chinook35

There are so many Ugly Stick variations . The rods I use are BWD110170 . They are 7' 2 piece ,medium action and rated for 10-25 lb. test line . They have longer grips than the regular casting rods . I find these rods easier to rig and handle than 8'6" rods ( I still have about a dozen long rods sitting in my cellar , I started out with the long rods ) . I also have and use a few 8' rods that I like .But the 7 footers have won me over . I liked the Penn Power Sticks ,but they are discontinued .

I now own 6 of the 7' 2 piece ugly sticks and have never looked back . I love them .

I'm not at all sure how the NOAA bouys measure wave height (amplitude) or distance between wave crests (frequency) . But , as an angler who has fished Lake O since the 70's , I have learned (the hard way ) to adjust the NOAA wave height predictions . If the forcast calls for 1 to 3 , I assume 2 to 4 . This had worked for years and the previous post about wave measurement makes perfect sense . If the wave crest is measured from surface to vcrest , that explains why wave height is generally double predictions . It works for me . I will continue to adjust accordingly . Somedays I feel like dealing with 2 to 4 ,some days not so much . lol .

LOL Check out http// www.oswegoharborfest.com and you will see why you can't launch at Wright's Landing . Better head for Fair Haven or Mexico Point .

I have had issues with wave forecasts since the early 70's . I have seen NOAA wave forecasts of 1-3 Ft. ,only to get to the lake and find 4-6 Footers . On the flip side I have seen it go the other way and found flat water with high wave forecasts . I hve come to the conclusion that what you see is what you get .

I have owned a Speed N Temp since they first came out . Great unit when they work . I found that the speed wheel must move FREELY . If it is bound up in any way it Won't work . If the pin is tight or the aluminum guard is hitting it or just some seaweed around the pin it won't work . Make sure it spins freeely when you use your finger . It should spin for a couple of seconds on it's own . Also , put vasoline on the o rings that seal the battery compartment . Get water in there and it's history .Good luck , hope this helps .

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 .

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 .

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 .