Gill-T

Trilene XT for main line that would be placed in a release repeatedly. Trilene XL for leaders off rigger rods, or leadcore because I think it might help the action of spoons to have a limper line.

It would seem based on price Rule would be best but I keep reading poor reports on various sites regarding the Rule automatics. Seems like such a simple mechanism but MAN is it an important one.

King Salmon vs Walleye.........really Howie? You will be back.....you'll be back.

Need opinions on bilge pumps as I will replacing both of mine this season. 23' boat. Thanks.

Very difficult to get out rust stains esp. on old fiberglass. Magic eraser with starbrite rust remover spray will help a lot.

The bigger size was a staple for Kings in the 80's.

Minnows on 3-way rigs.

I had enough of winter. With boat launches still locked in ice I decided to cure what ails us all by booking a drift trip. We were greeted with 15 degree air temp with a stiff 15 mph N wind all morning. Despite the cool temps, the sun was shining and the sights, sounds and smells of being on the water for the first outing of the year kept us smiling (or we froze in that position). Today was a grind day, but we managed a mixed bag of steelhead, brown trout and walleye. And so it begins.... another year of fishing. If you are thinking about trying a drift trip and are worried about the run being almost done.....I would say it is just getting started. Do it. Very reasonable cost. Vince has a nice 22' boat with high gunnels (safer for tall fishermen) and he will work hard to put you on fish. Capt. Vince Pierleoni 585-615-1197

There are all kinds of divers down below the peace bridge dragging up mussels from the bottom. In speaking to a bird watcher down at the water, the gentleman stated there is a huge die-off in Dunkirk harbor. I don't believe the power plant is operational so no open water. One of the interesting things that can be witnessed now is a large group of Bald Eagles picking off the weak starving birds sitting on the ice at Dunkirk. Ice fishermen are confirming a huge die-off of Gizzard Shad, but at the same time a huge population of large smelt are being caught thru the ice on Erie. The food web appears to be evolving year to year.

Last time I checked the launch was open but the docks are not in.

BJ day? .....and steak afterward??? Where is this event taking place?

Hawkeye beat me to it by one minute!...........what he said.

Agree with others, there is a movement of the food chain upward at night. Kings will often make inshore feeding movements under the cover of darkness. Start in closer.....say 40' and start setting high lines of leadcore or surface line so by the time you hit your intended zone you are fully set up or you may discover the early bite is close to shore in the process.

If you keep walking past the end of the paved sidewalk and onto the cement breakwall, you are out in the lake. May to June fishing out there. During the summer "kids" like to hang out there so......take something with you esp. if you go alone.

Yep, small ones 50' back on inside board lines.

Big Weenie glow beads......don't leave home without them.

Very secretive fishery down there. Very few take advantage of the species available above and below the peace bridge. Access is via Ferry St./ Rich Products Way across the canal and park. The break wall has a 90 degree bend in the seawall which creates an eddy. During the 80's the eddy was filled with sheaphead, rock bass and silver bass. Most don't realize the great trout fishery that exist there from now thru April. Lake Trout up to 15lbs, rainbows, browns and Walleye can be caught in the eddy. I was down there on Sat. morning fishing for Lakers. The game is a jig w/gulp or minnow, three-way rigs (3 oz pyramid sinker) with a small spinner/floater harness and minnow, skein under a float, and stickbaits at night for walleyes. Fish the eddy for trout. Fish along the wall dragging a stickbait at night or walk the pier upstream towards Buffalo (take a gun or knife) and fish off the wall out in the lake for Walleyes thru June at night. Typically the fishery is better with ice coverage on Erie as the Emerald Shiners head for the only open water. However, I did not see any bait on Saturday which has me scratching my head. The Lakers that were caught were skinny. Weird year. With good ice coverage years, top walleyes in the Southtowns tournaments are often caught by shore casters above the Peace Bridge.

Haven't used the Suffix, but last year I started converting to Tuf-Line (made in USA)....same concept of spectra casing over lead with a smaller diameter. The only thing I found challenging was getting leader material to fit into the small diameter when tying a double Willis Knot. I found I had to splice in a section of backing via double Willis Knot then tie an improved cinch (mono) married to a Trilene Knot (braid splice).

Hey Tim, I noticed you run your in-line walleye boards when its wavy. What's up with that??? Just sayin' . My otters are in the water from the start of the trolling season in spring 'til the seasons end in fall....in all conditions.

Wind and waves in the spring usually means a NE is blowing off the lake (very common). Not only do you have to battle the waves and boat handling issues, but colder mid-lake water starts to mix with the warming western basin water. Most guys will run west and try to get into the warmer Niagara flow. I would say "in general" I run high baits off boards when this happens and look for the warmest water. There are times however, I am dragging fish off the bottom in the same conditions. When staring at a blank screen I would suspect fish are high out of the cone or on the bottom so a high/low game would be in order. During the summer, the highly productive epilimnion (upper water layers) will have lower O2 levels than the metalimnion (mid-lake layers) because the rate of O2 usage by the food web will be less than the O2 production by phytoplankton. Fish will find temps and O2 levels more friendly at or just below the thermocline in a layer called the "Deep Chlorophyll Layer" (DCL). See the LOLA report. When wave events happen in the summer, the thermocline can get "wrinkles" or "waves" in the layer lessening the hard structure edge of temperature and O2 gradients. The result is fish such as kings that which typically stay at or below the thermocline, can now head higher in the water column because conditions allow them to do so. In the summer when waves kick up......I will fish higher. Putting a bait down 60-70' now becomes productive in July or August. WOW.....I just spewed a bunch of crap there!