Gator

Hey Scott, Agreed on the bigger kings being East. We set up in Steve's boat off the Nose and just took it the whole way in ~140 fow. Same thing as the past few days, with probably a couple dozen fish on including some decent kings (biggest was a shade under 23lbs) and a nice Steelhead. 85-100 on the riggers, 250-300 on the wire. White varieties of Spin Docs were best. We saw the raft yesterday, but it was way too big to even think about getting on the boat. Some guy apparently deflated it and took it aboard, though...we watched him. The kayak wouldn't have lasted long, though. We only own three... Off to the Adirondacks tomorrow. Enjoy the fishing this week! Gator

Jeez, guy leaves town for a day and comes back to this?? I suppose if it keeps you jokers amused, and keeps the Shootout thread at the top of the board July is Sandy Creek prime time! I'm itching to get out there after this past week in LA...smog, crowds, and traffic.

FYI, next year's planning meetings should be held in Key West. The entry fee may need to increase, though

Rob, I'm in for the non-communication agreement...I hate having to talk to Keith on the boat anyway Gator

Hey Ollie, Check your pms. Gator

Hey Vince, Thanks. The reels look great and I expect that the solution is as easy as turning the clicker off after the initial run. I believe that the gentleman I acquired them from said that they were one year old. And beefy is a good word to describe these things in general... Gator

I just picked up a couple of Catalina CT30D reels to try out and I was surprised when I went to turn the reel handle and felt significant resistance. After a bit of testing, I figured out that when the clicker is engaged, it's much harder to turn the handle. Is this normal? I've never noticed a dramatic change in the amount of force required to turn the handle with any of the other reels we fish, at least not to this extent. Not sure that I like it. Thanks for the feedback.

Alright, Tom! Soon you'll be able to buy rods, lures, etc...as "presents" for them to use when they're with you...grandkids are the world's greatest excuse

http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/14814.shtml

Matt, We ran Steve's Otters last weekend cause our Walker boards had the same issue Scott's boards did...diving...but the Otters surf so far forward that getting the releases to go down the line was a chore. Is there a way to adjust them to run more behind the boat? I like the boards, but the $$$$! Yesterday we ran our 20-yr old wooden super skis and they worked great, still the Otters look like the bomb in rough water. Gator

So, if it's learning that you're after, you probably don't want to make "fish-catching" your main priority. There's lots of captains that can put you on fish, but fewer who are willing to take time out of a bite to show you how to rig properly. I'd make it real clear what you want and that you realize there will be a trade off. Also, the rigging techniques differ greatly depending upon the time of year. To maximize learning, you should plan on spreading your trips out. And remember that the presentations you can run on a 15' boat are going to differ greatly from what an experience charter boat captain in a 28' Tiara can put out there. Welcome to the ranks!

We were there in mid-July last year, but I didn't fish much for trout. Too busy slamming the smallmouth! I met a couple guys for beers who I'd seen fishing around some of the humps while I was there...they were trolling copper rigs near the bottom for lakers. The landlocks were scarce, or so I was told, that time of year. Good luck!

Yowza!

Hey Mark, Nice pig! Jim tells me that he takes full credit for putting you on that fish Give me a shout this weekend; we might be over there to jig depending on the weather. Gator

Yeah, he's a hell of a guy...for a lake trout fisherman Oops, that was HambleT on the board with a brown yesterday, wasn't it? You should have seen the catfish rod he caught it on!

I can't speak to the bass, but the perch fishing was phenomenal this winter and spring.

Happy Birthday from the Abacos!

Dang straight it won't last! If I could fit one more boat into my arsenal, I'd buy it. My favorite boat is still an old 16' aluminum that was easy to trailer, easy to launch and easy to fish. I moved to a slightly bigger aluminum with a 115 4-stroke on it, but it won't fit into the garage and so everything...cover, rods, tackle, sonars, trolling motor...comes off after each use. And goes on before each use. As a result, I don't fish as much out of the larger boat. Easier to take the kayak for a quick evening trip. Good luck getting her sold. I bet it won't be a problem.

Don't feel too bad Brian...there's always next year

I fish perch at Seneca with Triple S a few times each year, just enough to know that a limit of two-pound perch is a once in a lifetime haul...and I haven't hit the jackpot yet. It's not unreasonable to consider a limit of one-pound plus perch. I'd guess that in the past five years we've managed two or three days like that. The fishing is good sometimes, but it's hit or miss, and the usual take is more like a couple dozen fish in the 12-13 inches range. Not too many outright skunks, but some awful slow days mixed in there, too. If you're an expert on the fishery, then I guess you could make some money I'm surprised that anyone pays $4/lb, given that those big females are mostly spawn and very thin fillets. From what I've observed, the main reason for the tight lips is that while Seneca is a big lake, fishing is limited to around the edges for perch and everybody can see what you're up to. Once somebody hits a school, the guys start piling on. It's the same reason that folks don't name small creeks. As for techniques, think springtime smallmouth. Little tubes, Charlies sliders, etc...my own personal best fish have come while blind casting near emergent weeds in 17-25 fow during the spawn. The biggest fish been loners rather than schoolies, too. Good luck to everyone over the next couple weeks; I have to go do some "field research" in the Bahamas. Life sucks like that sometimes. Tight lines!

Wow! Okay, I want to come over and rummage through your tackle box...you've given me inspiration for the upcoming season! Nice job.

That's it, Vince...from now on, I'm bringing all my reels to you for spooling. Not sure that it's any better than Stren, but I've fished with Ande pink on my winter reels for years with good success. Let me rephrase that. I've fished with Ande pink on my winter reels. And occasionally stupid'd into a fish.

Some guys I know went out of Severne for perch and said that there was just a ripple on the West side, despite the wind. Go figure? Sounds like you guys pounded them...I wish I could have gotten out yesterday.

Hey Ken, Good post, great explanation. We certainly appreciate you guys and your willingness to share stories and pictures; it makes for great entertainment value. It's obvious that you aren't trying to set up a secret society of finger lakes fishermen and I'm guessing that the information you're refering to is unnecessary for most readers to appreciate your posts. In fact, I even understand why you might want a means of conveying that information privately. However, anytime that you limit information to a particular group on a public board, you create the appearence of privilege. And sometimes appearances are enough to stimulate an outcry. I think that's what happened here. Since we're a cohesive rather than divisive community, I agree that this should be put to rest. Thanks for your insights. Best of luck in Florida! Gator