Sk8man

No need to apologize...I sure didn't take any offense it is a common thing because most of the rest of the state follows the statewide regs. As a side note we don't usually keep largemouth bass when the water warms up as the flesh seems "mushy" to us but when caught through the ice they are good. I'm sure glad we can fish them because there are a lot of them out there and big ones at that. and they are fun through the ice. Les

You are welcome Steve and thanks for picking up where I "left off" too. I had intended to mention about other species too despite my focus being on trout and salmon because I know my friend Justin (justracytrolling) is also very concerned and involved in this effort specific to walleyes so whatever we can do as a group for any of the species were data is being requested by DEC and we fish for them it would behoove us to do our part in helping out.

Rich s I think we sort of hijacked this post so I'll send you a PM

Rich s - The reason the Elite 7 HDI units are no longer in production is because Lowrance (and others) have gone to CHIRP technology which basically offers better target separation and better (more definition) ability to distinguish between individual fish and clumps of bait and the bottom structure etc. If you order from places like Cabela's the standard transducer for the unit is the 83/200 khz and 455/800 khz (combined transducer) which does give you down imaging and the unit also gives the ability to run that screen or a combined screen of DI data and the regular sonar image. The decision is basically one of economics and whether you feel that the additional enhancement of the pixels on screen is worth the extra money. The potential obsolescence issue is really a non issue since the technology is always ahead of the marketplace so all of it is basically obsolete when it hits the marketplace. The Elite 7 HDI suits my needs and for the money it is a good unit. I have also had a lot of experience separating out bait from fish from bottom on the screen too so having CHIRP isn't an absolute "necessity" at this point for me either. I do think having a decent sized screen (e.g. 7 vs. 5 inch) is important though whatever you do or can afford because it is much easier to see from the back of the boat etc. The screen on this unit is very bright (Solar Max screen) with different levels of brightness so that helps too.

rlconverse - you may want to consult the DEC syllabus with respect to Finger Lakes regulations. They ARE in season on these lakes.

I recently was in touch with the Region 8 DEC folks and they were lamenting the fact that Angler Diary Cooperator (trout and salmon) participation has dropped off markedly in most of the Finger Lakes. The data they collect from the diaries is used to formulate their stocking strategies as well as to check on the health of the fishery in each of the lakes. As such the data is also vital to us sport fishermen. Some folks complain about the DEC efforts and perhaps their strategies and practices but I also have to wonder if they are or even have been involved in the data collection efforts or provided specific feedback about their concerns or experiences. I would also add that Emperor Cuomo has not helped matters any either with his bugetary and staffing cuts and most of the politicians as well. The DEC folks need all the help they can get. There is an ever present need to be actively involved in trying to make our sport the best it can be and especially to be good stewards for the next generation of fishermen. Please consider becoming a diary cooperator and adding your valuable data and input into this process. I suspect that the folks in Region 7 have a similar situation. It is really a very simple process to record the data in the booklet they provide. When the season is finished they send each cooperator a summary of the data and it also allows you to determine how your efforts are stacking up with fellow fishermen and it provides a rich account of your fishing habits from year to year and where you caught fish throughout the season. Obviously it is very important to provide honest accurate data. Here is a pic of an example of the data: Here is the contact info for Region 8 (lakes from Seneca to the west): New York State Department Of Environmental Conservation Division of Fish, Wildlife, and marine Resources Bureau of Fisheries 6274 Avon-Lima Road Avon, New York 14414-9516 Phone: 585-226-2466 Fax:(585) 226-6323 Website: www.dec.ny.gov

The only weights I've ever used releases directly on were the old Riveria's in the 70's which had built in releases. I've primarily used Black's since that time but tried others on the downrigger cable as well. Just as an imaginary scenario just think about having your line twist around the release and then have the weight hang up on bottom as you forgot to loosen your drag on the reel properly and you rod ejects from the rod holder going south

Like this

Hey Dave - Looks as though you got into them real good and great to see the surface there isn't bad either (vs. some of the other places) maybe there are some advantages to it freezing up late Nothing like a couple happy ladies and a youngster with you holding up nice fish for pics either Les

Sweet Mike ....but you should have stayed here the weather has been great!

Congrats to both of you! Thanks for the invite pikefreak hopefully next time. We opted to fish Canandaigua today as my son got up late. The morning was slow but the afternoon bite was good and my son caught a slob of a pickerel about 6 lbs after I gave up on my tip ups We also had the pleasure of chatting out on the ice with a fellow LOU guy....great chatting with you Joe.

Best of luck pikefreak you certainly seem to have old esox dialed in maybe run into you at the awards ceremony.

You earned them today . That wind was brutal and the walking was as well (and the 15 inches of ice wasn't much of a treat although my Bosch drill/lazer auger cut through it like butter. All we got were dinks jigging. Still unsure about tomorrow.

Neat pics guys Thanks. Sure looks as though it is a long way off to Spring

Bernie Klimzak (charter captain) used to make the Millers and at one time he lived in Hamburg, NY. I think he has passed on and they are real good trout spoons. The Quick Strikes were made by a guy from the Watkins Glen/Elmira area unfortunately I can't recall his name but I used to meet him at a buddy's tackle shop near Waterloo in late 70's and early 80's and I bought a bunch of them. The ones with the swirl finish (44's and 22's used to perform best but my favorite is the Quick Strike 11 and I still have about 30 or so and run the hammered silver ones for rainbows all summer long and into the Fall. I have "modified" many of mine though They were patterned after the Sutton's in terms of size and number designations but made from different metal and did not have a true silver plate finish. They came in silver, brass, hammered brass hammered silver and silver swirl and brass swirl finish.

Been using for over 30 years and yet to have it happen either with or without the rubber band

My wife hates holding the line (and maybe me barking about the tension) ....maybe I can ask her to make one?....naah too risky for several reasons

The way I look at it the Elite 7HDI is better than my previous Lowrance unit in terms of giving me information and basically the CHIRP just clears up things a bit with a little better target separation and definition (resolution). For years I used paper graphs and flashers so having the color (to discriminate better the bottom hardness etc.), GPS integrated, and the ability to discriminate structure more clearly is light years from before and I've been looking at bait and fish and structure long enough in these different lakes to be able to assess things pretty good so having the newest latest greatest thing isn't an absolute necessity anyway. The most important aspect of these units is learning to use them properly and fully and being able to see your downriggers etc....they are just one tool in the box anyhow. You can have the newest fanciest unit with the largest screen and if you don't adequately understand how to use it and interpret what the data is telling you you're no further ahead than being without one.

The download and install works out fine as I did it on the day that the update came out (Jan 23rd) but I was unaware that it would make the unit CHIRP capable despite the same update being listed for both the Elite HDI and the CHIRP unit. It would be nice if that is truly the case but knowing Lowrance and their marketing strategies I'm skeptical that the CHIRP would be just a software issue.