Jimmyi

Thanks for the valuble information. I hope other folks read your post. It might save someones life.

Thanks for the tip. I was debating if I should just get rid of them or figure out some way to secure them so that never happens again. I was thinking of connecting a small chain under the row boat seat from underneath to the wire clamps.

I been going through the phone book trying to locate these guys and making all kinds of calls. I wanted to bring them a fruit basket and gift certificate for Gander Mountain.

Nice fish. I knew you would like this site. You can learn a lot from these guys and they are real helpful with any questions that you have. I'll be calling you when I go. I'm not going alone anymore after the IBay incident.

Thanks Guys. I learned several things. Don't wear hip boots or waders when your out in a small boat and don't use those clamp on seats unless they are clamped down real tight. Wearing a life vest in a small boat is a good idea. I never was a good swimmer but being in that cold water with a heart condition didn't help either. I preach a few Sundays a month at a local nursing home to the shut ins and I guess my time wasn't up yet.

I got out for the first time today since my back surgery in August. I went to Irondequoit Bay and thought I would try for some perch and pike. I bought a new plastic boat seat that has the wire clamps that you tighten down on the rowboat bench seat with two wing nuts. I thought I had it tightened down enough. I was getting ready to leave and started casting a Rapala and hooked a huge pike. I got the pike into the boat and as I leaned back, the seat pulled right out and I went in backwards. I'm not a good swimmer so I wear a life vest all the time. It happened so fast and I held my breath as I was falling in the water. It took me a little bit to get up to the surface and I had been wearing hip boots. I tried to get back in the boat and I couldn't lift myself up. I have a heart condition with five stents and now I'm hanging on to the boat in about twenty feet of water and I'm starting to get cold. The boat is stilll anchored and I can't go anywhere but hang on to the side of the boat. The hip boots want to keep pulling my legs under the boat. Thank God there were a couple of guys fishing in the area. I started yelling to them that I needed help. I didn't want to let go of the boat and I couldn't turn around to see them. I heard them start their motor then it cut out on them and they had to restart it. It seemed like forever. They pulled up my anchor and towed my boat to shore with me hanging on. I was then able to climb back into my boat. It was a cold ride back to the boat launch. I always keep an old coat and a quilted shirt behind the seat of my truck in case of emergencies. They came in handy tonight. The Good Lord was watching over me tonight for sure. Those two guys saved my life.

What about the DEC regulations? I thought we couldn't catch minnows from one area and transport them in a vehicle? I still have a 150 foot commercial seine net that I bought thirty years ago. It has an eight foot custom made pocket in the middle. I use to catch suckers and all kinds of fish out of the canal. I have been hanging on to it and was hoping to go into the bait business but with this VHS scare, I thought we couldn't catch bait anymore.

Thanks for the info guys. Now I just have to convince my better half that I need to buy more reels.

I want to try fishing with wire line next year. I have never done it before and I would like to know what would be a good reel to purchase? I want a reel that will hold a lot of wire. What do you guys suggest?

She makes great banana bread, banana muffins and zuchini bread. I don't think I should bring anything with bananas on a boat after a bad experience being on the "Free Spirit" boat this past spring.

Ray, Thanks for all of the tips you have given to us newbies who are trying to learn. We love reading your post. My wife and I get discouraged going out there and getting skunked many times but it is still exciting to be out there on the water. Maybe next year my wife and I can hook up with you and you can show us a few things. I'll have her bring some of her famous butterscotch oatmeal cookies. Everyone says they are the best cookie they ever ate and they eat them like a bunch of wolves. Take care. Jimmyi

Paul, Thanks again for taking me out that time and picking your brain with all the questions. I learned a lot that day and I shared it with the guys at the LOTSA meeting. Take care of yourself and congratulations again on your little fishing buddy. I had back surgery this summer and I havn't been out fishing yet. I'm having fishing withdrawal. Jim

It's to bad. Someday we will be telling our grand kids how we use to wade out there in the lake during the winter and spring and the water would feel like a bath tub and how great the fishing was.

That's two records within one week. That amazing. I hear people talk about new techniques, fishing pressure and sophisicated equipment and you think that there are no more records to be broken. l hear about how big they were years ago and the big fish have been caught but it goes to show us that there are still record fish lurking out there.

Rolmops, I am a newbie and I never heard of that emergency button before but that is definately something that I would want on my boat in case of an emergency. That is very good information that you should let everyone know about. Thanks.

Ray, that was very well said. May Almighty God protect our military personnel and bring them home to their families and may God protect our police officers and firefighters.

I have heard speakers talk about a carbon 14 at seminars and I wanted to know what a Carbon 14 looked like. Now I know what it looks like and if this lure has bad mojo, I don't want nothing to do with it. I've seen enough bad things happen just having a banana on the boat. I've got to know, did you guys have any bananas on the boat that day?

Paul, Congatulations to you andyour wife. He's a cutey. You're going to make a great dad. Take lots of pictures cause they grow fast. God bless, Jimmyi PS. Don't forget to give him Beechnut or Gerber bananas.

I wish I could have gone. I ended up having to drive the bus for twelve 25 year old girls for a bacherlette party. Everyone of them was cute but I still would rather had gone fishin.

When do they start to disappear?

Thanks for that website. It's the best one I have ever seen for fish ID.

You guys are great. Thanks for all the information. Heres to big smiles, screaming reels and sore arms. Good luck to all of you.

I would have liked to try and fish in the Pro Ams but my boat is only 16 feet long and the rules say the boat has to be at least 18 feet long. My boat is a very deep boat and I have had it out in rough water. I know there is a safety factor involved and I wouldn't risk going out in deep water or to far from shore in a small boat in dangerous conditions. I have to wonder how many more people would sign up in the Pro Ams if the boat length was lowered. In the spring of the year I know a lot of boats are fishing very close to shore for spring browns and not going out very far. I can't afford to go out and buy a two foot bigger boat this year so I had to miss out. I wonder if they would consider lowering the boat length to 16 feet instead of 18 feet?

DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT bring bananas. I was an observer for the first time several weeks ago during a Top Gun tournament out of Olcott on a very experienced and well known captain's boat. I made the mistake of pulling out a banana at the end of the day. I never heard of the banana curse until then. All I am going to say is, Don't bring a banana on someone elses boat. That is a classic I have heard that one a ton of times.....I would never think of bringing them. It was my first time and I did not know. Throughout the day the charter captain kept saying that it was his worst day on the lake that he ever had and he couldn't understand why he wasn't catching anything. We marked a ton of fish and went from depths of 490 feet to 45 feet then back out deep. He used about 125 gallons of fuel. It wasn't until seven and a half hours later that I pull the banana out of my lunch box and start chomping. He stares at me in unbelief then turns around and yells to his crew of five guys to see what I'm eating. They tweak out and want to throw me and the banana in the Big O. One guy starts spazzing out and thinks the boat is going to sink or something bad happen because we still have to go about ten miles to get back to the marina and the waves are getting bigger. I learned my lesson.

DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT bring bananas. I was an observer for the first time several weeks ago during a Top Gun tournament out of Olcott on a very experienced and well known captain's boat. I made the mistake of pulling out a banana at the end of the day. I never heard of the banana curse until then. All I am going to say is, Don't bring a banana on someone elses boat.