DtD

As John McEnroe expressed in " horror "..... " you can't be serious !!! " 21 lines ???. That's a misprint, right ? OYE

Yup......the 6 mile ride to the bluff in that wind was the decider....would not have been in our younger days. ( we deer hunted in a remote area of Pittsburg, N.H., sleeping way off road, in a ' 64 Beetle, with the stars out the rear winda, and a 1/4 inch of frost on the inside in the morning)....no deer , but a really fun time ) Pete, I did not get any pics of this one, but it was colored as a wild one and a spent female of 29.5 inches. Had the poached head, collars and cheek meat for lunch today. She came on a Billy Alex.....1 oz. jig with an upgraded #5 mustad that he was nice enough to send my way. The shaker was a sparkly lime green as I recall, 3.5"( ? ).....and the best part...the FF view of the two tries at the shaker before the hook up. The reason so many of us jig, I suspect. The filets came out a beautiful pink at 2 lbs, 6 ozs. ea. I'm talking a fine, lightly smoked dinner with the visiting Family on Thanksgiving. Pete, FLX and Ruff, I hope we get the chance to jig together some time. Have fun....put on the vest and what do you do with the laker spawn ? Dave

WOW, Pete good deal.....My wife and I were at the launch around 10:30 and she was blowing and we chickened out. Went to Woodville instead and had a lovely day with the wind much lower and pretty slight afternoon. Fair number of marks on the screen, but a slow bite. The 9 pounder was a welcome surprise. Question.did the wind subside on Keuka as well ? Kinda wish we had tried to stay.....just so she could have had some more fun. Great show that Bluff.....and I bet we try again before the boat goes up. Dave

" Each to his own ", the farmer said, as he kissed his cow. Well, I fish for the freezer, the smoker , the pickling jar, the caviar pot. But I rarely release, and never take or sort fish after hitting the legal limit. I will go for another species, and one that probably does not overlap in habitat. I take no pleasure in killing these beautiful things, mallards, geese, deer, rabbits........no problem with turnip and acorn squash or black walnuts either. I like that farmer a lot. Back out to Keuka Sunday or Monday. The bite was on last Wednesday and she and I had a great day with 9 lakers. I think I even saw Pete Collin and his buddy at the launch, and the foliage was peak, the wind way lighter than forecast.....simply not a thing to complain about.

Well, maybe, simple is too easy. See DtD on lamprey. We were on our honeymoon on the St Croix River in Maine. The roasted eel and the bass chowder were elegant and the wild watercress and fiddle head salad were exceptional ! Who has time for this whimpey stuff. Gotta get to the puffballs in the fridge and go for some duxelles for the scrambled eggs tomorrow. ( Boy I think some smoked lamprey would be great with them )

So.......why not provide an open netting season on the eels. I know they are not only very tasty, but a delicacy in other parts of the world, even in higher circles. They are easy to catch, clean, and simple to prepare. What is all this fuss. The DEC should just call the Culinary center in Canandaigua, and get a recipe, a few endorsements, publish and bingo......a delectable appetizer at the many finger lakes winetastings. DONE, WHAT'S NEXT ?

CIG....dodgers 6 and seven. tell me what to do Oh, My she'll kill me. Dave D.

Well, don't have the data , only the results.......I have a 40 Mariner on my sea nymph 17. Wanted to get to 1 mph or so going down wind, and found a Happy Troller plate for the cavitation plate bolt-on. A very easy attachment but...... in the down position it was too much of a baffle, so I put in a pair of slots midway between full up and full down... it works to slow me down with a very acceptable range depending on the wind direction. They may have a unit that will fit the larger motor. Good luck. Dave

Neo......here goes: Several years ago I was trolling solo off Lodi and was marking big stuff way over 200. I tried to get close, but with only 200 on the cannons I was probably 50 feet away. I'm talking frustration here as I circled more times than I care to recall. So, when I got home I pulled out two 300 foot cables and changed them out. I was on spot again two days later mid morning....put on magnum spoons out some 15 feet with a much smaller version on a fixed cheater up 5 feet. And down they went at 30 foot intervals. When I was starting to get settled at 250 -260, with the other rigger at around 230, the deeper rod went up and then back down. It just sat there and seemed as though I had caught up on a lost canvas or other debris. I use light rigger rods and it was at its max flex at this point. I thought ...get the other riggers up, and fast.........yeah, right. Left them, turned the rest of the way down wind and cut the motor. There was the lightest of wind and the boat was positioned well but for the thought of 2 cables down there at over 200 feet. With the light gear, I couldn't gain anything, not daring to go for more drag. I don't remember how long it took, but lets say , an eternity to the boat. All alone, with what turned out to be a 16 plus pounder. I have a pic somewhere if I can scan it, I will. Sorry for the long story, but the most fun solo ever.........Dave

Oh, Peeta ! no burbot or bowfin......can't be ! See you at the jigging station ! Dave D.

Oh ! and pickled carp chunks.......really fine watching UFC with a plate of the carp, dark rye, mustard and a Canadian ale !! Almost as gourmet as Sauteed venison kidney with roasted peppers and home fries .....gotta go and deep fry some LT collars with a dill mustard. I think braised Lamprey soon. Life is good and even better with pickled polyporus frondosi or sauteed with EVOO and a dash of Noilly Pratt. Oh. MAN

So, NEO....lots of ways to skin a cat........I do it this way, and call it a cheater : put the first lure up from the ball on a fixed release, say 4 feet up and10-15 feet back. and use a big spoon. Let the ball down some 5 feet and half hitch a rubber band to the CABLE. take a 5 foot leader with a swivel and clip and attach the clip to the free loop in the rubber band... AND ALSO INCLUDE THE MAIN LINE IN THE CLIP. On the other end of the leader attach a smaller lure of the same type and color as the one already out. This setup creates this condition: the larger lure is the predator with a smaller fish ( lure on the cheater ) within range and often will trigger a strike by another fish nearby. With the cheater fixed, this relationship remains until it is changed. If a fish strikes the smaller lure on the cheater, the leader will break free from the band, then slide down on the main line to the release, pop it, and the swivel will end up stopped at the larger lure, and the fight begins. AND because the cheater is held to the main line with the band, the bow in the main line is minimized, creating a fairly dependable hook set condition. affected only by the strength of the band.. ( hint, hint hint ). Too, this cheater fixing to the cable can be done without the lower lure for close- to- surface running of the second lure, say when you would like to be at 20 feet down and bumping bottom at 70 feet. SEE, ya don't even have too catch fish to have fun, a good sandwich, and some sun....Happy NY

Well, HAPPY TO ALL !!! , and as my friend says...non persperatum est !!

WOW...what a fish. Was this near the Narraganset Bay ? ........and on the fly ? Good for you !! Dave

Carolyn......Are cross dressers acceptable ? Dave

ANYONE WANNA GO ??? I must call Billy for a very big jig !!

Hi, MARK...question...How can you tell these marks are bass and not , say, rainbows ? I have caught bass at 50-80 feet and know they can be there. Good luck out there. Dave D.

CANUCK......Are you really using 4# leaders ? WOW. I'm in the 10 lb fluoro camp. Am I doing something wrong ? Can you really deal with the 10 pounders with the attitude down 80 feet ? Good going......learn something every day and stay young !

Thanks, BOB... I will have some fun with this. Regards Dave

Hi, BOB.........would you share your make up on the jig...........I'm intrigued by the simplicity of it and the fact that it seems inexpensive. PM me if you need to. Thanks Dave D.

So, RAY.......I did it ! With your encouragement and the advice of others, I put an appropriately formed patch over the keel crack, glued up with my old favorite, MARINE TEX , and fastened with SS screws at 6 points. I'm talking great support for the trailer roller and bone dry inside. Really no one wanted to do the job, so I did it for $ 25.00 with my wife looking over my shoulder . She does the same thing when I'm dressing out her deer. Thanks again, Dave De Vivo

I think the best way to go forward here is to outlaw tournaments, all tournaments, on Public waters. The precept ( outsmarting a GD fish ) is laughable and at least childish. If that cannot be DEC policy, then it should allowed for all seniors, however defined, to get out a double -barreled flare gun and indicate 3 minutes for the first blast. I think Clint Eastwood made a similar point in a recent film. I do wish he had lived, though, to go fishing again with gentleman. or a couple of kids. Ya, I know, the few bad apples....yada , yada ...maybe you don't really need a double. See you Monday through Friday. I gave up the weekends at the launch sometime ago even though I continue to pay for them...........appalling where we are at the moment ( ? )

WOW.....that's an easy one........go to fingerlakesanglingzone site and read everything there. ...then reserve a time with the JIG KING, John Gaulke. He is a truly fine fellow and you will learn more in even a 1/2 day than you could over several trips on your own. Once you file the HIT/STRIKE upstairs, you will be forever blessed ( or cursed ). You will also enjoy the poached, baked, smoked and grilled lakers. Good luck, and DO NOT FORGET YOUR LICENSE !

Thanks all for the info, and espec., you, Ray for the in depth reply. I think we met at the Samson launch last summer when you arrived with your camper to take a whack at them. I think I know what happened. I went under the trailer and after having rolled the boat back 6" and found a depression in the bottom where the bottom rests on the main center roller. That is where the 1" crack is and most likely was created by concentrated boat weight stress. So, I used a jack and raised the double rollers on both sides, up the slope from the main center roller, so they really helped carry the weight. Apparently the roller frames had slipped and let the rollers loose contact with the hull. I think the riveted plate at this position would solve my problem, but hate to have to tear up the carpet and floor to accomplish. I know the stop drill process etc. Do you know anyone who could be trusted to do this correctly, besides ME ? and not render me destitute ? Thanks again