Sk8man

Did you pass Joe? Just kidding....

I feel especially lucky this year despite not landing in the standings....despite a couple 10 pounder lakers and smaller fish as well. Two of my long term (more than 30 plus years) fishing buddies scored big time this year. Admiral Byrd (Bob Boerjan) and Gary Hoppy. To hear the excitement in both their voices (separately) while discussing things has been a plus for me as these results have been a long time coming for these two very competent fishermen. This derby was was exceptional in terms of the sizes of the fish for Seneca Lake or any of the Finger Lakes for that matter. Some of the fish that barely missed placing in the standings at all would have won some of the past derbies. Catching any trout over 12 pounds on Seneca or the other Finger Lakes is a major accomplishment and catching two 13 pound plus lakers and others over 11 pounds is exceptional and not something attributable to "luck". Gary Hoppy's 15 pound plus laker is the culmination of many years of paying his dues, putting in the time, attention to detail and proof to me that "Old School" (e.g. Seth Green rig fishing) is still very much alive and well in the Finger Lakes and that all the newest and fanciest equipment isn't always (if at all) the most relevant variable or absolutely necessary for success because with both of these guys cases it was very much "experience and knowledge" that separated them from the 'luck" variable. Apparently Bob was shy about posting a pic of himself or Liney with their fish so I'll do it (also his boat mentioned above) . For those of you who know Gary (from Ovid NY area) here is a pic his wife took of him at the awards ceremony and another with me ( I must have been desperate for attention ). By the way the separation of the overall winner (15 lb plus Brown Trout) and Gary's Laker was just ounces making a $3,000 difference in the prize money and it is another reminder of why it can be important to weigh fish immediately too. By the way, I had always thought that the Lie Detector (Polygraph) test that is mentioned on the entry form was just BS to scare potential wannabe cheaters but Gary confirmed that he was actually given a polygraph test and so was the overall winner and that very specific questions were asked regarding the integrity of the catch and the process of catching it.... I was kinda surprised because as many derbies as I have fished I have never actually known someone who was given the test. Certainly adds to the integrity of the derby regardless of one's perception of the validity of a polygraph.

Best of luck to each of you LOU folks out there this weekend. It should be a lot of fun....tight lines everyone and stay safe.

Congrats on the win! At least you know you are right on track with what you're doing....

Those two fish probably would be "money fish" if caught tomorrow WTG

Thanks Ed. Guess I'll have to evaluate at the north end tomorrow AM and decide whether it is stillfishing, jigging. pulling copper or trolling....I'm prepared to do any of it but the debris can take the fun out of things real fast. A friend said he saw a telephone pole upright in the water out there yesterday.

Kuba - What I've always done to secure the trolling motor is to place a long shaft padlock through the holes on the butterfly screws after tightening them down good(lining them up first)....assuming you have the type with the holes....

Anyone out there for a report on the water conditions at Sampson or north end?

I've been tangled up with lawn and house stuff pre derby and now sitting here now wondering how all this debris and muddy water is going to impact the trolling tomorrow. I had 4 pages of notes and 98 percent of it relating to trolling...now I'm wondering if I will be stillfishing or jigging...could have saved some time and paper At this point I'm just hoping that everyone makes it through the derby safely north and south. I heard there are even telephone poles out there as well as the tree limbs i saw myself yesterday. All of us need to use caution and good sense while out there. Best of luck to you Joe and to all your southern comrades most of whom are probably hunkered down at Sampson right now trying to stay dry. I don't have to wish the northern guys luck because they are at "home" at this end of the lake.... Les

Looks like a wet tough derby coming up....can't believe all this rain....good luck John!

Hey Ray ...great pics of your feet in a couple of the pics....surprised you didn't paint them with matching lure paint might have served as an"attractor"

That is a virtual treasure chest....if I didn't already have so many and in duplicate I'd buy the whole bunch....i know they may be "old school" but they work....

I took a look at the north end today both east and west side there too. You folks that are choosing to launch at Sampson and elsewhere may luck out because the whole north end (as far as I could see) is full of floating debris today (sticks, limbs, and some logs with a lot of stuff that looks like bark and wood chips covering the area. There is a whole lot of the stuff ripping down the Seneca canal a a very fast pace (the fastest current I've seen in my lifetime (i.e. since the Revolutionary War ) It looked like about 5 mph and there were large ripples and swirls at the mouth of it and I've never seen that before either....the water is very murky but not really muddy. There would have been no way to troll today using any method at the north end itself....pretty discouraging and I don't think there is enough time for it to clear out before the derby. Sorry I forgot my camera or I would have taken some pics.