Gator

Competition is good. This is not good.

Way to go Andy! Enjoy the youth hunt, it'll be in the past in the blink of an eye.

Anybody else notice that our problems appear to have been exacerbated by the influx of invasive species? I'm not just talking alewives abundance, I'm talking about changes in patterns that held for twenty years. Predictable bites that disappeared. More flux to the system. It's like we're buoying Lady O just enough that she persists in a stressed state, but a nudge from one direction sends it off-course. Maybe I'm remembering the past with rose-colored glasses, but there are so many consistently good bites that have shut down or changed to a huge degree...the piers, the spring brown trout inshore, the surface thermal structure for steelhead in May, the steady migration of kings east to west...these were known patterns that appeared year after year. Now, it's hit or miss, mainly miss. A stressed ecosystem is an unpredictable ecosystem. And yes, I'm probably guilty of a little "good ole' day" syndrome. And I can't argue that the fishing can be as good now as it was then. We had some unreal days this year. It's just so much more variable.

The bar graphs seem pretty clear. We're missing two whole year classes. Since the size distribution doesn't reflect overall catch, it's not a measure of population, but rather relative abundance within the population. I don't think there's any way of avoiding the fact that there's a gap.

Yep, I hear you. It make it difficult if not impossible to gauge numbers based on mistaken assumptions of uniformity.

We were on fire June and July, then it blew hard and everything disappeared. The rest of the season was a tough go. I think that it goes to show that the fish are so concentrated, one port may be hammering them but the next one down the road is quiet. It sounds like the baitfish are like that, too. There's always been migrations of fish from West to East over the season, but I've never seen it like this year. Odd has become the new norm. Way better than the past two seasons though, for us at least. Looking forward to your reports next year! If you do end up fishing the kingfish tournament, I'd love to see coverage...

Yeah, I hear you. I didn't get too upset, pennies from heaven if it worked, if not: that's life. And I sure didn't feel like getting into it with a manager, I'm Mr. Mom this weekend and there's too much to do with one week until bow season. Just lack time and energy. But hey $30 that's not bad.

I had my order accepted at Brockport, got a confirmation e-mail that they were ready to be picked up, and stopped over after a hard eight hours of planting trees...only to be told that there was a mistake in the online price and they didn't have the stock to fill the order, so they canceled it.Of course, I only found out after I was there, sweaty and dirty and ready for a cold one. Would have been nice had they told me that before I drove to the store. They're quick enough to e-mail you when you place the order. Oh well, it was a long-shot. Glad you got yours!

They'll let you order them, but I immediately got a message that they were out of stock and canceling the order for the Rochester store at least.

You're a hoot, Jim. FYI, whenever I'm planting out there and have to pee, I head to the stand I'm going to put you in...don't worry, you'll see lots of deer.

Thanks, Steely. I'll hunt down the map. I noticed a huge variety when we were driving there last week, but we were on our way somewhere and didn't stop. My wife says there's an entire section of park that gets overlooked. I can talk to Peter, too. I appreciate the advice.

Thanks for the advice, but hybrid vigor in oaks is fairly well documented. There are a variety of reputable sources such as Oikos, Forest Keeling, etc...to obtain crosses, but I'd rather stay local. I am a geneticist by trade, so I'm aware of the risks and also the potential benefits. Since I will be propagating the trees myself, I can be selective, and it will be interesting to see what arises. So--any sources with known or cultivated hybrids? The hard mast is low this year, but maybe I'll get lucky.

Does anyone have access to hybrid oak where they could collect acorns? I'm looking to propagate some hybrids this winter. I'm really interested in Schuette (Bur x Swamp White), but any hybrid that might have increased vigor relative to the parent strain would interest me (ie, Concordia is like the holy grail...) I want to stick with a local source, if possible, so that I know they're fit for this climate. Thanks in advance!