scuppers with Raybud ping pong ball style for around 40 bucks and that problem was solved. Wes

Thanks for the info!

Looking to upgrade my kicker. My old kicker has 76 watt charging system but does not keep the battery charged unless we are bucking a big headwind and are running at a higher rpm. The9.9 prokicker has around the same watt charge system as my old kicker but I am hoping that the Merc. makes the watts at a lower rpm. Any prokicker owners out there? Also if I pull the fuel out of the boat gas tank will I need a fuel pump to lift the gas the extra 2 feet? Thanks for any input!

what size reels are they?

We fish mostly Cayuga Lake but have had trouble (2 near collisions with sailboats) at the south end. our boat is trailerable and we work our way up the lake as the summer goes on launching closer to the action. Seneca has more motor boat traffic than sailboats on the south end but can still be crowded. Both places are great fishing. Which ever lake you pick, get on the lake early before the pleasure boats or sailboats are out in numbers. We try to be on the water half an hour before sunrise and normaly work our way up the lake as the day goes on to get away from the traffic. If I lived closer to Seneca that would more than likley be my pick. It is a shame that there are no large marinas in the middle portion of the Cayuga lake. We are lucky to have two great fisheries so close.