GAMBLER

I run two rods with cowbells and spin n glows and that is it. For years, I used to try jamming a third rigger down and that seemed to shut the bite down some. There are four keys to laker fishing. 1. Speed 2. Direction of troll 3. keeping the riggers as close to the bottom as possible 4. No down time. When I fish lakers, I commit 100% to laker fishing. It is too hard to run king stuff at the speeds I troll for lakers. It does work but I rarely do it. I go with the less is more thought process.

If cowbells are fished properly, you will not need a thumper. The riggers are way more efficient and will get the job done. I run two riggers and that is it when I lake trout fish. Most days, that is too much work. Occasionally I run an extra rigger high for bonus kings, browns and steelhead. That is only if the laker fishing is on the slower side.

Not even close Les, I use a noose. They just hang themselves!

Another vote for the uni knot.

They do work but I find when fishing lakers, 2 riggers is too much at times and the thumper gets in the way!

The bass creel should not be five period. With the population this low, it does not make sense to allow man to keep five when other predators are knocking them down even lower. Protect what we have today or we will have nothing tomorrow.

Agreed but it allows the population to be knocked down even further. Sportfishing or not, something has to be done to bring back the smallmouth fishery. The DEC needs to make changes before it's too late. In the 90's, we used to have a ball smallmouth fishing off of Hedges. Now you can fish everyday in the season and catch fewer than we used to catch in one day!

Thanks for updating Andy. You beat me to it! I also went up and visited with Jay the other day. Hopefully they keep their word and let him go home this week / weekend.

Tournament bass fishermen keep very few. But there are a lot of guys that keep smallmouth to eat. Back in the 90's on Lake Ontario, lots of smallmouth left on stringers every day of the season.

Slot limits may not be the answer. They put a slot limit on the River we used to vacation on in Canada and it turned it into hammer handle City. The slot makes most people only keep big breeders. The under slot fish were released because they were too small. I am all for reducing the creel limit state wide.

The most mind blowing part of that report is the stats about the smallmouth population. Here we sit at the lowest levels recorded yet the creel limit is the same as it was when the population was very strong. Shouldn't the creel limit be dropped to help bring the population back?

You might get more views of this in the classifieds section.

I have an 86 StarCraft Blue water which is just like that boat with a soft top. My stringers were rotted really bad and I replaced them 6 years ago.

Size 2 Spin n glows I run a size 2 hook and a size 4 spin n glow, I run a size 4 hook.

IMO the past three seasons have been abnormal as far as king fishing. This winter is following the 2011-2012 pattern. 2012 was the best season I had in 31 years of fishing Lake Ontario. Let's hope 2016 is like 2012!

Never saw that before. Interesting.

No such a thing. Buy the retro ease. No need to tip up.