Gill-T

.......and there it is.....open communication at its finest.

"Mooning" is not communicating unless the cheeks are moved back and forth in a morse-code fashion OR if there is visual discharge.

Now I know why you bummed a cigarette from Ray.... Happy birthday.

Looking at the weather blowing up out west heading our way has me worried about the Pro/Am on Sat. Come on NW wind keep that crap away!!!!!

Pick good weather days. When fishing slows hook them up to tethers and have them jump in the water. Give 'em some snorkels and masks. My two girls need fish every 15 minutes or forget it, so I target small fish in temp with spoons. Don't forget the inner tube for towing, ipods, video games.

Brian has it right. If you let out a dipsy too fast without enough resistance it can do a 360 and twist the line such that it won't release properly. Mags need even more resistance because they will want to deploy faster due to the extra weight.

On solo trips in the evening I am fishing for big kings. One rigger deep, one diver way back 300' + with flashers/flies during the summer July-August. This time of year two riggers cheated ....all spoons. You can get crazy and fix a cheater with a rubber band 10' above the down line then throw a free slider on top to give six lures in the water. Usually here on the west end you can usually catch fish with two riggers cheated and have all the action a solo job can handle.

I concur with Chris. This is a great way to make contacts and learn fishing Lake O. That being said....this late in the game and people still looking for observers. Last year I had a young lady aboard as an observer. Fishing out deep intially on Day 1, we were taking fish early. However, the seas started building and my observer was getting quiet and GREEN. I ended up leaving fish to come closer into calmer waters. The observer is another X-factor on smaller boats that unfortunately could determine your outcome.

I have worked thru the night coming up with a proposal. After careful editing and re-editing the rough draft, my proposal is such......" There is no communication between boats during tournament hours. Anyone caught communicating will be DQ'd and will not be allowed to participate in future events." My consulting fee is in the mail

Yes rolmops there is always a lot of INITIAL interest, but when people hear the three day commitment.......they back out. I think you may see the open division gather more interest and the top amateurs roll into the pro division on this point, but it has not happened yet.

I should have been more specific. For the amount of money the Amateurs vie for....maybe observers for the top 10 after day 1. Pros.....yes observers. I don't think we need to drag observers to the captain's meeting either. It is in each contestant's best interest to make sure his/her observer knows the rules since they are placed on a competitor's boat! The rules are on the website, and are handed out in written form. Overkill. To ask an observer to commit to the captain's meeting, then two days of all day observing is too much. Much easier to convince an observer to sign on for one day IMO.

Looking at all the teams in the AM division that need observers this late in the game has me thinking, DO WE REALLY NEED THEM?.....or at least BOTH DAYS? This is the single most exhaustive thing I do. I start 6 months in advance. It has taken up so much of my time and added so much stress that I honestly am contemplating not fishing these events next year or going to the open division ( and compete against 4 teams?). There has to be a better way.

Legendary ride. Mike, Capt. Pete Alex runs a Walleye/Steelhead event in Erie every year I have been getting good with leadcore hint hint.

As is the case with braid, always make sure the line guide lines up with the wire coming off the spool......so if you retie keep that in mind or snap goes the dipsy. Wire is more brittle than braid so NO bass-hook sets to trip the dipsy, just put your thumb on the spool and sweep back from 10:00 to 12:00 position. Don't jiggle the rod to get fleas or debris off the line.....the weight of the dipsy bouncing can snap the wire.

When spooling, get an assistant. Place a pencil or similar item thru the spool to act like a spindle. Have your assistant hold the spool with oven mits on and apply pressure to the spool so the wire goes on TIGHT. Termination is easy with a wire line knot. http://www.lotsa.org/Wire%20Line%20Knot.htm

Sometimes when the fish are high.....you will not mark them on the fishfinder and therefore fish below them. If you are not marking anything, temps are good, bait around.....try running some short leadcore segments off the boards. If you don't have leadcore you could run a lure with a keel weight, rubber core sinker or split shot for high lines on the outside (longer leads), and pinch-on pad style heavier weights with shorter leads on the inside lines. The greater the variety of types of spreads you have in your arsenal, the greater chance you have of "figuring it out". A lot of trollers also keep closer to the shore......try right down the middle of the lake. Always seems to be a good idea on the fingers to have a couple of baits for lakers in the 80'-90' down region....so riggers that deep and dipsys on wire or braid out 250-300'.

Still looking for an observer for the Orleans Co. event at Oak Orchard June 11,12.

Good green water out deep with a lots'o steelhead where you stated. The Kings are still spotty. The inside waters are still stagnant, stained ......crap. Short leadcore segments killed them today. I want my spoon back big giant jumping steelhead!!!!!!!!! As an indication of how screwed up the inside waters are, we caught a laker over 380 fow on a 6 color.

For the cost....the Shimano Charter specials are hard to beat.

Ray, I keep seeing this pink theme....pink shirts, pink bed skirts, pink towel lent to Rod. For what is worth (not much), I put eyes stickers on every spoon I own. Esp. the mag 3/8" eyes. I saw some underwater footage using the walkervision of a steelhead pulling along side a lure, turning it's head to look at it and then nail it. Since then I look at every part of the lure as important esp. the swivel and the hook.

Any black streak remover on the magic eraser will remove most stains. The problem is usually dirt getting embedded in the wax. Black streak remover removes the wax from the wash and wax products we typically use on fiberglass.

Still need an observer for the Orleans event.......come on Rochester and Batavia fishermen.....I would like to hear from you. Good way to learn.

I hope that is not your game room!

Thanks Ray and others. Pretty bed skirt too!