GAMBLER

I will take the rod caddys. Dylan, I will split the lot up with you if you want just one.

They had hatchery issues a couple years back but that is not the reason for the increase. They are trying to increase natural reproduction by increasing the number of spawning lakers. With alewives as a big part of their diet, they will have thiamine deficiency issues.

Years ago when they reduced salmon stocking

The laker stocking increase is in addition to the 500,000 they were stocking. Gobies are all over the lak bottom out to 200+ according to the reports.

Exactly Les. This summer off of Sandy, the lakers were not on the usually structure I fish. They were sitting under bait schools all summer. My lake trout weigh points were useless the last two seasons. All I had to do is find bait and I found lakers. I was watching lakers streak from high bait schools to the bottom and then follow the cowbells on the fish finder. They are not eating gobies 40' down over 120-130'!

Their reason for increasing laker stocking was to have more natural reproduction. If the lakers eat so many gobies, thiamine deficiency should not be an issue and natural reproduction should be a lot higher. They are eating gobies in early spring before the bait comes back from wintering on the bottom of the lake out deep. I see hundreds of lakers a year and spent many years filleting lakers aboard the Advocate for years. I only see lakers spitting or partially digested gobies a lot in April and early May. Once the bait shows up, gobies and smelt seem to be an afterthought as a meal to a laker.

They were still taking heads a couple weeks ago. It will be a while.

On spoonpullers there was a photo of HUNDREDS of cormorants off the Toronto island. The photo was unreal. There has been a big group of cormorants on Long Pond in Greece. They have been roosting in a dead tree along the parkway. Sad to see!

In August, I was running offshore in The dark and came up on a boat with no Nav lights on. The only thing I saw was the light on the fish finder!

Their netting, and other research lead them to believe the bait population could handle 300,000 more very long living lakers a year. That's the main gripe. Why not salmon? If the alewives mutated and are affecting one year old survival, the simple answer is STOCK MORE! The more you stock, the more will survive.

Lol. The man is off his rocker!As for the carp, the government allowed possession of these carp in ponds along the Mississippi. It should be up to them to fix this issue.

They have poisoned lakes in the past to get rid of invasive species. It's 2015 we are advanced enough to figure out a way. Weren't there talks about shutting down the Chicago shipping canals that were turned down by the Feds?

But he is the typical sailboater that thinks he has the right of way because he flies a sheet from time to time! Gotta love blow boaters!

Lol. Ok, I was wrong Scott! Feel free!

Has been, It is obvious the government could care less about the Great Lakes fishery. Explain the reasoning behind not stopping the Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes? There is more that could be done but they are not doing anything but putting up an electronic barrier (that has already failed before).

I don't doubt the intelligence of the biologists. I just don't think we get the 100% honest truth from the DEC. A lot of stuff goes on behind the scenes in government agencies that is not made public.

Don't even argue with him Scott. He goes against the grain on every topic.

Stocking more lakers could have a very very negative effect on the lake if the bait population drops. Lakers live a long time! The 34lb laker we caught in 2012 was 27 years old. When was the last time a king lived that long!!!!! Kings would bring more tourism, and be able to be cut back and cause less damage to the bait population!