Gill-T

I always try to troll into a down current. Your spoons are more likely to be kicking and you save on gas.

Kings are everywhere from the bar to Olcott. Pick your poison it does not matter.

Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. My DEC friend says they have to camp officers out on Walleye spawning tribs because of illegal fishing for spawning Walleye. There are walleyes spawning in some of the creeks that come into Otisco but have no idea about how much recruitment is happening. Perhaps now a little more conservation is in order? Keeping smaller fish and releasing big females might be a good movement to start.

Agree that fronts have a definite effect on feeding. On the West end of the lake we have a significant escarpment that acts like a wind foil. Combine the wind foil with the denser air mass over the lake due to the cold water and you can get a complete 180 degree wind direction reversal without any fronts pushing thru. It can be blowing SW one mile south from the shore and coming out of the NE out on the water. This can be very frustrating to the small boat angler as NOAA's models cannot predict this effect. ALWAYS USE THE BUOY REALTIME DATA this time of year. So in this example you can get crappy East wind fishing without a front.

Current, water temp and therefore probably oxygen content from deeper water levels rolling up from mid-lake change during an East wind event. The only tried and true tactic this time of year is if I HAVE to go fishing I will fish the Niagara Bar because the river negates the aforementioned changes to the water. Water temp is stabilized and usually warmer water from the Niagara, O2 levels are better because of the high O2 water from Niagara falls and there is always current to keep fish active (H20 across gills). Add the structure of the drop off, shallow and deep water nearby and .....there you have it. Expect more neutral fish so more spoons than flashers, spread out in all zones. Expect more lost fish due to fish being less committal or neutral resulting in more nipping at lures as opposed to slamming them and getting hooks buried in the corner of the mouth. You are as likely to catch a fish on a surface line as you are on the bottom so flood the system but keep stuff spread out. (talking out my arse is fun).

Way to make a plan work as drawn up. I thought about doing something similar but my lazy crew did not want to go until 9 am...... Nice work gents.

Its about time we got your report! Slacker! . Great start to the year.

Do you carry extra insurance for your charter in case someone has a knuckle injury?

If you are running boards way out wide at the Niagara bar drop off during a tournament or derby you deserve to get yelled at.

I use weldon's pad releases and don't get false releases. Braid backing is buried about 3/4 deep into the pad. Your problem may be false releases.

Huge crazy-arse currents. Ports of Oswego, off Devil's Nose, off Scotch Bonnet, from the Niagara to Olcott we get wicked currents. The Niagara to Olcott in particular has two currents occurring simultaneously......the upper level Niagara flow and the sub-currents that come from the Northeast. Add wind to the mix AND the fact that the power companies on the Niagara have to allow more water come over the falls for visitors to see......the river will rise and increase flow after 8:30 am and you can see you better know the down speed if you want consistent results. This ain't bobber fishin'.

Thanks.....looks like a tough tournament again!

Anybody have a picture of the leader board from the WHI? The one on the site is from 2012.

We had lakers biting all day for us in 65-70' ......too bad we were looking for kings! We trolled from Olcott to aprox. 7 miles west of Wilson on a straight troll. Wanted to stay away from the tournament boats but unfortunately that meant staying away from kings. Lots of high bait moving in west of Wilson out in 100'. The table is set, just need the East winds to stop blowing.

The colors on the King are unreal.

Did your core ever drag on mussels on the bottom or was this just a straight break?

Micromanagement minute: Might I suggest Amish Outfitters tow line is 500 Lb spectra.....it ain't breaking! Also Tuf-line microcore uses a spectra sheath that won't rot like standard core.

Improved Cinch has never failed me. With large rings like on a dipsy swivel or when using braid, wrap the line twice thru before tying the Improved cinch.