Sk8man

Liam Not the easiest fishing out there. We opted for perch instead and they didn't cooperate real well either (at least the jumbos didn't).

I don't think anyone is "damning' the kids. The statement that "Our youth are completely fine" is inaccurate - many of them do work and they do access more information than many of the rest of us; both good and bad information. Some of them have way too much time on their hands and don't work at all, depend totally on their parents and some still live at home with their parents into their thirties, don't help around their own homes, and just witness the Internet bullying that goes on among middle schoolers and into high school. Heroin and other drug addiction has reached its ugly arm into the middle schools, high schools and colleges in many places and it is not just the youth involved. We have a culture out of control. We also have many very industrious, bright, and informed youth making good choices and with good goals and futures. There are plenty of things to do in upstate New York both in terms of work and volunteer activity, sports, and various other things but expectations play a big role too. Many kids often expect to be constantly indulged, entertained, and provided with money without working for it.. I never played sports on astroturf by the way, and youth have so many things available to them that most adults never had in previous times. The upstate economy has its problems but it probably isn't high on the list for the downturn in fishing licenses.

They check around here... especially while ice fishing and during the late Fall when you are supposed to be wearing a PFD. A major factor in the decrease in fishing licenses is that these days there are so many competing interests out there for both time and money (e.g. golf....occurs during prime time fishing season).

One of the things i find disturbing is that after they finish and unload their bags after weigh in many of those very large bass are lying on the bottom at or near the launches.

Ben it is not as simple as just one or two of these things ....it is ALL of it together.

I too have a degree of ambivalence regarding tournaments in general, but I also feel the NLTD is a very different "animal". After fishing it for well over half my life I have seen close up the positives connected with it that are far removed from other derbies or competitions. For years I camped at Sampson during derby weekend with my kids and fished it as a family "adventure", My kids met and played with kids from all over the place at the campground, Something that is often overlooked is the fact that being on a boat for hours "forces" direct communication of various types with kids, allows them the opportunity to observe their parents or grandparents following rules, becoming excited over a healthy active sport outdoors and something that affords the opportunity to learn some different skills than commonly experienced on the playing field during conventional sports. The excitement of winning a trophy and having your name up on the standings board can be "priceless" for kids and serves as a real motivating factor in pursuing the sport later on. The experience of being out there as a family unit with a specific focus can be an important bonding factor. My point here is that this derby is very different from most others in that unlike the highly competitive and highly individualistic of team formal adult competitions for many of us this is a family get together. My son and I have fished it together since he was barely old enough to hold a rod and reel and he still cherishes the trophies and experiences associated with winning them even as an adult. Often, I have seen comments on here about the sad fact that kids aren't being involved in fishing and hunting nowdays...this is a prime vehicle to achieve that end and if anything it should be more focused toward that goal with our full support... It can also be an opportunity to discuss the fact that Memorial Day weekend is more than just a fishing opportunity... It is a time to appreciate the fact that because many people gave their lives for our freedom that we are able to pursue enjoyable activities like this.

Nice job!

I think exposure to the sport may hold the key. Many current and emergent parents who grew up with computers and video games may not be exposing their children to outdoor activities such as fishing and hunting, and may be more concerned with and involved in formal athletic events as more of a social thing for the parents as well as the kids. I entertained myself with solitary outdoor activities from early on and was exposed to fishing at 4 yrs old by my dad and grew up supporting my fishing habit as a kid by trapping muskrats, having a paper route, shoveling walks, raking leaves, mowing neighborhood lawns to get enough money to buy cheap fishing lures and equipment. How many kids do you think do this sort of thing anymore?

Aaron and Scott - It might be a good way to experiment by trying one downrigger with the braid and leave the other(s) with wire because when the fleas are real thick wire can accrue fleas pretty bad too. They may be a bit easier to get off the stiffer wire but the other advantages of the braid may offset this (I am a wire guy by the way)

Jason it strikes me that maybe more emphasis could be placed on trying to advertise the derby more successfully, expanding the website to make it easier (and secure) to enroll and with frequent live updates, perhaps approach the sponsors to increase their contributions with extended advertising, exploring any possible surrounding newspaper (perhaps free?) expanding the reach of the derby, advertising of the derby explore increased advertising of the derby in all of the sponsors locations with larger more visible advertising. Consider ways of involving more kids as this would necessarily bring in more adults. Consider re-implementation of the special "tagged fish" prize. Just thinking off the top of my head.....maybe others have some ideas too.... You folks are doing a great job by the way in trying to breath life into the National Lake Trout Derby (NLTD) and believe me your efforts aren't going unnoticed or being underappreciated.

Ditto. Keep the tradition as it is.

I knew we should have just thrown a grappling hook on the back of your boat and following you instead of wasting all that time running south John

Just a thought - I've heard thast the Gobies are quite bottom oriented when feeding. . Would it help to locate the bait suspended higher up on the line as perch respond quite well to suspended bait? Just thinking out loud.....

Yeah Billy.....Mark and I were discussing the fact that it seemed a bit breezy out there kinda rare for mid October

Aaron one of my buddies right from the teens and a very comptent experienced hunter fell out of his tree stand at mid life and broke his neck and remained paralyzed throughout later life as a result and he is now gone. Don't take ANY chances with that stuff.

Joe - Congrats to you and your "well oiled machine". You had a great team there and about the only "luck" involved in your victory was squeaking by John who also did a journeymans job out there. Those results also point to the quality of guys in the Finger Lakes Trollers Association

Mark said it beautifully. You younger guys are the future of this sport and it is very gratifying to see this level of interest at a time when so many other distractions like phones, TV, and social media have people glued to electronics and not actually involved in learning from direct experience and personal communication with others.

Good going Aaron on putting things together. Great chatting with you today.

Kudos to Mike and Wayne for a superb get together today. Everything went very smoothly and was well organized. The Sportsman's Club went out of their way to make us feel welcome and were great hosts for the event. Congratulations to all the winners as they deserved their recognition and awards as this was not the easiest of fishing days out there. The gambler rigs and flies donated were a real nice and generous touch and we all appreciated the generosity of Brian Gambel, Mike and Wes and John Wilds thoughtful gesture. We look forward to next years event and hope for less wind next time The event really reinforced the fact that LOU has a great bunch of very competitive guys that care a lot about the sport and about each other.