Gator

I ran one a couple weeks ago. I will say that at one point we cleared the deck, with the sole exception of the rod running the ID lure. They are quite,,,vigorous...in their action. But the salmon wanted to chew that day, so I'm guessing that a more active presentation wouldn't have been problematic. Regardless, no swings and no misses. Yet. I'm not going to make a judgement call based on a single use, but it may require some dialing in. Or it may be a bust, time will tell. Please weigh in if you get out and have a chance to test them.

I'm embarrassed to say that I remember that! Before we had Nothing But Net, when I was a graduate student at UR, I used to run a 20' Thompson called Wandering Seamen. You can probably get the joke... In the late '80s, I helped Vic Mason build and pour an acrylic bar top for Skinner's on the west side of Braddock's in return for dockage, until I got too busy and broke to maintain a boat, at which point I punted on fishing Lady O for a few years until a buddy bought a 19' Sea Nymph, which we fished for many years. Lots of history there. God Bless all the younger guys (and gals) who are just starting on their journey. I wonder what it will look like for them in 30 years or so?

Funny how they're localized...nary a gnat to be found off Sandy. But a couple weeks ago they looked like that - cold enough they were "resting" on the boat though rather than adding protein to our diet.

We should nickname this "the old farts thread" lol. One I'm proud to be a part of...albeit not a fan of hearing Scotty say he crapped in a bucket...but better virtually than live!

My favorite fishing in the world is a spot in the ADK that I access using my paddling kayak, no fins, no motor, no problem catching 5 lb+ smallmouth. Simple is often more satisfying. You know the glory belongs to you and not to your fishfinder or subscription or number of friends on Facebook lol.

Awesome stuff, traveling around the world fishing...I've been privileged to experience some of the same stuff - GT and marlin in Australia, permit in Honduras and Belize, bones in Abaco, salmon in Alaska, BFT off the Cape, tarpon in the Keys, and trout on the fly just about everywhere they swim - but no matter the location or how you chose to fish, it comes down to whether you enjoy where you are in the moment. There's a boatload of guys down on Honeoye it seems like every day. They're whooping and hollering, having a grand ole' time. You'd think it would get old, but for them it's the company. As I get older, it's the same for me. I don't so much care about the details but more about the folks I choose as companions. Of course, having the Patagonian Andes as a backdrop as you enjoy a Delmonico after a day's fishing doesn't hurt lol.

I love trolling, but Isaac has a great point. Somewhere, the line got blurred between fishing and simply operating machinery to catch a fish. Many of the accoutrements that we use to increase our chances of finding and hooking fish get in the way - yeah, they make you a "better" fisherman, maybe, but do they allow you to enjoy the simple thrill that got us all hooked when we were kids? As I've become more experienced and accumulated better toys, I actually think I experience less joy. That's one reason I love fishing out of my kayak so much. I use a paddle, it's a PITA to keep position, I don't have a livescope so I'm not glued to the screen (I get enough screen time when I'm not outdoors), and ultimately IMHO it's more rewarding. Same goes for fly fishing the rivers out West. There's nothing between me and the fish. I read the water, I choose the fly, and I fail spectacularly all on my own. There's certainly no wrong way to fish, and different strokes and all, but I guess one question we could all ask ourselves: for you, is fishing an end or a means?

We slaughtered them as well, with well over 30 fish boated. Kings to ~16 lbs and a big laker, but most fish in that 8-12 lb range. At one point we cleared the deck with seven or eight rods and stupid grins on our faces. Spoons fished in the top 30 early; any deeper and it was lakerville. Chaos early turned into a steady pick later in the morning. Today we fished for ~3 hrs in the <1ft chop lol. Got our a$$es handed to us a little bit, but not as bad as we've fished. Far fewer bites today. I think we went 8-11 but honestly didn't keep track. Just chillin' with a buddy I haven't seen in a long time.

Jeez, the Ryan boys and Manny seem to have some secret sauce turkey cologne or something lol. And Schultz getting it done up North! Congratulations to all.

Ouch. That's a tough break (or two, in this case). It sure got gnarly out there after 9 am or so...

You can't spell banana without laker.

One thing it seems like you never hear is that ethanol is much less efficient than gas...you'd think that adding 10% ethanol would save 10% of the gas that you'd normally use, right? Nope. You actually lose about 5% off your mpg rating, so you burn more volume to travel the same distance. If a gallon of gas gets you 20 miles undiluted, when you add ethanol you get 19 mpg, so you have to burn 1.05 gallons to travel 20 miles, of which ~0.95 gallons is gas. Add 10% ethanol to save 5% gas. And ****-can your engines.

My first Lake Ontario boat was a 1976 version of this. I recall a bunch of years ago that somebody bought rights to the Thompson mold and was planning to reintroduce a limited number of these, though I don't know that it ever lifted off the ground. Unfortunately, my boat was drydocked for several years due to the demands of graduate school and eventually I let it go. She was a fishing beast though and I remember her fondly. Good luck.

Damn Canuckistan!! Wait...I like that the lake level is getting higher. Three cheers for those Loonies! They also have a moratorium on building within a certain distance of the lakeshore. Not shortsighted, maybe even smart.

Like most, I'm bending over and taking it. I love our 20+ year old Yamaha 200 four stroke. She's a six cylinder, but to my understanding shuts down to two for trolling. Very cool way to sip gas.

If I'm wrong, I blame our AI overlords. I think that the higher number includes rooftop and community solar, which IMHO is actually a good thing (much like landfill solar installations). Supposedly these community installations account for >90% of solar in NYS. I had dinner last week with a guy who sold solar to consumers. He convinced me that either solar or geothermal was an environmentally conscientious decision, but having friends who've gone both routes - it's not fiscally friendly.

Unfortunately, the existing 350+ solar installations provide only ~6% of NYS's consumption. And we all know what a solar field looks like; that would have been unheard of a decade ago. Some areas you can't drive a mile it seems without seeing a field of panels. If the plan is to triple solar output in the next decade, I shudder to think of how that will impact our upstate environment. If money talks and BS walks, it's probably inevitable. Meli-friggin'-ora.

I don't recall whether we've covered this, but it comes out of NYS, impacts sportsmen directly, and is in the process of happening under our noses: DIsclaimer: This is an AI overview so as to familiarize folks with the impact of what's happening and who's behind it AI Overview As of April 2026, New York State is actively moving to allow solar energy projects on public land, specifically targeting state-owned reforestation areas. While the DEC manages these lands, legislation such as the RAPID Act (2024) streamlines the permitting process, sometimes allowing installations on state forests and near protected wetlands to meet renewable energy goals. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (.gov) +3 Key Details on Solar on Public Land: State Forest Utilization: Proposed legislation (Senate Bill S4408) seeks to allow the leasing of 775,000 acres of state reforestation lands for solar, wind, and battery projects. Permitting Streamlining: The Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES), created under the 2019 Climate Act, handles permits to speed up development. DEC General Permit: The DEC has issued a general permit (GP-0-25-004) to allow solar projects of less than 25 MW in certain state-regulated wetlands and protected waters. Landfill Solar: The DEC supports and has policies for solar projects on closed solid waste landfills (Policy DMM-4). Controversy: The conversion of state forests into solar farms has raised environmental concerns about deforestation and habitat loss, sparking pushback. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (.gov) +6 Note: As of March 2026, the legislation expanding this to 775,000+ acres was passed by the Senate and was in the Assembly, with potential for inclusion in budget negotiations. Facebook

If Lady Gaga can wear a meat dress to an awards show, your kid can paste fishing stickers all over his body before the next robotics competition.