waterdog

I have six (6) Tite Lok aluminum 2 1/4-inch C-clamp rod holders. $25 each or all 6 for $120. Waterdog

Solas Amita 4 prop, aluminum four blade, white, 10-inch diameter by 7 pitch. Fits Yamaha 9.9 - 15. Used once. Like new in box. $70.

Bob: I used to own one, and liked it when I had it (more than 10 years ago). Positives: Strong, reliable, accurate, very good fit and finish (mine was blued), strong Negatives: Not the best out=of=the box DA trigger (the SA trigger was okay by my standards) It is a solid revolver, certainly worth a look. waterdog

Fished the north end yesterday from 6:30 until 10:30 am - generally 8 to 25 feet of water. Temps in the 53 to 54 range. Small amount of weed growth - hardly enough to mention. Lost an 8-pound eye at the boat, landed a 12-pound tiger and a big-ol' bucketmouth. Had several bumps - the bite was very light. Slow retrieve and stops triggeered the hits. Need a few more degrees in the water temps to turn things on a bit.

I suspect you'll find the Ridgeline somewhat lacking in the towing department compared to the Tundra. If your Tundra has the V8 then you're going from a 7300 to a 5000 pound towing capacity. That may be enough for what you need, but expect those hills to be steeper. I had a 2000 Tundra, and like you was looking for a change. Opted for a Tacoma (V6) which has a 6500 pound tow capacity. Almost the same size as the old Tundra, less bed space, more room inside (got the full 4 door). I tow only occasionally, so it was hard to justify the daily cost of a "real" tow vehicle. My Tacoma has a 6-spd manual, and a low range in the tranny. Honda makes a good vehicle, but the Ridgeline offers neither of those. Hindsight being 20/20, would I do it again for the sake of change? I'm happy with the Tacoma, but would have kept the Tundra instead. waterdog

Was up to Wellsley in late July, and headed up again this weekend. We caught pike on the weed flats near deeper water - best time is dawn and dusk. Suspending rogues, stickbaits was what we used, and perch colors and firetiger were always best. Drift and cast, and expect a lot of weeds on the retrieve. Flashy spinners and daredevils will work too. Have never trolled for pike up there, but have been drifting/casting for 30+ years and have caught some decent fish. A lot of hammer handles, but they'll give a good tussle too when they get down in the weeds. Have fun - looks to be a bit drier this weekend than late July waterdog

Steve - Nice job on the big tagged eye. I landed and released a Conesus tagged fish in 2001 - wrote down the number and sent off a note to DEC. They took a couple of weeks to write back, but sent a letter saying the fish was originally tagged on April 4, 1991, mature female 23.4 inches long and 5 years old at the time of tagging. Meaning when I caught her she was 15+ years old. I recall she was just short of 9 pounds at the time I let her go. Tag looked like a bird band in the lower jaw. The one I released was 8C2717 - I still have the letter from DEC. Been looking for her ever since...I'll be out tomorrow to look some more... waterdog

Was out this morning, launched at the north end. Water very high, and the north launch is tight and a little rough. Raked the shoreline with flatlines, planers, and shallow rigger setups, as were most others. We took the west shore to the south end, east shore on the way back. Surface temp 44 to 47, with a discernable stain toward the inlet. Small amount of debris. Saw about a dozen boats out, only one indicated that they had done anything - a single fish. As for us, we washed the lures for four hours, then bagged it. Saw few marks on the fishfinder, saw maybe a half dozen fish breaking surface near the shore. Have had some stellar days on Hemlock, but my best outings have never been the early part of the season. Clearly I need to spend more time working on the early season program. Today was stellar for the boat ride, just not for catching. waterdog

andre I set up my FL rods the same for downriggers, planer boards, flatlines, and mini dipsys, except for the terminal gear. Last year I ran 12 pound mono, this year I'm running 15. Never broke the mainline, but did break a 10-pound leader off the mini dipsy. So I'm upsizing a little. The mono setup works flatlining for nearshore spring browns in LO, too. I use P-Line Flouroclear, just my personal preference. Trilene Big Game in 20 pound seems to be popular, especially if you troll for toothy critters on occasion. I've considered fiddling with wire and braid, but feel like what I do now with mono works well for the way I troll. Not a lot of gear, not a lot of re-spooling, and a fairly flexible setup for the FL I fish. waterdog

I have two Walker Mini Laker downriggers for sale. They're the clamp-on style, all aluminum construction, with integral rod holder. Only used a couple of times and they are like new. Great to make your small aluminum boat a troller. You can see them on the Cabela's website - link is too long to paste in. Will include a pair of 6-pound finned teardrop weights and releases. $150 for all, prefer local pick-up - rather not ship the weights. waterdog

Saw Art yesterday for bait for Honeoye. He said someone went in to their chest at the south end of Hemlock. He also reported that guys were fishing out to the middle of the south end. Hemlock is like that, with inconsistent ice. Take nothing for granted - fish with a buddy, and spud as you go. Took a look at the north end of Hemlock after fishing Honeoye. Lots of open water. Might look at the south end in a week. Waterdog