chinook35

I just saw on the news that Micron in Clay NY will require 17,000,000 gallons of water per day from lake O  . That’s 119,000,000 gallons per month  

I can’t help but wonder if this amount of draw will affect the water levels on the lake 

the embayments

like N and S Sandy ponds , Sodus bay , Henderson harbor etc. 

the hundreds of boat launches along the lake shore and the St Lawrence seaway  The seaway may need to keep the locks open to maintain a safe depth for ships to transit. 
it remains to be seen what effect this will have on the lake 

119,000,000 gallons of water per month seems like a huge draw 

There is good ice fishing in Henderson harbor , you can walk out from the public launch or ride snowmobile/ 4 wheeler   As for salmonids  , not so much. Perch , northern pike , occasional walleye are the main fish available in the harbor. 
the trout and salmon stay mainly on the lake where suitable ice is not found 

The alewife ( mooneye) dieoff  this past summer is reminiscent of the 50’s -60’s and early 70’s , before the salmonid stocking 

my family has owned cottages on both the N and S Sandy ponds   I grew up on Lake Ontario during summers 

back then the alewives would die off EVERY summer and be ankle deep on the shore   We would rake them up and burn them 

Could it be that there is not enough sticking to keep the mooneye population low enough to prevent the annual dieoff ? 

On 9/23/2025 at 5:46 PM, Gill-T said:

We all like to play general manager of our sports teams so I will play lake manager and be thinking with the alewife die off this year, I would like to see what the alewife survey shows before agreeing to stocking increases from current level (let’s hope there will be a survey). 

On 8/19/2025 at 11:44 AM, GAMBLER said:

I feel that same way.  Seeing dead alewife all over the surface and all over the bottom (on camera) was a little concerning.  

I can’t help but remember the die offs in the 50’s -60’s -70’s   Our camp on the lake side of Sandy Pond had “ mooneyes “ ankle deep in the beaches. We would rake them into piles and burn them 

That was before the introduction of the Pacific salmon 

Can this die off be an effect of salmon stocking being cut back ? 
I realize that the yearly die off is a natural occurrence, but it was almost non existent for many years after the salmon introduction 

One less cormorant. Yay 😀 

4 hours ago, Gregger300 said:

Agreed. July 4th weekend I did pretty well on browns in 80-90 fow out in front of the buoy line between the red building and the main stack. Mostly spoons on riggers down into 60 degree water.

Good luck.

😂 

the “red” building is the Fitzpatrick nuclear power plant , the “main stack “ is the cooling tower for Nine Mile II nuclear power plant  

Go inside the bouy line ( exclusion zone for the nukes ) and watch the CG arrive to ticket you ( if you don’t get shot first ) 

ok fun time over 

browns will be where 60 ° water meets the bottom 

they love structure 

tight lines

Little early for that neck of the woods 

Many people have been asking about the cause of the alewife fish die off along the shore.  I checked with the lead Aquatic Biologist for Region 6 at the DEC and received the following reply:

"There has been an ongoing alewife die off in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River this spring. We have one of the biggest year classes of alewife produced in a while and they went into the winter a bit slender (due to prey limitations). They then had to try to make it through a tough winter and headed into spawning a bit stressed. We've seen this before. It's a natural thing like you said, and yes we haven't seen this in quite a few years. Nothing to be alarmed of, just a little stinky."

Ron Fisher, ELODC (Eastern Lake Ontario Dune Coalition) Landowners Committee Chair
 

an little addendum:  you are early for salmon on the eastern shore. This time of year target LT in 150 ‘ of water 

the silvers historically show up in Mexico bay around the 2 nd week of July migrating eastward from the Niagara region 

I just read your post again and 5/10 off bottom is too high for Lakers.  I run  my ball right into the bottom and bring it up 1-2 ft  

Many people have been asking about the cause of the alewife fish die off along the shore.  I checked with the lead Aquatic Biologist for Region 6 at the DEC and received the following reply:

"There has been an ongoing alewife die off in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River this spring. We have one of the biggest year classes of alewife produced in a while and they went into the winter a bit slender (due to prey limitations). They then had to try to make it through a tough winter and headed into spawning a bit stressed. We've seen this before. It's a natural thing like you said, and yes we haven't seen this in quite a few years. Nothing to be alarmed of, just a little stinky."

Ron Fisher, ELODC (Eastern Lake Ontario Dune Coalition) Landowners Committee Chair

Must be the alewife population is in decent shape.  Haven’t seen big die offs in years 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/public-safety-and-emergencies/health-and-safety-alerts/dec-explains-surplus-of-dead-fish-found-along-lake-ontario-shoreline/ar-AA1GxoKm?ocid=BingNewsSerp

This is something we may need to monitor as to its effect on fishing and lake access 

Great memories! 
trolling Oswego harbor in a 14’ Mirrocraft , Downeaster rod holders clamped to the gunnels , Garcia 300 reels on spinning rods 6# test line and repalas or rebels 

then Riviera downriggers , high tech then , and our first downtemp attempt , Combinator from Advance NC . 
getting in line for Mexico point launch and hoping  there was still parking available when you finally got past the booth  . Got turned away more than once  

Then the cut bait revolution in the 80’s 

Rhys Davis herring strips 6 to a tub for $4.95

Never been another cut bait that could come close to RD for quality 

The ESLO derby drew fisherpeople from all over . The launches had license plates from virtually every state 

I started fishing Lake O in the late 70’s and have an encyclopedia of memories ( good and bad ) 

every trip was an adventure 

2 hours ago, Pete Collin said:

I got boat checked this week.  The DEC officer met me at the dock.  I was actually glad to see him because it was windy, I was alone,  and he grabbed my bowline for me.  We ran through the checklist of things I was supposed to have on board.  He asked if I had a horn.  I said "Sure!", and pressed the middle of the steering wheel.   Nothing, there was no horn button there.  I realized that I never needed to hit the horn before, so never looked for it.  I looked and felt around.  "Geez, on my last boat the button was here!"  I've got a fairly nice Lund, felt like there should have been a horn.  But not knowing where it is is just as bad as not having one.  I had to concede.  Then he asked me for flares.  I was sure I had them, but unsure of which of the many compartments they were stashed.  Warden says, "Are they expired?"  I said, "They expire?"  The packet of 4 was factory sealed.  I had to rip it open to read the expiration date on one of the flares.  2016.  Whoops. I asked if I could light one to see if it worked, and if it did, would I be off the hook?   He said he wouldn't ticket me, just buy some new flares.  Fair enough.  When asked if I took the safety course, I said yes, fumbled though my phone for the email of certification, and he just said, "I believe you."  Fair enough.  When asked for a license, I told him I bought it on my phone, how would I show that to him?  I looked for the email from the DEC from last year.  But I do a lot of dealings with the DEC, there were just too many to sort through!  I asked if I could just give him my name, he looked it up, and found my license that way.  So in the end I was fine but had to shop for flares, plus some kind of horn or whistle.  In my garage, I played with the console a bit.  Discovered that a tiny red button that looked like a circuit breaker triggered the horn.  Son of a gun.  Why wouldn't Lund put that in the middle of the steering wheel like god intended?

Anyway, I found the officer to be professional and fair.  He could have cited me if he wanted to be a stickler, but didn't.  I never go in for bashing the DEC.  They're just people trying to do their jobs like everyone else.

That’s one of the reasons for the certificate. Way too many people on the water that don’t know the safety requirements and the rules of the road. It’s hard to comply with the rules if you don’t know them 

Bump

Bump

Bump

On 1/10/2025 at 9:56 AM, Morgan-E said:

It was not meant to "irk" or bend the feelings of anyone,  just clarifying that those coming from out of state do not need to take it. so that they do not panic over the NYS law.   Some people who looked at the law and the discussions have noted in conversations that the state is not requiring out of state residents to have a safety course to protect tourism and $ for the state (again, not a debate that this thread was meant to start).

 

Phil

The rules are a little obscure  BUT an out of state boater operating in NY waterways WILL require a boater safety certificate issued by their home state. They don’t have to have the NY certificate but they still need one from home. No certificate = ticket and fine 

3 hours ago, Bait Bucket said:

Where did you find this? Do you have the link, I can't seem to locate that. Thanks.

I believe you need a course from your home state I took the following from the parks website 

I'm visiting New York. Will my safety certificate from my home state be sufficient?Yes, provided it was issued from your current state of residence, and the course was approved by the National Association of Boating Law Administrators. Look for the NASBLA logo on your certificate.

Cannon telescopic boom. New collets

$30

local pick up in Watertown area 

Mercarb  3.0liter Mercruiser 

newly rebuilt and adjusted 

came off a 1989 3.0 liter 

all new gaskets and parts 

Local pick up in Watertown area 

no shipping 

$150

The Auburn NY based localcoho is going out of business. Too bad the DEC wouldn’t let them stock the 12,000 coho in LO 

they are donated to the food bank 

https://auburnpub.com/news/local/business/finger-lakes-fish-local-coho-salmon-auburn-ny/article_33d7ee90-d9c3-11ef-87ab-0fec8993813c.html

On 1/14/2025 at 8:09 AM, Smat64 said:

I got my card in 88 and recently added it to my NYS drivers license when I renewed. It shows up as a little anchor on the bottom. 
 

do the news laws still allow people 10years old to take the course and drive a boat alone at 10yrs old?
 

id like to get my 10 and 12 year old kids in a course. 

Yes  they have to have a the CG certificate and an adult must be with them

On 1/11/2025 at 9:55 PM, lost a lure said:

Only if you get caught!

I’m sure that the COs will be having a field day at the boat launches  I am so in favor of this law. It seems strange that you need a license to operate a vehicle on the road. But anyone , in the past , could operate a vessel without any knowledge of the rules of the road and any safety rules. I have seen it firsthand over the ( many) years on the NY waterways.  Glad they finally made it mandatory to know what you’re doing