Finders Keepers

I received the new unit yesterday (quick shipping, only took 2 days to get here) and it looks sweeet! It came with pre-loaded maps (Gold version) and an external antenna with mount. I think I am going to be very happy with this unit.... I don't know if it has the latest software update yet (will have to see when the unit turns on), but here is the website for the update in case anyone else needs it:

http://raymarine.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/r ... _topview=1

Anyone have any experience good or bad with the Raymarine RC435 GPS Chartplotter? Any feedback would be great! By the way, Boatersland Marine has them on clearance for only $253!!

Yeah, it's been cancelled. While it was labeled as a "Ice or No Ice" tourny, they didn't want to be responsible for anyone venturing out on very questionnable ice. Bummer! I was all set to go for the Grand Angler Award!!! Well, maybe next year...

Now we can all look forward to the Spring LOC!!

FYI - There is a tournament being held on Sodus Bay this coming weekend. Info can be found at:

http://www.asoduspointlodge.com/Promo.htm

Pay out was $200 for first place in each category for the first round of the tournament. If you didn't fish the first round, you can still fish the second round this weekend. They are looking for another 20 - 30 fishermen for the tourny to ensure decent pay-outs for the winners (otherwise it will be cancelled). If interested, you can register up to this Wednesday afternoon (even though the website says you had to be registered last month) and the cost is only $20. By the looks of the weather, you'll probably need a boat as the ice is becoming very questionnable and there's no cold weather in the forecast.

Just curious if anyone fished Sodus this week and if you had any luck? Thanks!

Hey Hank - Yeah, ya can't knock 'em dead every time! At least I was able to ice a few fish! Hopefully I will get into them during the next round of the tourny in two weeks!

Well, I am definitely glad last weekend was the tourny! Got on the ice around 7:30 today and as I was drilling the 2nd hole out in the honey hole from last weekend the first flag went up. I wasn't expecting anything with a flag that quick, but did pull a 4 lb pike on the ice. Looked like I was in for a good day... Well, about two hours later (and no perch to be had) two flags went up almost at the same time and I iced two nice 8.5 and 6 lb pike. Ok, now it's going to pick up...nope. Sat and waitied until 11, when I decided to try in close for the perch. I found the perch and had a dozen or so keepers by 1 pm when I decided to call it a day - I was frozen!! Man was it cold out there today! So I would suggest for anyone going for perch, try in close (8 - 10 fow). For pike, I'm not sure. There were some out deep, but not like last week.... Perhaps they were north of Newark Island or SW of Eagle, where a TON of people were fishing.

Thanks Shawn!!

SinDale - I hammered the pike this past weekend in the same area as you mentioned, only on the east side of the deeper water. Iced 10 pike and had over 20 on. Check out my post in the "Ice Fishing and Panfish" forum for more details. They are there, all you have to do is get a shiner in their vicinity!!

Thanks for the congrats everyone!!

Gator - The perch are pretty much scattered everywhere and have not congregated in the shallows yet. However all of the really big ones I have caught have been out deep (20+ fow).

Hindsight, I should have fished over by Shaker Heights/Third Creek on Sunday to try to ice a walleye and take all three categories!! But there was the chance that my fish from Saturday wouldn't hold, and I had them dialed in, so I figured I should try for larger pike and perch. If I have a banner first day next time I may try to target the walleye on the second day...

Well, today was interesting to say the least! Ventured out on the ice at o'dark thirty this morning and tried to find my honey hole from yesterday by flashlight. Unfortunately the wind over night had lightly blown the snow so that everything looked the same. So I took my best guess and drilled my first hole at 6:05 am. I set-up a NW-SE spread with the tip-ups and firgured once it got light I could re-evaluate my position and move if necessary. Once it got light I realized I had set-up a bit north and east of yesterday's fish fest (in the middle of the islands east of the tip of Newark). I decided to wait a bit before moving to see how my current position would pan out. In the meantime some other guys set-up in my previous area, so I had to stay put. Over the next hour a TON of people flooded onto the ice. From set-up until 9am is was slooooow: I only caught a couple 12" perch and one 6 lb northern. So I decided to start moving my tip-ups. My thinking was that all the noise and traffic from the crowd (all south, west, and north of me) either had the fish hunkered down or pushed to the east. So I decided to re-orient my spread east-west and spread east of my position. I then started to get action on the easternmost tip-ups, so over the course of the day I slowly kept moving my spread further south and east. Ended the day at 2:30 and was 5 for 14 on pike and had iced around 25 or so perch. Largest pike today was 9.5 lbs and I kept one perch to weigh-in that tipped the scales to 1.3 lbs. The pike were strange today as they were just sitting under the hole after tripping the tip-ups...

I had one HUGE pike on that continually circled the hole the entire time I fought it, and I wondered what in the world it was doing. I soon found out that it knew by doing just that, the line was sliding along the ice at the base of the hole. On about the 10th time up to the hole, the line caught on the ice, the fish did two big head skakes and was gone as the line cut on the ice. I never saw the fish, but it was smart and it felt BIG...

Back at Abe's I was pleasantly surprised to see that both of my fish were still on top and there was only 45 minutes left for weigh-in. With 20 minutes to go an angler came in and said he had a big perch to weigh in.... But it was only 1.6 lbs. Phew! 4pm came around and no more weigh-ins!! I took 1st in both Pike and Perch divisions!! Yee-haw! Take a look in the upcoming publications of the Fingerlakes Times for tourny pics. Now I can look forward to the next tournament in March!!

Hey Jr - Sodus is HOT with the perch this year. Good luck!

Hey Hank! I had them dialed in right today, we'll have to see if the same program will work tomorrow! Have you gotten out on Port Bay at all?

Thanks Tom!

All I can say for today is... WOW!!! Fantastic weather, fantastic fishing, what more could you ask for? Started the day a little later than I had planned due to the check-in for the tourny, which turned out not to really be a check in of any kind. Anyway, got on the ice at 6:40 and hiked to "the spot" by around 7:20 or so. I started by targeting the perch and before I could set the second line, the first one went off and yielded a decent 12" keeper. I then proceeded to engage in a slow pick at 'em through 9am, but I hadn't gotten any lunkers, and the two pike lines I set hadn't moved. Finally, at 9:30 one of the pike rigs went off and after a sort fight, I iced a HUGE 14" perch! That slob had sucked down a rather large shiner! Now I had a derby fish!! Soon thereafter the pike lines started firing and by noon I had iced 5 pike (3, 6, 8, 9.5, 10.1 lbs) and a 2 to 3 lb bass. Here is a pic of the first 4 pike in my livewell before I let the smaller ones go:

I also picked up another monster perch, but not quite as big as the first. At this point I was down to 5 shiners left, all half beaten or dead. So I put them down anyway to see if I could get one to go. I had quite a few false releases, probably from perch pecking at them! So I didn't do too much more after noon. I called it quits at 2pm so that I could make sure I made weigh-in. The pike tipped the scales to 10.1 lbs and currently holds first place. The largest perch tipped the scales to 1.8 lbs and also holds first place. The other perch weighed in at 1.3 lbs. There was only one other pike entered (6.3 lbs) and two perch (1.6 and 1.3 lbs). I'm not counting on any winnings yet, as tomorrow is still another whole day, but I'm feeling pretty good! I'm hoping to hit the ice a little earlier tomorrow and will be targeting the northerns right from the get-go! Let's see if I can find that 16+ lb northern....

Hey Jr - Yeah, it was one of those fantastic days. I hope I have the same luck this weekend for the tourny!!

Here are a few pics I shot last night before and while the slaughter was underway...

Ya gotta love the sight of a heap o' perch filets!!! Mmmmm...

Today turned out to be the best day to date for me on the ice. I got on the ice about 7:30 and headed to one of my friend's favorite spots and right from the first line in the water I began icing some really nice jacks. Things slowed up a bit between 9 and 11, but then they turned back on until I'd had enough of the wind around 2:30. It wasn't long before I was throwing back anything under 12"! Ended the day with 33 keepers (25 were in the pound+ category) and 5 bass around 2-3 lbs each. No pike today. I'll try to post pics tomorrow if I can get them off of my phone...

I'm taking the day off tomorrow to relax and recoop. Good luck to all those who are fishing the tourny this weekend!

NOTE: When I left I noticed that the wind was ripping open water through the center of the bay. Be careful if your thinking of heading to the deeper waters!!!

Where abouts did he ice that one, over in front of Third Creek off Shaker Heights?

Got out at first light and set up in 6 - 12 fow off the NE corner of Eagle Island. It was a slow steady pick at 'em and I ended with around 30 or so keepers, with a few in the pound+ size. I also caught a 3 lb bass and two 5-6 lb pike. Called it a day at 1pm. Will be out tomorrow for a full day if the weather isn't too nasty.

Sounds good! Thanks for the reports fellas!! Hopefully the weather won't be too bad the next couple days...

Looking to go out tomorrow and wondering where to try. I'm thinking maybe along the east side in the shallows, as per Scurry's report. But it would be great to know if anyone has gotten into them anywhere else!

I'm just curious: anyone targeting pike or walleye on Sodus? If so, anyone having any luck? Or is everyone just going for the perch?

I heard from some others that were out yesterday that they nailed them good in the cove North of Eagle Island, so I thought I'd give it a shot today since I have never fished there. I thought it would be fairly shallow, but to my surprise it was a good 12-14' deep. Seems like the perch have been on the move lately - you just have to hit it in the right spot at the right time.

Thanks Hank! That's the one I'm talkin' about. However, they have not updated their Rules and Regs page yet to reflect the cancelling of the January round. Also, I was told on the phone that registration is only $20/person/round and not $50 as stated on the website (it might be $50 if you're going for the Grand Angler Award). Let's hope the ice sticks around for both rounds! Now I just need to figure out where to catch some BIG walleye....