LongLine

Shattered: Larry...was great meeting you. Good luck with them Spoonfed: No tin or tungsten. Those sinkers have to be made by commercial outfits as they require different heat and precautions than that for lead. I make these myself. NYSDEC banned Lead sinkers less than 1/2-ounce years ago (except jigs) over fear that birds could swallow them. Those metals will eventually dissolve in acidic water. Birds won't die because lead makes them "go nuts." Rather if a bird ingests ANY chunk of metal, it will block its digestive system. i.e. they won't be able to "poop" properly, which will kill them.

$5 Lead Sinker Packs: Eggs, Banks & Keels ($5 each pack) Egg sinker packs: 1/2, 3/4,1 pack: 6 pcs 1/2 oz, 6 pcs 3/4 ox & 5 pcs 1 oz. (5 packs available) 1/2 oz pack: 18 pcs of 1/2 oz (5 available) 3/4 oz pack: 15 pcs of 3/4 oz (5 available) 1 oz pack: 12 pcs of 1 oz (5 available) Bank sinker packs 1/2, 3/4,1 pack: 6 pcs 1/2 oz, 6 pcs 3/4 oz & 5 pcs 1 oz.(5 available) 1/2 oz pack: 18 pcs of 1/2 oz (5 available) 3/4 oz pack: 15 pcs of 3/4 oz (5 available) 1 oz pack: 12 pcs of 1 oz (5 available) Keel Sinker packs: 1 oz pack: 3 pcs of 1 oz (5 available) 1 1/2 oz pack: 2 pcs of 1 1.2 oz (3 available) 2 oz pack: 2 pcs of 2 oz (3 available) Shipping costs are obscene! If interested in 3 packs (three) or more, PM me and we can set up a meet at I-Bay Launch. (1st come, 1st served) Tom B. (LongLine)

Try contacting WTP at wtp-inc.com, or call 800-521-3399 (or 269-468-3399) and ask them. Let us know how you make out. (Tell them you're an active member of LOU and they may send you a few samples)

That J is a special plastic that almost nothing sticks to. Polypropelyne not acetate, I think. I'd go to an auto parts store & see if they have anything that sticks to plastic cheap auto skirts/bumpers or research any loctite that sticks to cutting boards. (Do you get same results when laqdder put on the other way?)

How do you separate the tape from it's backing? I use an exacto knife blade at the very tip of the tape and never touch the adhesive side with my fingers.

Make sure your lure is really clean before applying tapes. I always use de-natured alcohol to wipe them down first and then wipe it with paper towel & let set for 5 minutes or so, then apply tape. Any kind of residue (soap, fish slime, fingerprints paint oxide, etc) will affect how well the tape sticks. Also, on freshly painted lures, I let it dry for 2 days to make sure paint is thoroughly cured then the alcohol & tape.

You've both made some very good points. I however have many questions to which I'll probably never have an answer. Yes, it's been my experience that bigger salmon come from the depths, however shakers that I've caught come from warmer depths. while looking for steelhead. 48 in 1985 is the same 48 today, yet today the kings are smaller than back then not only in Lake Ontario but big time smaller in Alaska where the temps are much colder year-round than Lake Ontario. The kings caught in 48 today are smaller than way back then. Browns seem to have gotten a lot bigger than way back then. (Could temperature have made them eat more gobies?) What does a 48 degree King eat? What's down there? Or does he frequently come up to feast on alewives? I've read someplace that Kings can't survive in water temperature over 72F regardless of spawning condition because their metabolism speeds up so much that their guts turn to mush. Milder winters here have greatly contributed to the increase in alewife numbers. What have the milder winters done to salmon? Eggs & milt have been collected out of warmer water. Is metabolism determined at a fish's birth? or the first few months of life? I don't know. Does an 8-inch King head directly out to where the bigger ones are? I doubt it. From that article, I surmise there must be an ideal temperature for birth and early development. I don't know what it is. I believe the SR tanks are spring fed, but are they strictly maintained at a given temperature? The right temperature? Net Pens are great for survival but are they good for growth? Aren't they generally in shallow water or high in the water column? I've never seen a temperature profile of the Genny. Research that I've seen on Kings in Lake Ontario keys on survival. The question is whether there is a tradeoff between survival & growth that is acceptable. (NO, I'm not advocating for a cut in stocking number!) I will however ask if SOME (not all) the stocked kings can be given some kind of "growth hormone". After all, they are treated for disease and deficiency issues. Luck to all.

Interesting theories, however, Kings aren't Tuna and they don't spend their lives in streams. Many shakers in the 10-12 inch size are caught quite a ways from streams. Smaller Chinook size is not unique to Lake Ontario. It's happening in Alaska too. Here's an interesting article that was published in Nature: Recent declines in salmon body size impact ecosystems and fisheries | Nature Communications This article talks quite a bit about salmon maturing at younger age, hence not having enough time to grow to the larger sizes that are highly desirable of sportfishermen. All salmon are experiencing it, but it is most notable with the kings. Further down in the article, they talk about why the declining maturity age and say a major factor is warmer water. The warmer water has the effect of speeding up their metabolism which speeds up the aging process.

The lower food web in Lake Ontario has changed quite a bit. Kings eat alewife. Alewife numbers have greatly increased, especially the older ones. King numbers are good, but Kings (caught) weight is less than what it used to be. My question is whether the same age alewife contain the same calories/nutritional value that they used to? Brian's report says condition of the 6.5" alewife has decreased but published studies site length. They say nothing about nutritional value. What are the alewives eating? A few years ago, DEC reported they were eating more fleas and that the fleas had little nutritional value. So, the question is whether the alewives today are a diet version of those of years past. If a King can only eat 10 alewife per day because of the size of his stomach, will he get as fat/big if those 10 are diet version as he would if those 10 were fat greasy ones? Browns & Lakers don't seem to be getting any smaller.

Concentrate on the riggers first, then move on to the other "stuff." (Dipseys, cores, etc) - 1 lure in temp, 1 lure above and 1 below. - spooks (Black/silver with a splash of red) - Troll North & South watching temps. Fish stable water. Temp probe on the deeper rigger. - Occasionally take down speed up to 3 or a little higher then slow back down. Occasionally put it in neutral & let spoons flutter downward. - Run a MUP rig. Two identical lures on a rigger about 10-12 ft apart vertically. Run lower one about 15 ft behind the upper. Can also try flasher/fly high with spoon low (same colors) but don't put it in neutral. - If you spot a scum line, troll to outside of it. If you spot bait fish pod, troll to outside of it. (Go at least 30FOW deeper then back in) If you see birds, troll to the outside of them. - Keep your eyes on the water. If you see minnows or fish swirling, then get a plug on the surface. (maybe only 4-5 ft down) Good luck out there.

ADK mtns used to be Northeast of Syracuse.

Rochester is playing it up pretty good. Downtown city supposed to have 3 min 34 sec of totality. Buffalo to have 3 min & Syracuse to have under 2 min. East of Syracuse won't have totality. If heavy clouds, City will go pitch dark.

Yahoo & The Weather Network posted an article about reporting any "weird" things that people observe during the eclipse and they're asking people to report events. The site is eclipsesoundscapes.org. ) NOT an April Fool's Day joke) Apparently started by the Boston Society of Natural History years ago and has some NASA sponsorship. So, if you notice bees returning to their hives; bats flying around; racoon coming out; crickets chirping; squirrels hiding; wind changes; etc. they encourage you to report it. Sounds like a pretty neat thing to keep an eye on.

WTG Rich! You got the big boat in?

I'll be sitting on my back porch & should get a perfect view as neighbor cut down that tree. There's no way I'd go to a park or be on the water. People are generally nuts during the full moon so I can't imagine what they'll be like during a total eclipse! If cloudy, which Rochester generally is, it should go totally dark. Will be interesting to see if the street/expressway lights come on.