chinook35

Now I see the confusion about different opinions about the length of the course . There are different courses available . I took the  " boating skills and seamanship " course . It was at least 7 weeks long , maybe longer , I took it over 10 years ago . It was very comprehensive and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their skills and enjoy the sport all the more . I agree , that a 1 hour or even an 8 hour course will do little to improve anyones skills and knowledge . Check out the CG website and see the courses available .http://cgaux.org/boatinged/

When my son and i took the course ,it seems to me that it was 2 hours a night ,once a week ,over 7 weeks . The cost in cluded a text book , which I still have and referencefrom time to time .

In all seriuosness , My intention was not to start a war . I belive that basic instruction on safe boat handling is long overdue .I know that some people will ignore the rules ,even if they take the course and know them . But there are way too many people om Lake O ,that have no clue and this is what i think the course will address . Save lives ? maybe , not so sure about that one ,other than teaching people what the bouy system means . Every year  , the news reports of guys going out in 19 ft. boats in 5-6 foot waves . The coast guard risks their lives to either save the lucky or recover the bodies of the not so lucky . Mandatory life jackets in the cold water months save lives period . All you have to do is stick your hand in that 40 degree water in April and just imagine your whole body in that . You have a very few precious moments to get out before you become paralyzed . If the gasp reflex hits you when your head goes under , the jacket WILL save your life . I satnd by my position that the course should be mandatory for all boaters in NY .

Thank you for the frightening statistics on lawn mowers . I for one , will never fish from my lawn mower again .

I would imagine the law would make provisions for charter captains as well as any who already took the course . And , yes I have lived in NY state my whole life . I have fished and hunted on Lake O since the early 70's . I used to hunt ducks in Oswego harbor in January from a 14 ' Mirrocraft when it was 10 below zero  (now there's stupidity ) . Just because you can go out and buy a boat ,doesn't make you qualified to operate it . The course will teach basic navigation skills as well as the rules of the road . If you don't care to take it ,you can always fish the salmon river  . LOL

It's about time ! i have been advocating this policy for years . My son and I took the course years ago and gained a lot of valuable information . I agree that you can't fix stupid , but you can fix the uneducated . basic boat handling ,required safety equipment , basic navigation and learning what the navigation aids mean , and the rules of the road are all covered in the course . This course will be mandatory for any boater operating in NY waters  ( I hope ) .  I watch people on the water and at the launch ramp every year and cringe . Sometimes it's just funny , other times it's scary .

^{The anti gun lobby is very good at misquoting and quoting out of context , to prove that guns are evil and no longer needed in a  "civilized ' society . LMAO  . Read the headlines and then tell me all about the  "civilized " society .The government can't control crime . The drug dealers and street gangs are winning the battle . I will always maintain my ability to defend myself and my family . If this makes me a criminal down the road , then so be it .}

Great year for fishing ( they all are ) . Catching ?  not so much . A very hit or miss year . Kill them one week and get the skunk the next .

I been fishing the East end of the lake for 30 years and have never crossed paths with this guy (thankfully) . I can't believe , after reading all these posts ,this guy doesn't sleep with the fishes . Like Luca . LMAO

My invoice/entry # is 9983 . I'm not sure if that is the number of entrants or if it is , it is for all three derbys . If it is representitive of the number of entrants . There's a lot of competition out there .

The GOOD guys who fish and charter out of Selkirk should have a word or , something , with the one who this post is about. This a*****e is giving them all a black eye and the they are the ones who should take action . That said , I must say there are lots of good guys out there . My girlfriend and I fished out of Mexico Point this AM and had a good run in with (I think ) , a charter captain . We were in a crossing situation my bow to his port side . I was just getting ready to turn to starboard and pass down his port side and behind ,when a rigger fires . Fish On .  With just the 2 of us it was getting hectic . It was an 8 # steelhead , jumping like crazy . I yelled to the other boat , and he immediatley turned HARD to port and passed down my starboard side . I yelled "thank you " and waved as he passed . We landed the fish . I didn't get the name of the boat , but it was a Penn Yan with radar dome and several people onboard . I would like to thank him again for his courtesy and most excellent boat handling .

The only time you will see the term " right of way" in any boating skills and seamanship text ,is when a vessel is downbound (going with the current " in a narrow channel . The downbound vessel has the "right of way "  . There are "stand on and give way vessels only " . A lot of problems arise when some "captain " thinks he has the "right of way " . Common sense and courtesy are required when on the water . I am,  and always will be , an advocate for a  mandatory boating skills course for ALL boaters . Boats are the only vehicles which can be operated with no training at all . And from the posts I read and my time on the water , training would be a big help out there .

There are 2 main cut bait brands available . Erie Dearie and Familiar Bite . Ask the bait shop which are working . I have used both and don't have a preference . Familiar Bite has a squid fillet that I want to try . The old timers (me) used squids and dodgers in the70's and  80's . There is nothing in Lake Ontario that resembles a squid , but I was told by a Cornell biologist that instinct in the Pacific salmonids remembers squid from the ocean . They caught a lot of salmon . I still use squids  when I'm not using my go to , cut bait .

Most of the tackle shops in the area carry them . Woody's in Port Ontario , Jon's on 104B ,just before the turn to the Mexico Pt. launch . Fat Nancy's and All Season's sports in Pulaski . You should nort have any trouble finding cut bait . Glad to see that program is back . After Rhys Davis pulled out , It has been a struggle finding good cut bait . Sure wish he would come back to NY . It is still available in Canada .

LOC derby starts Friday , so the boat traffic will be heavy . If you are going to run the long lines (copper and cores ) you will want to stay outside the pack . It is not always possible to give as much room as we would like with boats coming from all directions . See you out there !

^{I agree with the NOAA wind forecast complaints. I have learned to add 1 or 2 feet to the forecast . If NOAA says 1-3 ,I figure 2-4 .I found a site that seems to be a little more reaalistic. www.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ofs/loofs/fore_wind.shtml}

I found a new tool for checking lake conditions . Am still learning all the ins and outs , but it looks like it was made for the fisherman . Has current conditions and currents . I hope it is more accurate than the NOAA forecast .   www.glos.us

Ambush has the same ingredients and warnings/dangers as Ultra Shield . This one even says on the label  "not for use on humans " .  These insecticides are toxic to fish and will get into the water from spraying on your boat .

1. I had a Honda that did almost the same thing . It turned out to be the vent hose on the carb float bowl was kinked and the would not allow proper carb venting . It really sounds like the same problem . Check the vent on your fuel tank ,  try loosening the cap and see if that solves the problem . And check any hoses on carb to see if they are blocked  , maybe a spider made it's home in one . The vent usually goes outside of the housing ,through a hole .

Well rabhunt, you can continue to use it and I wish you well . all the insect repellents that I have seen on the market for human use , are repellents ,not insecticides . The ingredients in your product are : Permethrin - listed as a neurotoxin , highly toxic to aquatic life (fish) , and very higly toxic to cats .  Pyrethrins -nerotoxin , highly toxic to aquatic life and higly toxic to cats . piperonl butxoide - key ingredient in A-200 ointment , also listed as a nerotoxin in high doses . All of the ingredients are listed as carcinogenic . The label clearly states that the product should not be used near any water . The last time I looked , my boat was surronded by water . I can't believe that a company that is in business to make money would decline to say a product was safe for humans and lose all the extra sales . The EPA tests all these products and if it was safe for humans it would say so in BIG letters .

^{I believe you should take a closer look at Ultra Shield . If you read the directions , it's for use on animals only . There is a warning on the label that humans should avoid contact with the product while it is wet . May be great on critters , but  until the label lists it as safe on humans , I'll pass.}

^{here is a link to a vet website . Please read the warnings . DON'T use this product on humans !!!}

^{www.drugs.com/vet/absorbine-ultrashield-ex-insecticide-repellent.html}

_{Luck was with everyone . If the out of control boat had run down the 14 footer full of kids , there would have been a tragedy and I'm sure criminal charges . In that situation a call for assistance would be the ONLY course of action.}

I have noticed this for years . All my big fish , including a 35 lb. 9oz  king , have come on the afternoon bite . It doesn.t seem to matter what part of the lake  . I fish out of Sandy pond when I'm at camp . I iive in watertown ,so it's an easy run to Henderson and the trench  when I'm home . The afternoon bite has always been better for me.

Glad you recovered your rigger . I take my Cannons off when I'm not fishing . mostly for security reasons ,and have always been worried that when I slide the base into the swivel mounts ,It won't catch . So i made up safety lines using para cord from the rigger to my rear cleats . They are tied to the riggers permanently and I tied a loop in the other end to fit the cleats . Now when I slide riggers into mounts , I take the line and attach to cleats . No worries .

These arn't good old NY black flies (no seeums) . These are stable flies (ankle biters ) and will wait till you have a good fish on and attack your ankles in force . LOL  . I posted on another thread on this forum , about these no good #%&*%*#@ 's . The only thing that repels them , IMHO , is a product called Buggspray for biting flies . I have used it for years and can vouch for it . That said , apparently the "Buggman" at Buggspray has decided to only make the biting fly spray in a "no fragrance" spray . I ordered and received two bottles of the  spray , in order to be ready for the late July and August bite (when those little critters seem to be at their worst )  . I can only hope it works as good as the original formulation (which had a very strong smell) . I will let everyone know my success (or failure ) with the new formula . I have added the website to order the Buggspray , MAKE SURE , when you order to get the BITING FLY formula , as there is more than one formula available . www.buggspray.com

Just a little P.S. Don't waste your money on normal repellants ( deep woods off and the like )  the flies like lick it off before they bite you . LOL