Sk8man

Nice going John....beautiful dog

You are exactly right Brian

You said it Mike.

Nice work Rick! Real nice eaters.

I think a lot of folks are also avid hunters and have been preparing and now hunting. The hard core perch guys have been at it but they aren't going to report anything to the general public. many of the folks I know have put their trout stuff away until Spring. The sporatic die hards will probably give an occasional report as the season progresses and hopefully there will be an ice fishing season this year although last year wasn't real encouraging.

Hope that was Seneca Mike

The lampricide doesn't kill adult lampreys it is targeted at the ammocetes (larval stage) that live in the stream bottoms and lake/stream deltas.  I agree that a multifaceted approach is the way to go.

The lampricide treatment process is a lot more complicated than just staff and funding for a body of water as large as Lake O with its crazy weather patterns and numerous streams etc. Often there is a very small window of time that the certified people can apply the lampricide and it has to be done under very specific water and weather conditions and only by those approved personnel. If done under "marginal" conditions there can be collateral kill of non target organisms and fish as well as dissolution of the chemicals making the application ineffective.  Who knows how many of these adult lamprey came up through the St. Lawrence each year as well and is this on the increase? The problems on Lake O are not unique. The Finger Lakes hooked up to the canal system are having significant problems with the lamprey concentrations too and overall all these bodies are under siege by various aquatic invasives both vegetative and others. If we step back a bit it is also apparent that there are things going on of a much wider scope in our environment. Many critical species are disappearing from our environment such as bees and birds, frogs, and other amphibians and mammals. The very character of the water has changed in recent decades and weed growth and distribution patterns that host much of the food web has been drastically impacted. Many lakes no longer have the same food bases they have had in the past. The focus is on Lake O but I think we have a much larger and more serious set of problems facing us.

They are huge water polluters too and have screwed up a bunch of ponds on Cape Cod.

Suggestions;

If they really want to get in they will be there. Rodents are not the only potential culprits: raccoons, squirrels, voles, and even muskrats if near water. Rodents can get into VERY small spaces or openings and can climb into supposedly inacessible places.

Take every item you can out of the boat (e.g. cushions cushioned seats, life preservers, plastic items.

Plug up any visible access points into the boat.

Place clothes dryer sheets all around the inside of the boat including any compartments, places with wiring (they love to chew wiring).

Cover your exposed sections of transducer wires outside the boat with aluminum foil and enclose the transducers with zip lock bags taped.

Don't leave any items you value or food products etc. in the boat. Spray Lysol into compartments and anchor locker (they also chew rope).

Consider placing a tarp over the entire boat and tie down with bungi cords. Don't leave your drain plug out.

Just some ideas that have helped me over the years when I have stored my boat in a nearby barn. Before doing anything I had a squirrel nest in the bow that had chewed up a good life jacket, another time a feral cat was in the boat in the Spring when I went to get it out. Never a problem since doing the above.. By the way an additional thing I do is place an open bag of charcoal in the anchor locker and in the bilge to prevent potential mildew and moisture.

Did your buddy cry on the way home Rick?

Doesn't get much better than that John

Nice one John. Fun way of fishing too. Nothing like seeing that bobber go under and wondering what is on the other end

Pretty disgusting situation and not necessarily an isolated situation in all liklihood. Money can corrupt and it does. It certainly suggests that there should be a protocol for routine actual physical internal examination of winning fish as it would make it less likely that that particular problem would happen if it was built in as an expectancy.....pretty sad.

What is about the yellow in the center that makes them inedible? Flavor or toxicity of some kind? I seem to  remember as a kid that they seemed to have something of a urine smell to them.

That's great! You are taking the reins from a great guy who has been a class act fisherman as well as a generous LOU member who has shared info willingly with his fellow fisherpersons. We wish you the best of luck and I hope to connect with you sometime out there

Congrats on the nice boat and the new life Mark

R.I.P. . I wish the family peace. Always sad to lose someone  close.

Nice going Kevin.

I think you will like it here Jack. great bunch of fisherpersons

Might want to look here Pete. https://all-guidesbox.com/model/promariner/prosport12.html

You are a lucky man either way

Same here for peaceful transition.

Try the Starbrite or Attwood Cleaner/Wax on the oxidation.