Capt Vince Pierleoni

I am seeing a lot of kids outdoors, and not just fishing. I would add that everyone, not just kids, will be more grateful for everything around us.

There are many good full time operators in both of those areas. Some have already begun operations from smaller vessels, and many will have their big rigs in by the end of the month. I have too many friends in both areas to make a suggestion but do some digging. Even the established guys will have short term openings as we draw from all over the country and each area has different challenges.

See you there. Looking forward to it!

If it's new or used from a dealer, they owe it to you to go over everything. If they took it in on a trade it may not be wired properly and it should be gone through. If you bought it from a prior owner, that owner should be a wealth of info. Do not be ashamed to ask the last owner or the dealer any and all questions. Even 12 volt systems can be a fire hazard if connected wrong or not fused properly. At the very least the battery life can be shortened so try to get the back story. If everything is wired and fused properly then all the above info applies. Todays "smart" chargers can be plugged in after each use without concern that the batteries will be overcharged. Enjoy your new rig.

Thanks for posting Jerry. One correction however. Chinooks are stocked as Spring fingerlings. Fingerlings are much smaller and much more vulnerable to predation.

For 2020 the events used for scoring will be the Niagara Pro Am, the Oak Orchard Open(new for 2020), and the Sodus Pro Am. Sign up will take place at the Niagara Pro Am Captains meeting, and the Cup will be awarded at the Sodus Pro Am awards ceremony. There has only been a couple of years where the Cup was awarded for two, 2 day events--last year was one of them due to unforeseen circumstances involving one of the planned tournaments. While staying with the 2 day, multi species theme of Tournaments used, (for the traditional Challenge Cup chase) other factors have to be considered. The 3 chosen for 2020 scoring have proven stability and hopefully adequate dockage for traveling vessels. At one time there was 2 scoring events in the western basin, and 2 in the eastern basin, and we are hopeful in the future to return to this format. In recent years this Cup chase consisted of 1 tournament in the Western basin and 2 in the Eastern basin--all of which were 2 day multi species events. Lets hope we have a dry Spring in the Great Lakes basin.

If you are Chinook fishing you must broaden your horizons to alternative rock.

If you are going to limit yourself to just water/nautical themed songs then you must include Gordon Lightfoot's "the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".

This is so very important. It doesn't matter where you fit in NY fisheries. They decimate native trout streams, eradicate Largemouths from lily pad patches, rob Smallmouths from rivers and rocky reefs and most certainly pilfer stocking sites (after all the work DEC does raising them and volunteers do penning them).

I think there was good reproduction last year as well. Now whether they can be "measured" or found, thats another matter. Lots of observations of alewives that did not go deep this year, East and West. I think many will already be "up and in" this Spring when it's possible to conduct the bottom trawls.

Great responses and advice here. It's challenging enough in what was "normal" flow/level. I used to think a minimum of 70 hp but these days I would say 90 hp. It's flow like none of the 30 plus yr vets of the river have ever seen. Whirlpools can and do open with no notice--if you hit one of these while on plane you could throw people out of the boat. if you ever have a break down or have to fight a fish through the plants you can get the transom sucked down in a flash. If you do opt for a hull 17' or less and plan on fishing up there regularly, strongly consider a closed transom over one with a low casting platform.

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Thats my point exactly. The Slam however is a different animal.

I was directed here for comments on the proposed changes. Kudos on last years organization and streamlined weigh ins/awards. I was asked to keep it brief and encourage others who are chirping behind the scenes to keep it the same. 1)Rods--We have no problem with this, nor should any of the participants 2) No observer--this definitely has it's Pros and Cons. In light of some of the recent happenings in the Tourney world, this should be weighed carefully. The format and upping the rod allowance does open the door to consider this. IF an independent(non participants) crew did boat checks(not just the cooler) then all there would be left to be concerned about is the closed communication enforcement. Of course if Lie detector tests are mandatory then yes the observer could be eliminated. 3) 7 Kings/Coho-- we see no problem with this. 4) Lake Trout-- No. They have no place in this event. Of course some years its a bloodbath and it comes down to ounces, other years teams will struggle to hit Pacific Salmon quota. The teams that fish this and similar events don't need the comfort of aged Lakers in their boxes. 5) If you truly want to relieve pressure on Kings eliminate the "Slam" aspect during the week prior. Just up the ante on the "1K" portion, perhaps go "2K" if you want people out fishing hard all week. Then only one large fish is sacrificed(if that) per day, with the same amount(if not more) of effort/expenditures. Thank you for all the effort in coordinating this.