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It was almost dark, and I had to take my shoes and socks off..Thick black river mud, sucking at my ankles, freezing cold water, current ripping at the boat.. Finally was able to hook up the bow eye to the winch strap, had to tie a rope to the transom, and pull the boat against the hard current to where it was almost straight with the trailer, and try to start winching it up with one hand while holding the rope on back of the boat in that current with the other... I am 63, and no longer built for that type of crap.. Got it halfway up and the winch strap broke.... The threads all popped that hold the hook on...Newer strap as well.. Probably made in china.. Tied the hook on,and was very luck the boat was up on the trailer enough that it did not go flying into the river.. next time I think I'll take my little 12 foot Jon, and my little 2 HP, and just throw it in the bed of the pickup,, That boat I can just drag up the bank, lift onto the tailgate and slide it in.. The ramp in the hot fishing zone, is primitive to say the least, which is probably why the fishing is good there... bob

Smallmouth blitz Susquehanna River Just insane fishing right now down here.. At times every cast gets a SMB.. I got about 30 in 2 hours, mostly all over 12 inches. All brutal fighters too , full of piss and vinegar, airborne leaps etc. Also got a fat 20 inch walleye.. The SMB are so aggressive right now all you really have to do is throw a curly tail on a jig head out and let it sit on bottom, and sometimes it gets hit 3 or 4 times without even moving it.. Its this way every November, and then turns off around the 1st week of dec most years, sometimes a little earlier sometimes a little later... You can catch 50 or more in half a day without even moving your boat,, can't spot burn right here, but if interested PM me... You need a small boat, and if its on a trailer 2 guys to retrieve it as the river is high and the current fierce... I almost could not get my 14 foot boat trailered tonight, broke the winch strap and all, and as i write this. its out in the driveway sitting on the trailer half ass sideways,, figures the best fishing is right at the WORST ramp on the river.. if you like river SMB, now is the time... bob

Targetsports USA.. They are one of the few that still ships to NY state.. Most don't anymore although its perfectly legal to do so.. their prices were the BEST out of all the online retailers, WAYYY cheaper than local shops or big box stores, and they ship FREE, no sales tax.. We just bought 2000 rounds of .380 for $400. thats $20 for 100 rounds, or $10 for 50 rounds .. It was brass case Remington ammo.. The BEST we could do locally anywhere was about $15 plus tax for 50 rounds in bulk, for CRAP, steel case, Eastern European rounds.. Good .380 ammo starts about $17 for 50 rounds locally .. Target Sports USA made all other retailers look silly with both their prices, and their excellent service... I am DONE buying ammo anywhere else... bob

If you weren't clearing lines, you most likely found a bunch of fish that were just neutral, and weren't in the mood to play.. The weeds on the Finger Lakes seem to get worse with each passing year, I dunno, maybe its just me... I have seen weeds this year like never before, including on Skanetaeles, where years ago, you couldn't even find a weed if you searched for one...

gotta watch those "scum lines".. If you were marking a lot of fish, and had lures in the zone without even a hit, it would not surprise me at all if it was mostly submerged weeds, leaves,sticks etc.. that crap can go pretty deep when its arranged along a current or wind breakline.. I was reading "fish" top to bottom a week or so ago, while jigging.. When i kept hooking submerged suspended weeds 70-80 feet down, I knew what I was REALLY looking at on my "good screen"-crap... bob

They are there, but some of us have fished Keuka for decades and never caught one.. Just not that many in there... Best bet is fish Cayuga or Seneca if you want salmon.. bob

Has the water cleared up yet?? Last time I was there the lake looked sick.. Green and full of floating weeds, something I had never seen before at Skinny... bob

I'm with you.. The late great salt water fishing expert /writer Frank Woolner once wrote in one of his books concerning tournaments- "Fishing is not a competitive sport, its a contemplative sport" Bass tournaments have ruined the largemouth fishing in the north end of Cayuga Lake. That area was for many many years one of the premier bass fisheries in the US, and people from all over enjoyed it. Then the tournaments started... I know this site is tournament friendly, and I don't want to piss anyone off, but I personally will never understand the need to be competitive when fishing... bob

Going to have to hang on to this for a while longer,, Got it running better with sea foam decarb, and will need it for the rest of the season... bob

1987 Merc 70 HP- parts/project motor Super clean condition.. Brand new water pump, Zinc tab, Tilt/Trim, Carbs cleaned, plugs, lower unit oil,. prop is good,.. Just bought this motor on a Grumman 17 foot center console, and drove 600 miles to get it last week... It started and ran ok at the sellers house, ran kind of rough at idle, but was pissing like a race horse, ran cool, and revved fine... Thought it was just a "shaky idling 3 cyl" I should have looked closer.. When i ran it on Cayuga it ran fine at mid speeds, and high speed, but idling and low speed operation was not great... When I got home, on a hunch I tested compression.. Sure enough- 105-85-105... Out of spec, and it will probably never run right at idle, until the compression is even, and I REALLY don't want to spend thousands having a 1987 engine rebuilt... This engine is super clean, looks well maintained, and does run strong at speed... The guy lied of course, and told me the motor was perfect, knowing I lived in another state far away, ---when I found out the truth, I emailed him, and he wants NOTHING to with with anything now that he has his money... Motor is a 1987/88 I think.. I removed the oil injection system, but I have all the parts, and it can be easily re installed in minutes... It probably needs rings.... would make a great parts motor as half the stuff on it is either new or looks new, or freshening the powerhead if you know how, would make this a really nice engine for resale... Will accept best offer, and you can hear it run if you would like.. . its powerful and smooth off idle, .. Might consider trade for a 40 or 50.. No more 3 cyls for me, I have not had good luck with them... Will entertain any realistic offers.. bob

yes after about 85 they went to a cheaper more conventional design because they could not compete with other companies, and most boat buyers would not pay for the stout, over built, but expensive Grumman designs,, Back around 2000 or so, i bought a MINT 4.4 with a super clean merc 25 and galvanized trailer for $1000,,, I knew nothing of this design, but once I had it out on the water I realized it was very special hull for a 14 footer.. Had it in the teeth of terrible winds and churning caps on the Finger lakes and Raritan Bay in NJ, and the stability and solid tight feel were 2 steps above any other aluminum boat I ever had, or ever been in.. I sold that boat like a DOPE, and was missing it terribly instantly.. It was a tiller model, with a pull start merc motorand I wasn't a tiller kind of guy.. It took me YEARS to find a 4.4 with a factory side console, and I found one a few years ago in Philly, and drove down to get it.. I powered it with a Johnson 28SPL, and thats my small boat these days, and it NEVER gets sold, until I drop dead... The 5.0 I am buying has also taken me years to find, and I hope its half the boat its little brother is... I will write about it on this forum after I have it out a few times... They are supposed to be very good in rough water... 8 foot beam on a riveted 17 footer is pretty impressive.... bob

Grumman Meter Series boats -Anyone familiar? Grumman Meter Series boats-anyone familiar? They were built between 1978 and about 1985, and many that know them consider them the best aluminum boats ever built. Thats debatable of course, but they are certainly the best riveted aluminum boats ever built.. I have a 4.4 [14 foot], and am driving a 600 mile round trip to pick up the flagship of this sereis, a 5.0 Center Console-[ 17 ft]... Designed to be as stable and seaworthy as anything else built in their size range, very hard to find, and not all that cheap when you do find one.. It took me years to find this 17 footer.. I have my doubts that anyone here knows these boats, as they have been out of production for over 30 years,but figured it was worth a shot, maybe someone had or has one they would like to talk about.. When I have my 4.4 out in steady 30 mph wind on a heavy chop with raging caps on NY state Finger Lakes, I often shake my head, that I can fish easily and with good stability, when 16 footers of conventional design head back in to the ramp.. Is there anyone on this forum that knows these boats?.. bob