big easy

Did the same thing for many years Scott.It was the only place that i fished,and like you,I had a few boats dedicated strictly for the Quabbin.

We always occasionally fished Ontario,and Champlain,along with Winnipauskee,and Rangeley.

Finally decided to buy a bigger boat,and keep it on lake Ontario.Ever since then,I've put my time into fishing the big pond.

I do miss the Quabbin at times,but no longer own a small boat.I just like the lack of all the stupid rules that go along with fishing it.On Ontario,I can launch when I want fish where I want,wade in the water when I launch the boat, no barrels to worry about, and catch big fish,and all kinds of different species in the same place.

It would be nice if Ma. would separate the politics from The fishing,Places like Quabbin and Wachusett should be open to fishing all the time.The excuse that it's a drinking supply first is a poor one.

Lake George in NY is also used for drinking,and the water is very clean and clear,yet it has tons of fishing and recreational boating.

Ok,I'm done complaining,so back to fishing.

What Gate do you fish out of?On gate 8, I always did well on salmon along the ledges,and the east side of the island,Lakers were of course,always predictable along the barrels,and in that stretch of 78 to 100' water from the point just north of the yellow rock on the prescott side,and along the eastern shore,up to the flats.

I hear the smelt have come back,that's a good thing.A few years ago,we were catching some nice salmon right on top,even in July.They were way out of temp,but they were feeding on some good size schools of baby white perch.

Have a good season on the reservoir,and enjoy the fishing.If you are ever up Olcott way shoot me a pm,if we have the space,your welcome to fish with us.

http://www.fish307.com

They're in Lake George NY,and have every single part for Cannons.They ship the same day.Once you take the rigger apart,you'll see how basic they really are.

Change the parts,as said by Chinook.It's a piece of cake.

Where you going to move NY ? is that better polotically ?

The whole country is bad right now with our comander in cheif

do you fish the Q ? if so I never see 10" browns, none in there anymore. But the LL's are awesome this year, many fish 5 to 7 lbs, which is good for us. Still banging them at 2 to 3 colors.

Scott,

You're correct in saying that NY,is as politically screwed up as MA.,but at least in Western NY,I wouldn't be surrounded by nearly, as many left wing earthy crunchy nuts,like back home.

As for the Quabbin,I fished it for more years than I can remember.I was one of the regulars at Gate 8 for at least twenty years.Fished it every single weekend,both Saturday,and Sunday,from open to close,and would say that I know that area,as well as anyone who fishes it.

Quabbin is a beautiful place,I caught lots of nice lake trout and salmon there.

My biggest laker, was 18lb2oz(biggest of the year 1991)and others of 16,14,12,11 lbs. and many over seven.My biggest landlock was a hair under six pounds.

My gripe isn't with the Quabbin,or any other lakes,but with the state.You can rest assured that the rights of sportsmen in MA.,will always take a back seat to everything else in the state,including all the stuff I mentioned,in my previous reply.

AS for small browns,if you spend any time fishing lakes like South pond,Big Alum,Little Alum,Goose Pond ,and lots of others,you'll find plenty of 10" Browns and small Rainbows.

New York,far exceeds Massachusetts in Quality fishing and hunting,including the size of the fish,and the quantity and condition of their boat ramps and shoreline facilities.

Yep we said it when we first heard of the lake closings in the Berkshires,that Quabbin would be next.

So here is what I have to say

......SCREW MASSACHUSETTS. I can't wait to get out of that rotten,over taxed corrupt,weirdo infested state.They could care less about sportsmen.

The powers that be,are more concerned about protecting the rights of criminals,illegal aliens,and gay marriage,than your right to fish lakes that you paid for through license fees.

I will never buy another Ma.license.As far as I'm concerned they can close up the dept of fish and wildlife.28.00 bucks for a resident fishing license to catch 10" brown trout?Not for me.

And you can bet your a$$ that there are a whole bunch of earthy crunchy loons,that are actually happy, that this overblown Zebra mussel incident is taking place.It gives them a lot of ammunition to keep places like the Quabbin closed,something that they have wished for for years.I wouldn't be surprised if it never opens back up.

They can fall back on the excuse that Zebra mussels are too much of a risk.Just wait,these will be the words that spew out of their mouths.

Freaks,and weirdos,the whole lot of them,from the Governor on down.

This is a good short video of how ethanol causes problems in the marine environment.

http://www.isleofpalmsmarine.com/

What about the problems in lakes caused by Dihydrogen Monoxide.Its caused several drownings,and boat sinkings.

"BRAVO,"BRAVO, Peter King,for telling it like it is

I am selling my 87 Trophy hardtop,as I finally finished my 23' Seacraft restoration.The boat can be seen at Olcott NY.

I'm asking $7,300.00 or B/O .I can be reached at 413-218-3617.

I will be in Olcott this weekend Friday,6/26,and Saturday 6/27.,if anyone is interested.I'll be getting it washed ,waxed,and cleaned.Also have to put the batteries in and get it running.I just painted the bottom with a new coat of blue bottom paint,and it does "NOT show in the pictures.Also it has all electric riggers,but took the pictures when I had a couple of manual s on it.

Here's some specs and pictures.I'll take better pics when I'm up there.

*1987 Trophy Hardtop,model 2160

*21' length

*8' beam

*1995 5 Starr galvanized tandem axle trailer ***(it needs new brakes)

*power trailer winch

*230 hp 305 engine

*700 engine hours

*Cobra Outdrive with power steering

*Hydraulic trim tabs

*1995 Yamaha 9.9hp four stroke High Thrust kicker motor with Ez-Steer

* four Cannon electric riggers,(2 Mag 10's),and (2 Digitroll II's) with long booms

* Water separating fuel filter

*Garmin 250C dual frequency color sonar

*Garmin fixed mount GPS.

*Standard Horizon VHF Radio

*hardtop mounted rocket launchers

* two Group 27 Batteries,deep cycle and starting.

*On board battery charger

* On board GFI outlet

*Transom mount cooler

*Rear drop curtain,with zippered door(nice on cold spring days)

*Rear aft mooring cover.

*windshield wiper

*Compass,tach,volt,oil press,water temp,and all the other gauges

*Cabela's trolling speedometer

* all the other safety equipment,Anchor, Life jkts,horn lights etc.

I've had this boat for several years now.I keep it in Olcott at the Boat Doctors,but I live in Massachusettss,so It's not being used all the time.Because of the distance,we always make our trips for a minimum of four days,and a few eight day trips each season,So,as such we probably use it 25 days per year.

Everything works great,the kicker purrs like a kitten.The Engine and drive are in excellent shape.Some areas are worn such as the corner of the aft curtain,and naturally there are the normal signs of wear.The teak trim could use a cleaning and sealer,but "I ain't doin it",LOL. overall,the boat is in very nice shape.The fuel fill hose was changed last year,and the exhaust manifolds,were done at 600 hours.

I've kept it in excellent mechanical condition,doing some repairs myself,and all others by Jim at the boat doctors.It really doesn't need any mechanical work.Overall this boat is in excellent shape.If there are any areas that need work,it's stuff like an interior cleaning,and a waxing of the outside.(white interior gets dirty very quick).It's the disadvantage of living six hours away,it never gets washed as much as it should,so it needs a good cleaning.

The inside of the boat is not that visible in the pictures,but it has a refrigerator style ice box,and a sink and counter above it.Its good for making sandwiches,and the sink is good for holding all the crap like line,s dipsies,,etc.I never once used it as a sink.It has a 14 gallon freshwater tank below deck,and a sink faucet that you pump.

There's a part of me that hates to let it go,as I don't have to get rid of it,but two boats is unrealistic.I had planned on giving it to my son who lives in Long Island,use it,but an I/O in saltwater is not the best choice.

Anyway feel free to PM me,or call if needed.Thanks for looking.

Thanks for the kind words guys.

Yeh,it does feel good to have it done and in the water.I am extremely pleased with the way it fishes and handles.Two and a half years of work,but it was worth it.

I didn't know much about these boats,until some real boat nuts in the salt water told me how well they rode.

I was a little skeptical of their claims at first,but it does perform as well as they told me it would.

Adam,it's funny that you mention the steering,as I was concerned about the same thing that you asked about.

Yes it does have power steering,and I was worried that when the I/O was off,that it would be very hard to steer.My other boat(22' Trophy),(now for sale)has the same setup,power steering with an outdrive and kicker,and it's a real b-tch to steer when the big engine is off.

This boat, however,is fairly easy to steer with the engine off.This was one of the first thing that I and my buddies noticed,when we used the kicker,how much easier it was to steer.It takes far less effort to turn this wheel,than it did on my Trophy.

The only thing that I can think of is that when I installed the new steering in this boat,I went with a a rotary helm.

The Trophy has a rack helm.(both of these are mechanical cable systems,not hydraulic)

I actually think that I could use an autopilot successfully with this setup,as it's so much easier to steer.No autopilot mfg.said their units would work,with the power steering disabled,but I think this would.

And one more thing, I envy all of you who live close to the lake,what a beautiful place,I miss it a lot when we are away from it.I wish I was lucky enough to be a few minutes from it as some of you are.Every time I ride along the southern shore on the parkway,and look out on the lake,I ask myself,"what the hell am I doing living in Massachusetts,why don't I just move up here".One of these days,one of these days.

Good luck to all of you on the water this season

Hey,That's a special pigeon mr.ERBYWho knows it might look good in a halter top,and stiletto heels,so keep johns chickens away from it..

If you're not nice,I may send him your way,to crap on your boat while you are working.Or maybe I'll have him steal all your tackle.Be afraid,be very afraid.

Coup,thanks for that info on the pigeon,I was wondering if it was a homing pigeon.No it wasn't banded,that was the first thing we looked for.It was actually very funny,as he stayed with us all day,and wasn't scared of us at all.

I swear it was like he was really enjoying the ride back into the harbor.

I run the Kicker steering with an EZ-Steer connector rod,from the kicker to the outdrive.It works like a charm.The kicker has power trim and tilt,and is mounted on a stationary bracket.

When it's time to run with the outdrive,I just trim up the kicker with a push of a button,until it's completely out of the water.

I can't say enough good,about this T8 Yamaha kicker.It is an awesome motor,runs like a watch,sips fuel,very quiet,and most importantly,it moves the boat at any salmon speeds,even into big waves.I would never be without a kicker,for these,and many other reasons.

Well the boat project is finally done,after 2-1/2 years.I ran it for 11 days on lake Ontario/Olcott in may,and was extremely happy with it.It has an amazing ride.

Twenty five Mph in four footers(not these pictures) without a serious pounding,I wouldn't have believed it until I experienced it myself.

We also had a stowaway on board for five hours.We were in 300' off Wilson,when my buddy went to get a rod out of the rocket launcher.All of a sudden,I hear him yell,that there's a pigeon on the tower.

Sure enough,this pigeon is perched on the top,and crapping on it.I took the wash down hose,and sprayed him with it,and he took off,but kept coming back,finally,he landed on the bow,where he stayed for about an hour.

I guess he felt safe with us,so he walked down the port gunnel,looking at us all the time.He then just jumped in the boat,and proceeded to eat our peanuts.

He actually sat down and slept on the floor next to our feet.When we called it quits for the day,he jumped up on the cooler,and sat there for the whole ride into the dock.

We tied up in the slip,and after a little while.he just flew away(just like my ex wife did ),only I'd welcome "Him! back.

Here's a few pics of the boat,and bird.My thanks to Jeremy,(Chromeslayer) who took the picture of us trolling off of Wilson.

HERE'S THE STOWAY

deleted by me

Again I have to say that the T8 is plenty for your boat.I just returned from 11 straight days of fishing on lake O,and the T8 pushed my heavy 23 footer,into several days of three footers without a problem.

My boat is very heavy(around 5400-5600 lbs)and has a very deep V (24 degree deadrise).Boats with deadrises like these take a lot of horsepower to get moving.I wouldn't matter if i had an 8 hp,9.9hp,or 15 hp kicker,none of them would out perform each other.

I've run all those sizes,on all my previous boats,and they all did the exact same job.The fifteen hp did no better of a job than the T8 does,and it was on a lighter boat.None of them exceeded a top speed of 7mph.,and all did the same job,when it came to pushing the boats at salmon speeds.

I don't care what size kicker you use,when it's real nasty they're all going to be difficult to troll with.It's not because they won't push the boat,but more so that it's difficult to hold course when going into big waves.Let's face it,even I/O's and big outboards are a pain in the a-ss when trolling into big waves.

If your ever up in Olcott,shoot me a pm,and if I'm there,you're welcome to take a ride with us and see how well the T8 does the job.

I run a Yamaha 8hp High Thrust on my 23 SeaCraft which weighs 4200 lbs and is about 5400-5500 pounds with three guys,fuel,and tackle. It pushes the boat with no problem.

Wide open is 6mph.I tested it out a couple weeks ago,and it performed perfectly,from dead slow to any salmon speed.

I also have a 22' Trophy with a 9.9 Yamaha on it.It's a lighter boat,but still gets the same speed 6mph wide open.

There is no difference between the 8 or 9.9 for pushing the boat.

Horsepower only comes into play when your hull hits its planning speed,and none of these kickers will come close to getting you on plane.

The 8hp is plenty for your boat.

Welcome home Dave,and thanks for that tremendous sacrifice.Good luck to you on the water.

Screw that,you can have combat fishing.Did it years ago out of Oswego,and got sick of it pretty quick.We all have a tendency to think guys who fish are all nice people,but the truth is,that jerks like to fish too.

If That was the only way to fish,I'd take up another hobby.I'm a pretty serious fisherman,but honestly ,could care less about derby fishing.We enter the fall LOC,only because we're there for the first week of it.

I refuse to fish in a pack,I'll always fish away from the pack.We've had lots of banner days,especially offshore,with fish after fish,and not another boat in sight.

If I wanted aggravation like that,I'd stay at work.

Wilson would be a good port to fish out of.It is about midway between the bar and Olcott waters.It's nice at this time of year,because it's not a long boat ride to either area.

I fish out of Olcott,and will be there for 11 days starting next week.Most years at this time,we end up motoring down a bit west of wilson,and start our troll there.Normally the fishing has been great.

We've had many springs when we slayed the kings,without having to combat fish on the bar.I refuse to fish in big packs,and do as well when we stay removed from the crowds.

You won't go wrong whether you fish out of Olcott or Wilson,and the fish could be anywhere in that area.I just think that at this time of year,the port of Wilson puts you in a central location,saving long boat rides.

We have done well with all the programs.Our rigger bites were probably the best, but all the programs work good.We got some big kings on the leadcore off boards,and the wire dipsies with flasher fly combos nailed some monsters.Bring it all,everything works.For us flies in double aqua,mirage,little boy blue,and hammer patterns were hot

Spoons in colors like Orange crush,dolphins,NBK, 42nd patterns were good for us.Chek the reports on this site,good guys and good info,.Also check out http://www.olcottfishing .com they're on the ball with the fish reports,with no BS

Good luck to you.

In Massachusetts,where I live the pumps, "ARE" labeled as such,and clearly state that they contain 10% Ethanol.

I've asked all kinds of guys from New York if the NY pumps have to be labeled,and even if all gas in NY actually has ethanol in it.No one seem to really know.

I usually fill my boat at the fuel dock in the Olcott harbor,as it is only about ten cents more than the local gas stations.There is no sticker on the pump,or the tank,saying that it contains ethanol.Hopefully it doesn't.Maybe that's why I've not had any bad fuel issues.

Anyone know what the deal is with New York and Ethanol.

I've been using Startron since it came out on the market,about two years ago.

I'm knockin on wood now,but I haven't had any issues with fuel problems,since I started using it.

I put ten gallons in my project boat(tank was empty),last october to run and winterize the newly installed I/O.I put Startron in with the fuel at that time.

A week ago,I took the boat out for the first time to run the new kicker,and try out the new prop on the I/O.

Before I did this,I drained the water separating filter,and it was as clean as a whistle,with no water in it,and both engines ran fine.The fuel had sat in it for 6 months.

Startron,has been out for quite a while,and claims to help correct problems that develop with the use of ethanol based gas.Supposedly,it prevents phase separation a stabalizes the fuel.

I have had zero fuel problems with it,however I never had any fuel problems before when I was using PRI-G fuel additive.

I figure that it can't hurt,and with the crappy fuel that is being sold today,some kind of additive is necessary.

Do a search on the Hull truth website for Startron,there's a lot of info on it.

I wouldnt buy anything ever again from FISH307 took weeks to receive items and they would not respond back to any of my emails regarding my items ordered.

Wow!

that's extremely unusual for Fish307.I always got great service,and extremely fast delivery from them,and I bought a lot of stuff from them over the years.

Several of my friends also buy stuff from them and are very pleased with Fish 307.

They even took back a reel that I didn't buy from them,and gave me a replacement.

Did you try calling them,instead of Emailing them?Many times a phone call is the best form of communication,and it's far more personal than an Email.

Ditto what CBish said.

Don't try to think about all the different things that you read on the websites.Start off by keeping it simple.A few years ago,we took a buddy of ours out on the boat,who had zero experience fishing for great lakes fish.

I'm not kidding when I say that he had six spoons total.

He insisted on running his own rods,and his own spoons.Well he proceeded to catch almost all the fish that day.His rods would fire as soon as he got them down.

Here we are with probably 800 spoons on board,not to mention all kinds of flashers, flies, etc. etc.,and we get humiliated by a guy with no experience and six spoons.

Just think about the basics,and apply some common sense,put the lure in the water and bring the boat speed up to the point that provides the best action.Try to remember what direction and what speed you were doing when you get the first fish.Keep a mental record of the little things,so that you can repeat them.

The fishing in the western end is very good in the spring,so that's a bonus and help to you.Don't stress over it,you'll do just fine.

Good luck to you.

Ok guys,some of you know that I recently finished restoring my project boat.

Well the engine I installed (a 350 Mercruiser with a 4bbl carb and Alpha drive),is making a strange noise.

This engine runs perfectly,has great compression in all cylinders,and has only 200 hours on it.

The noise is hard to explain,but seems to be coming from the rear of the engine closer to the inner transom plate,and lower,around where the coupler is.

Please bear with me and try to use your imagination.It sounds kind of like a metallic clicking or clacking like sound.The engine will be running nicely,but there is this kind of constant,but also sporadic clickity,clackity sound.

When it is at idle, the noise is most evident,and it doesn't increase when I rev it up to higher rpms.

I thought maybe it was from the Flappers that keep water from entering the manifolds,but they were in perfect condition when I installed the engine a few months ago.They still had the rubber coating on them,and it was good on both Flappers,and the sound is much lower than that.

I sea trialed it this past weekend,and had no problems with it,Oil pressure is at 40lbs,water temp never climbs above 150,The drive shifts good.,and the boat performed great.

Also before I ever ran the engine and drive,I brought the boat to a boat dealer I trust,and had them align the engine and drive.

I sure hope couplers don't make that noise.

I should mention that the starter sometimes acts as though the battery is dead,it will go uh uh uh,then it turns over great, and the engine fires up immediately.I guess I should have changed the starter when I had the engine out "DUHHHH"

Anyway if anyone can help me here it would be appreciated.Thanks guys

Yankee,nice report.

You fish Candlewood?We use to fish it quite a bit,and got some nice browns out of it.We also jigged for trout with tinsel jigs.That was a riot,and frustrating at the same time.

Anchored while jigging,and watching nice rainbows and browns follow the jig up,only to turn away at the last minute.We had some of our best days trolling for rainbows all while being surrounded by jet skis,pleasure boats, and everything in between.It was weird,constant rainbow bite in all that crazy boat traffic.

That is one fertile body of water,and has a species for just about everyone,from cold water to warm water.

Ditto to what Gambler said.If it's a 1974 boat,there are going to be issues,no matter what brand of boat it is.Get the survey,it's money well spent.If nothing else,it may give you some bargaining power on the sale price.