Sk8man

Now that's what I call progress Joe....you'll probably be the "first kid on the block" to get out there while Sean and Nick are still shoveling

I wouldn't be too quick to blame the tip up fishermen....not all of the mono out there comes from fishermen although it is a definite possibility/probability. Many kids and adults "helping" kids use mono to fly kites around the lake and some of the stuff gets tangled in the near ground branches of trees near sheltered areas where the ducks gather in large groups.I have found a couple over the years while shore fishing with remnants of the kite still attached. It is more likely it came from the shoreline than out on the ice and we all do have to be very careful in our habits when it comes to discarding used line or old lead based small split shot as well which is still not quite "extinct".

Something to think about - A way of determining whether you should do it or not is to develop a full business plan including all your expenses, and overhead, get quotes on liability insurance, etc. and be sure to figure in your hours not only of actual fishing,but traveling time, time spent rigging stuff, cleaning the boat, re-rigging or replacing things that clients screw upetc. Quite some time back I considered chartering and I went to the local community college evening business school that offered classes in business development. The primary requirement was to develop a thorough 5 year business plan of our intended ventures and then compute the profit margin as an hourly wage for your intended activity and present the findings to the class. I presented my findings after weeks of researching things and formulating the plan. When I presented my findings I first indicated that I wasn't about to give up my "day job" and folks laughed....my potential hourly wage profit was $2.73 after all the expenses (including buying a larger boat) that would be incurred. It might have been different in someplace like Florida where you have nearly the entire year as your season but here you have winters such as this one, days when it is too rough to get out and many other unpredictable factors to contend with. I became instantaneously content to remain the sport fisherman that I am today

It is truly a primal experience holding those little ones for the first time....I feel fortunate experiencing it three times and the memory is still there for each after many years. Congratulations!

My understanding is that if you are intending to fish any body or waterway hooked up to Lake Ontario and the seaway etc. it requires the USCG license and the NYS Guide license will not suffice to meet requirements.

Very nice videos. Looks like our kind of folks catching our kind of fish with similar equipment and good to see!

I know they have had a few in the range of 10 -12 lbs in recent times but when I was in high school (in the Stone Age) I remember an 18 lb rainbow trout displayed in front of Harmans Sport Shop in Geneva in an ice chest that had been caught I believe at Naples Creek. Most of the rainbow trout I've seen shocked were small to medium sized the times I have watched (mostly at Naples or Cold Brook). The streams are quite different now too with seemingly less structure and shrubery etc. One of the common things that has happened too is the total disregard by a lot of people who trample the redds during the April run. They either have no knowledge of what they are doing and the consequences or they just don't care. Add to that the "lifting" of fish by nearby locals at night and it doesn't leave much to the imagination as to why things have changed to the way they are today. Didn't mean to get on the soapbox but the situation is quite disturbing.

Incredible artwork and attention to detail once again Paul.

Man....and I thought I had the itch real bad....

Something to also think about when using tip ups for trout in shallower water especially is setting some just under the ice and staggering the depths of them. Many folks make the mistake of setting everything close to the bottom thinking that it is where all the action occurs but in fact many trout "cruise" just under the ice looking for food sources. You never know where they are going to be either I recently caught a real nice rainbow while jigging for perch in 8 ft of water suspended about 5 ft. and I had to mess with him for quite awhile before he would go for the tiny jig and spike (24 inch rainbow and worth the effort).

I think Dave's approach makes sense in the winter and deep water through the ice specifically for lakers. An exception would be if you're also after rainbows, browns or landlocks in shallower water because of the water clarity issue and more subtle jigging tactics possibly using smaller lures as well.

Nice fish and looks as though it may be a native one rather than a stocked fish. Cool! You also are smart to run the lines "just under" as this time of year many fish are "cruising" looking for food - many folks make the mistake of setting too deep for them thinking they are always bottom oriented and not staggering their tip ups or running some at the top.

I was watching Wicked Tuna so didn't get on here until late

The spoon in question is a Sutton #28 silver finish flutter weight for pulling copper. You will notice in the pic the Sutton 88 is on the left the 28 is in the middle and the 35 is on the right. Notice the difference in shape of the 35 especially....similar in shape to the 28 but not exact. It is possible that the spoon was "re-hooked" which could explain the screw and nut but on the other hand many of my Sutton's have the screw and nut while others have the common rivet

Thanks JJ Great description.

Thanks WWIV