LongLine

I'm often out on the water well before the sun comes up. My stern light is quite bright & lights up the stern. Everything has a place & is kept in its place. I have the world's largest tacklebox (mostly for my spoons) that is the size of a small engine/dog house. It’s also in the stern & ALWAYS closed & latched unless I’m getting a lure out. Here it is before I cleaned it out & restocked: I don't worry about alcohol/drugs on my boat because they're not there. I worry about the other boat. Be especially alert at night as someone may be out there without proper running lights. You also have to realize that if you're fishing around the pierheads that any boat approaching the harbor will have a tough time seeing your lights due to all the lights along the shore. As for lures, I like the dark lures w/white cups more than the silvers or gold’s. Also that early, I generally fish in the upper portion of the water column with a fairly long lead. Tom B. (LongLine)

Welcome to the site Chris. Let us know what's happening around B-Bay. Tom B. (LongLine)

Hans - Saw a nice Grady White out there. Wondered if it was you. Thought I heard a shout. Oh well next time. Tom B. (LongLine)

LongLine Report Date(s): 8-8-09 Location: Genny At the launch by 5. Nice South wind & clear sky with a bright moon. Putted straight out to 95 FOW then stayed over this for about an hour & 1/2. (heck of a lot of bait. FF picked it up at 82 over 100 – This screen stretched E-W for a good 10 minutes) After the sun came up: (Don’t know who you are but nice rig) Ran into this guy down 75 over 115FOW (8 ½ Lbs, DW SS Bloody Death) Worked the 115-140FOW area N-S Troll & picked up two small Kings. 1 shaker (Clipped & clean) other about 7 Lb. Same lure same depth. Had one screamer that decided to take that lure to Canada. (Good thing I got a bunch of them.) Ventured out to 170FOW but didn’t see anything on the screen. Came back in & had two more releases but no one home. Guess 3 out of 6 isn’t too bad. Maybe 8-10 boats in the area, but then most moved out. Temp change down at 85-90 FT. South wind moving the cold water in. Pull up at 11:00. Guy at the ramp said he released a 26 Lb’r. All in all, great morning to be on the water Why do the rag boats have to set up their race course right in front of the River? Tom B. (LongLine)

Here’s the deal: Take & post a decent side-shot picture of my boat - the “LongLine†on Saturday 8/8/09, fishing on Big-O and I’ll send the first successful photographer this: And the second, this: The rules: 1. I’ll be launching at the Genny & fishing the morning. (Good Lord willing) Not sure if I’ll have a crew with me or not. Not sure if I’ll head east towards Shipbuilders, west towards Braddock’s or straight out. 2. Boat must be individual & recognizable. (I.e. not 1 of 25, or “way out on the horizonâ€) 3. No Photoshop allowed. 4. Pic’s must be posted by 8:30 PM 8/8/09. 5. Don’t come within 150 ft of me. (spud gun range) Tom B. (LongLine) p.s I’m not telling you what my boat looks like. If you know – Please don’t tell.

WTG William., a 16 inch'r is a nice bucketmouth. Tom B. (LongLine)

Welcome to the board. Nice fish. Possibly a rainbow. Next time check mouth. White mouth equals trout. Dark mouth equals salmon. Black mouth equals King Salmon. "Down speed" is speed at the downrigger ball. (Measured with a probe) Tom B. (LongLine)

Tom B. (LongLine)

Did ther little guy have an Ad fin? Tom B. (LongLine)

Did the crimps give or the wire? The stock leaders are only 80 Lb test. With the boat going up & down over waves, that weight actually pulls a lot more than 15 Lbs worth when it changes direction. Eventually the wire will fatigue. I run a modified ball that weighs about 12 Lbs & replace leader every two years or when I see some wear. Tom B. (LongLine)

Joe - Yes I have that unit. Only time I've had that message is when the plug came loose. Used to happen after boat did some pounding at higher speeds. (fixed by wrapping a little electrical tap around cord & tying off on side of bracket.) Knock on wood, haven't had any problems. Does it happen in one mode more than others? i.e auto fishing, cruising, trolling? Tom B. (LongLine)

Glenn, My oops. I'm wrong. That's a proposed reg for upcoming yr. Mentioned at State of Lake meeting because guys were cleaning northerns up north on the ice & leaving carcasses on the ice. Current regs - Skin has to be left on species not listed: http://www.dec.ny.gov/regs/4026.html Tom B. (LongLine)

If the steelie saw your Buffy suit, he probably thought a bear had him...and I'm not gonna ask how you wet the floor.... Tom B. (LongLine)

WTG Mark. Tom B. (LongLine)

No more wooden nickels? That'll make tree huggers happy. Tom B. (LongLine)

SF - I haven't fished the area for quite a while, but there are a lot of posts from there. Just have to catch up on the reading. (Should be near the beginning of the run, depending on the weather.) As for carcasses, no you cannot fillet the fish on the water anymore. You can gut it but no more than that. Tom B. (LongLine)

Tree top - no it’s not the easiest thing to do. Have a good grip on that area just ahead of the tail & keep away from its mouth & gills. Keep him headed in the direction the boat is going. It may take a minute or so. Grey Fox – Their odds at survival are much better than if they’re thrown in the cooler. But realistically, I believe they survive, they’re hardier than we think. Some people say they don’t survive, but then they never show pictures of carcasses to support it. Also fish have been known to come up from 39 F into that warm water just for lunch. Jekyll – I also release lampreys. For every one I catch, I release 3 (pieces) Ray - I think he was more refering to the 1-3 Lb'rs. Chowder – I generally troll between 15-17 miles when I can get out & over the years, I’ve seen very few floating game fish out there. Tom B. (LongLine)

In other words: you backed over it?? Tom B. (LongLine)

Nice. I know that spot well. Tom B. (LongLine)

I'm 100% C&R. Every fish I've caught this year has swum away, and a couple took some real work to revive. However, I don't begrudge anyone for keeping their legal limit. (Go over that limit and it'll be a different story...) Tom B. (LongLine)

YM Good questions to ponder. Not to say we don't have probems, but IMHO - Pen projects are a great thing. I don't believe Ontario is following the same path as Mich & Huron. Big-O is a different ecosystem. Fisheries managed by a different crew that saw what was happening in Huron & cut back stocking when they saw problems out west. Big-O is more in preyfish-predator balance than ever before. Constant vigilance is key - On DEC & all fishermen's part. (If you see something out of the ordinary - report it!) Effect of mussles is not good anywhere. (Quagga more so than Zebras). The good news as I see it: Alewive population did take an upswing in last 2 yrs. Alewives are eating the red shrimp & fleas. Bass & others are eating gobies. Ontario fish are still bigger than Mich. Kings seem bigger than last year. Some Naturals are being caught. Lakers being caught are "huge". More Atlantics being caught. Freighters are now being inspected & regulated more. Tom B. (LongLine)

TJ - As well as past posts here under the tackle section, check out http://www.olcottfishing.com & http://www.attheoak.com. The oak site has a good lure section/link if you scroll way down to the bottom. Other than the oak & here for names, you can look up the lure manufacturer ie (Dreamweaver, Stinger, Northern King, Atommik, Howie, etc) & check the names out. Tom B. (LongLine)

Nice job. Tom B. (LongLine)

WTG Mick (Another one for the "nutzoid" club wall of fame.) Tom B. (LongLine)

The Sub-T must have coated cable. Signal comes up the cable. I run the Sub-T, some guys run the others & love them. Tom B. (LongLine)