GAMBLER

Happy Birthday Eskimo Joe. Hopefully your parents spoiled you with more fishing gear.

If you get a South wind at this time of the year and there is still ice on I-bay, you may have to drop a guy off at the I-bay launch and run to the River. We had a huge slab of ice break off one year (still 6" thick) and close off the channel. It was not there in the morning when we left. There was no moving it or breaking it. So my buddy drove the truck and trailer to the river and I made the run down the lake. Just a word of caution.

You will not get much copper and backing on the reel.

Orange and gold, firetiger and black and silver J-9 rapalas rocked for us in the early season.

Happy Birthday Jeremy. Hopefully the ball and chain got you some more fishing tackle.

One year we fished the last week of Feb. and did good. We picked 6 browns and 2 big lakers between I-bay and Shipbuilders. You had to troll very slow. The only problem is junk in the water. Use caution. The day we went out, we watched a telephone pole bob up and down in the Genesee River. When it went down, it disappeared for a couple seconds. Would not have been good in the old 14'er.

Slow Slow Slow. When dealing with copper, take your time. I usually put my coppers out first. Keep the boat around 4 or 5 mph and deploy the coppers. Slow the boat and put it on the boards. When you reel the copper on keep it really tight.

I went with a set of Blue Diamond roller rods last season and loved them. A lot less drag when you reel in fish or just the dipsy. I have 8' rollers and 9 1/2' Heartlands with twillie tips for my other set. The longer rods are really nice in a smaller boat when running longer leads on divers.

Muskybob, Don't let a guy that has flower pattern seat covers in his ice tent get under your skin.

Welcome Toad.

The original Cannon cable is still on all 4 of my Cannons after 8 years of service. Not a stretch it is a fact that coated cable has to be replaced if the coating comes off. Just trying to give the guy a Con about coated cable. He asked for our opinions so he is getting my opinion.

Coated cable has to be replaced after heavy use from the coating getting worn off. Just another expense.

Fishhawk X4 all the way. No coated cable. If the rigger dies you have the probe on, you can move it to another rigger. Try that with a Depth Raider ot Subtroll.

Glad my commute went from 42 miles a day to 20.

I was looking at the paper on Feb 27th and it said Lake Ontario was 1 foot below average. Did the Army Corp. of engineers screw us again this spring?

What kills me is a gas station can raise the price of gas without buying another load. How is that right? They get a load and the price isd $3.49 a gallon. The next day, the price of crude goes up and so does their price. They still paid the same price for the gas they are jacking up on us.

I have heard it is a pain when the flees show up.

I agree. Only problem is, skipper kings love this spoon.

Happy Birthday Jay.

Bloodshot, Thank You.

I watched some coyotes chase the three deer that mill around the edge of the woods behind my house. The deer were back the next night so the coyotes lost. Not only fawns, but I think they get some weaker deer when the snow is deep.

There will not be a fish left in that pond after people read this thread. A group of guys were fishing from Buffalo on the pond yesterday because of fish reports they read on the net. Hope you enjoy fishing in a crowd.

I know it would suck but I have watched Iceshanty destroy some lakes. Unfortunatly, scumbags read these forums. I used to icefish Canadice and be one of the only people out there. Now a Saturday it is a zoo. The lake is left a mess (jerks leaving trash all over the ice or taking a dump in a hole). They have no respect for the fishery or the fish. People like this ruin it for everyone else. Sol, I think the teaching people C&R at events is great. These events will draw a better crowd than the internet. Anyone can sit at home and read the net. Only a select group (serious fishermen) will go to events like this therefore you are weeding most of the guys that will not respect the fishery.