Capt Vince Pierleoni

Sorry to hear about your scratch. The lower Niagara is the location of many a scratch, gouge, dent, ect. Take solace in the fact that had you had a fiberglass boat it would've been much worse. Most just touch it up, or wait until they have several hundred and then have it professionally painted.

Fishntacl, that pulley end was rectified, contact Cannon customer service for replacement. My TS riggers have been bullet proof, and the autostops the finest I've ever used. As for the "excessive speed", anglers asked for it.

I just wanted to say thanks to all the dedicated volunteers up and down the lake who braved the cold to help out with this worthy project. Those Kings are better on our lines in 2 or 3 years than in the belly of a rock bass or bowfin moments after being direct stocked. We were fortunate to have a charter today so I couldn't help with our local effort, but I appreciate all of the projects all the way around the lake. It wont be long now, an odd Chinny is being caught here and there and we had 39 degrees top to bottom in 21 fow. The Coho are small but watch them make up for it the next month. Don't worry, by June they will be tackle wrecking as usual. Long live Pacific Salmon in Lake Ontario!

There's just so much more to it than what the temps are when its derby time. How much ice remains on Lake Erie or when it goes out and they pull the boom. How cold the winter was, and how early it set in can be as big a factor in baitfish/Salmon distribution come Spring. I feel strongly that we are way behind 2012 but ahead of where we were last Spring. Bait movements have begun and things are set in motion for a rapid warm up.

The best climber I've used/owned. I LOVE how the cables lock in, you can do it without light if needed. Very quiet and solid. I am not a fan of the big cumbersome seat/back pad. Its in the way when climbing and isnt the quietest to get out of when bowhunting--I plan to convert to their mesh option. Perhaps you can order it that way.

Nicely done!

Phew, I made it !

Thank you Chad. You have a PM.

Heck Yvan, you get that amount for a stand up comedy appearance. We are looking forward to seeing everyone. April 1st is sneaking up on us as it is next Wed.

I definitely respect this concern but to put it in perspective Steelhead are naturalized but definitely need the supplemental help of plantings and the dedicated volunteers who assist them over spawning barriers. The Pacifics reproduce successfully when ideal conditions are present, and can prosper in this man altered environment. We got another chance after building the seaway and letting in the invaders. Man is part of the environment, sometimes they make poor decisions--letting TRUE "exotics" in like Sea Lamprey, Alewives, and Zebra mussels. Other times they are brilliant decisions like planting Pacific Salmon. The documentation is there, they work. Economically, biologically, and recreationally. They have opened the door to todays possibilities. The bottom line is, they are a popular target both in the lake and river. With todays knowledge and skill out in the lake and pressure in the tribs, relying on just a natural population would be irresponsible both to anglers and the system. Today they are heavily targeted as an attractive target for anglers. The predators present at stocking sites are exponentially more present than even ten years ago, thus the "paper numbers" dont translate into the same number of fish to pursue or control alewives. Expanding the pen projects is a definite "no brainer". The bottomline is they belong, they are and have been part of the solution, and do not need or deserve the same designation as a goby. This species deserves at least the same dedication and respect as the Lake trout when it comes to fisheries mangement.

It would be too late then. Let's go guys!!! Chad, thank you for being proactive. This is long overdue. Guys, a designation means ALOT to people who have too much say and don't even understand the details. It's bigger than being everybodys favorite Lake O target and economic machine, it's about stabilizing the lake biology as well. I can't believe all the people I still meet who don't know if it wasn't for the pelagic Pacific Salmon the bounceback of Yellow perch and Walleye would not have happened. The bottom line is no other fish makes guys leave home(Erie, Toledo, Cleveland, ect) and a perfectly good bite there, to travel to Lake Ontario with their own rigs or for a charter trip. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Say the word "SALMON" and heads snap, even in Florida or New England where they have their own great fisheries. It's a gift that the Pacifics took like they did, and literally cleaned up Man's mess. It's time they got the status they deserve. Thank you Dr. Howard Tanner (Michigan) and Bill Pearce (NY) for your courage and foresight.

The Oak is close harbor-wise, but there is a giant pile of snow pack pushed up in front of the public launch on east side. I would say about a week for the oak.

What day did the brilliant Bill Pearce order the first Pacific Salmon planted in Lake Ontario? I was in then. Excellent post Gill-T. I agree with every word.

Monday night, 6:30pm--9pm at 4487 Lake ave. Lockport, NY-- Cornell Cooperative Extension bldg. As many have said, yes these can be frustrating as the findings presented often contradict what most avid Lake observers/users see and experience. Still, it is very important that NYS sees that this fishery is important to anglers. Hope to see many there!

Avoid ethanol whenever possible. It doesn't matter, inboards, outboards, chainsaws, snowblowers, it's bad news. Yes it costs more but in the bigger stuff it realizes better mileage.

There is a tremendous disconnect. I have asked for years, who's responsibility is it from DEC fisheries to convey to the changing DEC commissioners and governors the economic value and impact? Not to mention the "quality of life" value, that actually makes people want to live here. I think even with the dictator we currently have that it would be easier to get funds allocated if it was truly understood how much more money is returned to this state per dollar spent. If it was run like a business it would hum a whole lot better. You do NOT starve the golden goose, even if your priority is social programs.

It's sad to hear that KING ME's offer for construction help went unused. We ran into the same thing more than once. 2 Augusts ago we had a special meeting out in Niagara county w/ DEC regarding the poor fall returns of Chinook in the west. Money was once again brought up as to why water supply issues remain at the ONLY Salmon hatchery. I offered to head up a fundraising effort but was told it wouldn't help. There is also money sitting out there as a result of a law suit that is allocated just for NY environmental needs. We are told it is nearly impossible to get those funds. A few years ago all the work was done and a site was found for a hatchery on the lower Niagara river--a perfect use of the those funds, a tourism attraction for Lewiston and NYS and a place for students to serve and earn credits. We wanted very badly to have a second site for all the good reasons to rear Chinook, but at the very least they could have raised trout and eased the burden on Altmar. It must have made too much sense because it was one excuse after another why it couldnt happen. The biggest one was that there wasnt adequate ground water at the site. Of course, with unlimited water available to recirculate, that wasn't an option yet ironically that is the exact solution now being suggested at Altmar. As for using anglers records/diaries, that has been ignored for many years. Much of my stance on these issues has been based on my observations and record keeping. I wish it wasnt so, but I don't think they want to know the results of our records, it's too powerful. I think we have some very talented and dedicated people in the DEC, but they are shackled by a very broken NYS. The natural resources are second to none, the government may be broken beyond repair. I will be the first one in line if they'd like a volunteer group of stakeholders/users to strip Chinook this fall.

First they would have to determine if they run tribs. If yes, then they will get poached and rushed back to NYC. Law enforcement can't handle most of the BT being fleeced out now.

I am so glad people are starting to see this. The biggest problem we have is apathy. Like Rick pointed out, there is a distinct difference in the number of 4 yr olds and even 3 yr olds present in the northshore returns.( a normal Chinook population will have the largest percentage return in its 3rd year, but also a healthy number returning as age 4 adults). There are several reasons IMO that this is the case. One, different practices are being implemented, two, there is a higher % of wild Chinook and they definitely have a tendancy to mature later. Yes, we are grooming our returns for smaller and smaller adults(which mature earlier, but also the surplus bait allows for faster early growth--causing many to mature early. I'm sure many of you heard the term "power skippers" last season. This 1.5 yr olds that didnt mature were not the typical dragger size. They were ripping riggers off and in the absence of normal sized mature Salmon last Summer/Fall--many were kept by anglers. I am glad to see so many "seeing the light". It's not that we dont appreciate the fishery we do have, or the DEC staff that IS dedicated and looking to maximize opportunity, its that this pond is not being managed as well as it could be. Yes, this IS mostly because NY is a very broken State, and the leadership has forgotten a long time ago that they work for US. Yes, if anglers want more Chinook to play with, then thats what should happen. It shouldnt be lets ram Lakers down their throats "just cuz" they are free of charge or "belong"(pre seaway, pre alewife, pre gill net, pre commercial fishing, pre lamprey). No, we are not expecting a return of the 80's. The fishing was like it was because there were virtually no predators eating stocked fish and very few anglers who had the skills to catch them. Today the fleet is sharp, and if the numbers get too excessive the anglers will harvest them. 2012, primarily due to a bumper crop of wild fish showed what a better Salmon/prey balance could be like. Long live the King.

No beating, I know you fly guys know if theres more Kings then less Steel get harvested--PERIOD. You can spin it any way you want. The bottom line is, the reason the large adult Alewife are over abundant and in poor condition is they are under predated. This knocks everything out of whack and of course puts the Young of the year alewife in peril. The only way to take the yo yoing out of the equation is to put more pelagic pressure on the 'wives and then there is more food for the young alewives and the entire population of bait is healthier. I feel the health of the river run Iron would improve if they had a more balanced population of Alewife year classes to dine on. If they were controlled the caloric content of each Alewife would improve. I would bet the health of the fall run Steel in 2012 was top notch, as there were plenty of Kings in the lake that year. If the numbers of Kings planted can't be increased for whatever reason, money, political agreements, or because they just give some managers hives, then certainly spreading more of them out in localized pens is one good answer and another would be to protect some of the wild stock while spawning.

Great footage! Wait til they see a "normal" mid May bite! Of course we are going to see more teams from Michigan, they started the inland Tournys over there and the biggest purses are found on Lake Ontario! Looking forward to seeing everyone and welcome to our Michigan brothers and sisters.

Nice job by GLTS! Congrats Yvan, won't be long now!

Posting these for a friend. Recently rebuilt by Barrett Marine. $1000 each. Located in Orleans county. PM for contact info.