Has Been

Just go for it.

 So the $64,000 question would be ---- What will the new name of the boat be? After all this you certainly need a new start.

Remember gentelmen, all we really have in life to call our own is our honor ,

Just thought of a name  " PiSSIN' MATCH" !

It is my understanding that gas w/ ethanol absorbs the water, not like pure gas. Gas w/ eth is like having 10% drygas.

 Also that is why eth is no good in boat or longterm because it attracts the water.

If the tank is older & you were using pure gas & just started using eth gas it may have dissolved the varnish/ crud  on the inside of the tank .

 I drained the 25 gal  five year old gas out of my boat & burned it in my work truck. It clogged the filter & cooked the fuel pump  shortly after so be carefull.

 A wise man  said ,"Take what the lake gives you."

All I know is that since I have been doing this lake thing( I started back around 1975 or so ) I have seen an awfull lot of changes to the fishery & LO itself. There was a time late 80's early 90's I think that you couldn't crack the Fall  LOC leaderboard w/ a 36# king & there were a bunch of 40's. The lake was packed full of bait back then & every other year or so The lake would "Shimmer" on the way out for miles   on a sunny day from all the dead mooneyes.

  It was known back then that the larger fish were 4 year olds & There was talk that maybe some were 5 years.

 When  was the last time  we saw a 40 # fish ? It's been a while.Why?  I hear the reasons but some don't make sense to me.

  Maybe part of the reason we haven't had 40# fish for a while is Genetics. If you take eggs from small fish maybe you get small fish. If you take eggs from fish that mature in 3 years Maybe the fry mature in 3 years. Food for thought.

 All time catch rates ? What's the problem?

It seems to me that the crash of the bait was linked somewhat to the zebra invasion & the general cleanup of the lake & less phosphorus in laundry detergents & fertilizers.Also the dumping of raw sewage into the lake.  Back then you couldn't see the bottom in 6' of water on a good day , now you can see  down 20'. I remember as a kid up at the islands the weeds so thick you couldn't get through them , same spots now are barren rock. We use to catch smelt by the buckets but not any more. It's a different lake now than before.

Seems to me there are more dead areas. More black lifeless water & the Migratory  fish concentrate in the greener Live water.

 Also in Mich it has taken 2 decades as you stated Capn Vince for it to get back. I don't think it's doom & gloom but I say make damn certain before you do anything. You of all people know more than most any of us about out there as you live it each day , so I respect your observations.

Fishing for trophy fish is supposed to be challenging. Lake O offers us something special that can't be found to many places in this world. I thank God it is in my backyard . I think the DEC does a good job under a tough situation over the years to keep it as good as it is.

 I like the 30# ers . Settling for more smaller fish  would be settling for mediocraty.

Been to FT Myers & Auburn. other than the fact you can touch the stuff, I wasn't impressed. No real deals to speak of.

Nice selection of termenal tackle on upside.

Aside from the winter we had a few years back that wasn't a winter, I caught more kings out of the Oak this spring per hr than I have in 20 years. Sorry of all the cold water out west & the fishing was bad.

 Last year Oak  Aug till Oct we  caught  a bunch of Kings & from all the reports I saw many did the same till they took off for the Mexico bay area.

  I thought we wanted a good forage base ? That means bigger fish.

 Years past we have had bad  fishing parts of the year & all of a sudden the fish show up .

 It has been a crazy year weather wise,lets see how it plays out. Lets not be kneejerk & overload the lake , crash the bait & have a hard time catching a 20lber , like Mich did.

I think the fish are out there. Sounds like some of you have to get better at catching them or deal with the fact that they don't bite all the time.

Slow down!

 If you fish Bass Pike Muskie, Jigs plastics & the like or live bait.

 T & S you have to find them, either on bottom or just off structure suspended where they are sulking. Slow down also. There are certain times of the day where you may get a few & it shuts down.

 If it is Lake O after temp has set up  and it has been blowing a few days the lake will upwell & you have to go offshore to find good water.

Get a full size  1/2 0r better 3/4 ton van . Vans are the best for anything you would want to do on a trip. Put as much as you want in them to keep safe & dry . Also on my trips w/ the boys when they tent camp, I sleep in it.

I have fallen into the trap that I thought it was depth of the lure that was why I was catching fish on a certain thing.  It was more the presentation IMO.

 The spoon/wgt off the board w/ a 1oz wt was prob at 5' when it was on outside turn & up to 20 on inside .

 I feel guys try to be to exact w/ there lure depths. Fish can see a long way underwater.

More importantly , were you catching fish? If you weren't snagging bottom , who cares how deep it was.

They look like Pirates to me ,and yes the one on the right is a crystalina( never as well w/ them) . Good Lures?

Only 3 rods?  When I run my 16' aluminum solo   Sept in front of the pierhead  I run sometimes one rod or 2 max & in 7 trips this fall I had 36 kings on,landed most  & I was off the water by 9 am most days. I feel I have the best spread possible then . Last Aug in my big boat I ran 5 rods Max & did well also,best spread for me then also.

 Fishing to me is all about the strike, Derby time I like my turn on the rod ,but no derby, I hand the rod off to the grunts.

I would not be good on a salmon charter. I like the first part of the equation .

Folks, We have a winner!

 Good news is that the hoop & net are fine, maybe bent a little.

 Bad news is that handle got crushed from the tape you had up , so I cut it of with a hack saw. I was going to put a rake handle I had in it ,but you can do what you want when you get it back , I will call you to make arrangements.

What kind of net clip & what else was about half way up the handle?

There are 2 parts to fishing  that are very different , kind of like offense & defense in baseball. There is the getting the fish to strike the lure, which in trolling is the guy/guys who choose the program & sets the lure in the right location .This to me is the hard part.

 Then there is the reeling it in part, very different from the first part. You don't need to know squat about fishing to turn the reel handle.

 But obviously& unfortuntly , it is the guy on the rod when it is brought to net.

Go to the auto parts store & get a tester that has an alligator clip & plastic pointed end w/ a light ( $6) . See if you are getting power to the fuse block. If yes ,then check to see if you are getting it at all fuses. .

 My guess is you have a lose connection somewhere between the battery &/or at the  fuse block .

 I had to wiggle/clean a few of my fuses as corrosion did same thing to me this year. A little emery  cloth or wire brush & you're good. A little Ox guard will prevent future corrosion. Buzz words for electrical are CLEAN & TIGHT. If lose will arc & cause ash that will insulate between the metal.

 Fuse block probably behind or under dash.

 Get some extra fuses to carry &  more importantly , get to know your boat, could save your life.

Picked a nice net off the side of east 531 today near Specerport exit. Somebody loose somthing?

If you like going, get a trailerable 18-21' boat so as to go different ports/lakes and multi species. Pick your days, fish the best times of the season,  & enjoy your time on the water. Find a good mechanic that gets the job done & treat him nice.Bigger is not allways better.

 I have 2 boats, 21' Hardtop & 16 w/ 35 hp merc. Like them both.

I do not have speed or temp at the ball . I feel I do pretty well out there .After 30plus years of doing this trolling thing I feel I have  a pretty good handle on how & what to do.

 When trolling w/ the wind/waves,waves 1' or more, you must go slower than you think. The wind/wave action pushes the very  top layer of the water faster & the waves make it look like you are going slower than you actually are& gauge says .That layer 10' and lower is not afeccted as much. I like 1.8- 2.7, depening on how much wind.This is generall & there are exceptions to this. East wind for a while screws up everthing.

 When going into it , I crank the speed up to compensate for the top layer moving faster than the lower. Depending on wind,as much as 4 mph straight into it.

 I also turn an awfull lot,which varies the speed & triggers strikes.

I use buckets one on each side & they are in & out of the water all day.

I watch cable angle & the pull on my dipsey rod to determine speed.

 Last year after the boat was in the water , my speed prob got funk on it, did not work,  ,& I caught just as many .

Use speed forgiving lures in PROVEN colors & most importantly, get over fish.

I

Actually justtracytrolling, for your 500-800 bucks, in most cases, the Captain & mate catch the fish, the client reels them in.

 If the only way I could fish for LO Sal & trout was to hire a charter and do the above, I would choose my times & chuck Clios off the piers or trib.

I wonder if the IRS knows about this Tuna Capt & how he pays his help & if those "tips" are reported as income.

If you don't have an Oil filter type fuel /water seprator, Might be a good idea to get one w/ the lousy gas we get these days.

Half tank stored means a lot of air space for condensation on walls of inside your tank all winter.

The problem w/ a salmon trolling charter is that the paying client  for the most part is just reeling in the fish He or she is not involved in the game plan or execution of it. Does not choose location , rod or lure selection ,set lines,  etc,They are not part of the "fishing" process. The client is part of the" catching "part. 

 That said ,being in const buisness for myself, I don't expect tips. I get them on occasion when the cliet feels maybe I went above & Beyond.

 That said I worked in a restaurant for years, my wife was a waitress & they were paid $1 less than minumum wage &  depended on tips. The cooks or owner did not get or expect tips.

   When I went on a head boat, I tip the mate. Not the captain.

 If Capt Carl feels that 800 should be the min . , the market will determine if it is or not.

Fished Thurs & boated about 9 fish , 4 of which were Kings from 10-16 lbs. A few skips ,a brown & nice steelhead. Dropped about 6 more. Most bites early before east wind screwed up the water we were in.

Fished this morn. Landed 4 more kings 12-17 lbs , lost what I think were a few more.

Program was 2 rods on riggers ,2 on boards. Most hits were on riggers from 2-20' down over 12-30'.

Big stickbaits w/ leads of 75-150' back was what was working. 5 1/2 " jtd Rebel I painted blk/silv/orang this winter took 2 biggest fish. Second was a Walmart 5' stick Blk Silv purple head. J 13 blk silv was also good of rigger & took the board hits. Never landed a fish on a spoon. Got 1 king today on a Clown Rap Tail Dancer I found floating in blind sodus bass fishing last year.

Water temps were 49-43 . Surf speed was 2-3.5 mph. Most hits both days were going into the wind.