Sk8man

Butler Road definitely out of the question now.

Yes I just talked with him and he said there is 6-7 inches of ice out to about 400-500 yds out and past that about 3-4 inches (12-15 ft water). I told him I have finally met someone as hardcore and crazy as me . It took him about an hour to drag his stuff back in which made me feel better about putting my clam back down cellar and going with just the sled He indicated that the fishing was slow today. He also confirmed that a buddy fished Butler the other day and there was a water main break over there and it raised the ice up about a foot or two under his feet and he was instructed by the authorities to get off there immediately so I wouldn't consider trying there if anyone is thinking about it. There was also an ice boat out there at the north end who launched at the pier. The ice fisherman was shedding clothing on the way in which says something about the journey back in in the second photo you have to look closely in the center of the tree limbs to see him way out.

Good thinking JJ and great looking sled. I have returned to my plain old sled (and my "old school" ways) and put my Clam Fishtrap Pro in the cellar because it is a pain to drag out there in the snow (especially with all my crap in it ). I did kind of pay for it yesterday though in that 8 degree weather in the wind

Nice going.....great eyes. I have to say though that the one in the first pic must be a male from the expression on his face....you shouldn't have been gripping his gonads so tightly

Thanks Panfisher....and you should get to work designing that watercraft aliens might already have it ....we could just copy

Just as a point of information for folks who might be unfamiliar with the Finger Lakes flasher flies and spinney flies and also dodgers with them as well as squid work very well on most of the Finger Lakes and especially the larger ones like Seneca, Cayuga, Keuka, and Canandaigua. They have been used successfully for years there for Lake Trout, Rainbows, Landlocked Salmon and Brown Trout. I even caught a 4-5 lb smallmouth bass on a wonderbread echip flasher and fly combo last season . In my opinion there is no "magic speed" I have caught rainbows with them going 3 mph when I was running spoons at that speed and was too lazy to change over the flasher/fly combo and they hit it Rather than just the gps or surface speed I continually watch my rod tips primarily and and get them "pulsating" slightly and do this with cowbell setups as well.....I know it is "old school" but it works. It also can be an indicator of current change such as going with the current rather than against or across it (which you should be) as the rod tops appear to "go slack" in comparison. A lot of times it is mainly a matter of not running in the same layer as the active fish in the water column when they don't seem to "work".

For something quick just a 10-12 inch section of 2x4 will do and mount the transducer to it or make a hole in the center of it so the transducer can be "adjusted" and let it "stradle" the hole. it can be anchored with snow at the ends

Thanks bud. (can't wait until open water fishing again...already)

I just typed a detailed report on things at the north end and the Internet connection dropped and it all went up in smoke and I just don't have the heart to do it all over again so I'll just say this:it appears the only possible access is the extreme north end at Kershaw and Muar House and with a long walk to what looks like about 15 ft of water possible with ice coverage.I'll include the pics for your review. I tried to name the pics for the spots and the direction (e.g. NE S etc.) Butler is VERY unsafe and undoable right now. The east side pull off area the ice is all broken up and mostly open water with the west wind today. On the west side the bubblers around docks are going full blast. Hopefully this may save some folks on gas and time scouting it out. The pics were taken about 2PM this afternoon. TIP: Place your mouse over the thumbnail pics to see the location

:lol: I think Rick got ya pretty good Nick....

Sean - I've had good success with the 124 mm (largest size) Walker Deeper Diver rather than the some of the others in the Finger Lakes especially because they can really get down there especially for lakers. I've bumped bottom in 140 ft of water with them on my wire rigs. The best performance for me seems to come on 30 lb wire rather than braid or mono as the main line etc. Sometimes you also have to play with the distance from the diver to lure too and although I usually run the setup so that it is about the length of my rod in its entirety I also sometimes use a long lead and "handline" in the fish.

The usual batteries are the relatively small 12 volt batteries that come in 8 amp hr and 9 amp hr. I've had the 9 amp hr. in my Vexilar flasher for 6 years (also have a backup just in case at home) but have charged it with the adapter after each use and kept it fully charged. They run about $30 as stated and I've had mine operating for more than 10 or 12 hrs at a time in the extreme cold without the "Low Battery" light coming on. I would suspect however that there could be significant differences in the way the various units and models use current but that is the data for mine. You can often find the batteries and adapters in places like Radio Shack, Runnings, Gander Mountain etc or online. I think the charger was about $24 These are my "backups" as I still use the original battery and charger that came with my flasher. Here is a pic of a battery and adapter: (measurements 5 3/4 inches long, 3 3/4 inches wide, 2 1/2 inches thick)

Congrats Rollie Great ways to "get even"

Hey Nick, You should have bought stock in the company before making that purchase It probably cleaned out the east coast supply...

Congrats...and at that size he should be winning a baby derby already

:lol:

Most of my dipseys are black but I also left a bunch with original colors and I'm not convinced there is a significant difference in their effectiveness whether on kings or trout. As far as the "stealth" argument if you are the fisherman it may make sense but not if you are a fish. Basically the visual systems of most species including fish pick up movement and figure ground or contrast much before color etc. because it makes biological sense (e.g murky water, objects a distance away, early recognition of prey or predator etc.) and black contrasts most distinctly with the light above and the sky so in all probability they can see it or its movement in the water at a greater distance. If you notice fish eyes are located to the front but upward on their heads...this is not accidental placement... it maximizes their ability to see upward so like sharks they see forms, shadows, and shapes better than colors and interpret it more quickly. I suspect the majority of the phenomena associated with color discrimination in dipseys, weights, or lures is actually more about movement in the water, vibrations sent to their lateral line,and the action of things than the color per se. I know this will cause a great deal of tension and turbulence in the fishermen reading this and especially in the marketing folks out there but I think a lot of what goes on can be explained by "happenstance". This is the fish being in proximity to the lure or attractor, it presenting as a vulnerable object because of its movement or action and the fish being hungry or willing to "buy" the presentation. Boat speed, length of line out, depth of lure and/or attractor may be more important factors. We tend to look at cause and effect situations as something relating to our own "selections" or actions when in fact they may be related to very different aspects of the situation beyond our ability or opportunity to witness firsthand so it becomes something like "superstitious" behavior on our part attributing it to "color selection"......and yes I did have a couple coffees before writing this