Capt Vince Pierleoni

Thanks again to you and all your volunteer friends. I look forward to meeting you someday, if I haven't already. Many of the anglers I come across in Ontario province seem frustrated. They feel like they have no say in policy, not only in the fishery, but towards things like Lake Ontario rooted wind power. They act like they don't know how or where to take the fight. Perhaps people like you can begin to unite the sportfishermen and women into a powerful voice. Go get one of those "Forties" swimming off your shores! Best wishes the rest of your season.

Hi John(of Credit River Anglers), I have thanked all of your sportsmens clubs and groups several times on this forum. I can read and feel your passion for the Atlantics, they are truly a great fish. Where the frustration comes from, not just here in the states but in your province, is how disinterested both OMNR and NYSDEC have become with Pacifics. They are the TRUE savior of the Great Lakes. Why should it take a super human effort from volunteers to continue Chinook stocking in Ontario? Why should every time we have a hot, dry fall here in NY, should we be sitting on pins and needles hoping we can get enough clean eggs to propagate another planting? We have several facilities yet we rely on one source, with no real contingency plan. Why do I say say savior? Well lets not even go into the economic and quality of life improvements they bring our Lake. Lets just look at the biological improvements: Man altered the Lake forever by building the seaway, and letting the lamprey and alewife in. Today, exotics continue to harm and threaten. The Pacifics provided early key info on Lamprey densities, as they returned to rivers and scarring could be assessed. The Pacifics are the only viable way to control alewife populations. When the alewives are kept at a reasonable level, yellow perch, walleye, and Lake trout hatches have a fighting chance. If not, alewife populations eradicate many hatches through predation. As for your beloved Atlantics, a diet too heavy with alewives reduces their fertility due to the thiamine present. I realize as a dedicated sportsman, you know these facts, but I have written it here for the newer anglers. Both the OMNR and the DEC do a poor job of educating the angling public, and the public in general, as to the fact that the Pacifics help in every way. Even if all you are interested in, is restoring a naturally sustaining population of Atlantics, Kings and Cohos are the answer. The "misinformed" fellow anglers to which you refer to, are merely expressing the way they see it. Many of us see it as, we are so lucky the Pacifics took to this lake the way they did, despite the way it was screwed up. Why are the managers on both sides taking this gift so lightly, and putting all their energy elsewhere? Will someone please tell me why both the province and NY is so gung ho about restoring the american eel? How about we put more effort into treating all the new lamprey spawning sites that are popping up due to improved water quailty? Or how about the province taking real action on some of the 2 million or so cormorants that I saw fly by while I was in Bluffers recently? I am one of many over here, who appreciate greatly the efforts of your sportsmens groups. Thank you.

Sorry Ed, i didn't actually answer your question. Usually the failure was in the snap portion, and yes the black ones from two different manufacturers were particularly bad.

I dont think DW has assigned numbers to their swivels. I call the small ones "spoon swivels", and large ones spinny swivels. Shane at DW, or dealers like Tom @ Atomik or Pete @ Great Lakes tackle should be able to help. They are silver. The last straw was when I was told by a formerly reputable company that yes, they found the swivels I returned to them weak and brittle, but it must have been that I stored them too close to a "electro-magnetic force" yowsa.

Today I have a chance to share a little on some great products we are using in my operation, and give them props. Some are newer to the market, and others are old news. I have learned about great products on this forum, so here are some I can share. Yes, I am associated with most of the companies, but I consider my credibility to be everything and have let some sponsorships go because they wanted me to be exclusive or tell stories that weren't true. Dreamweaver Ball bearing swivels-- Thank you Shane. We needed a swivel that wouldn't fail. 0 failures in 2 years. Others that used to be good seem to be more brittle. Fish Hawk X-4-- the 840 was great, with better seal on the probe, and 10x the battery life, this is bullet proof. Okuma Clarion 55-- High speed 6.2--1 ratio reel with great drag and capacity enough for full core lead or up to 400 copper. Atomik flies--Does this guy ever stop? lots of fish catching flies out there, these have the most durable materials I have used. Atomik Copper-- no need to go elsewhere. Dreamweaver SS spoons-- wow, I can not get over how durable the finish is on these. Serious trollers appreciate not having to deal with one shot and having all the tape come off because the entire finish came off. DWs and Mags have similar quality finish AND rings you don't need to change! Raymarine c--140 widescreen fishfinder/GPS/EVERYTHING This has been everything Kevin Jerge at Wilson Boatyard said it would be. No more protruding through hulls either! Flush, and the tilted element inside is ordered for YOUR hull. Kevin can also give advice on installing all Raymarine products, and can do the actual installations as well.

Man, these posts are just too damn good! Don't ya know I have packing to change today on an off day! This is why what has happened is so tragic. Make it bad for all of us who legitimately fish these events, those of us that will take it like a man when make a stupid decision or just plain get outfished. This taints our whole sport, and makes it that much harder to secure sponsors. Lose,lose,lose, all the way around. I have faith in the anglers around this lake, that we can uphold the integrity and ethics of future events. Peer pressure and retaining each others respect should be enough.

Shade, I will give it a shot answering your questions: The Pro-Am got started here in 1985. It was being successfully run in Michigan, out of Ludington, for several years prior. It was with great assistance by the wonderful(then) Lowrance Electronics co. They were truly based out of Tulsa OK at the time, and honchos from the company were all over it. I remember a John Florio being instrumental in the operation. He moved on to start the Cabelas Walleye circuit. Don't know where he is now. They ran them with intensity, we fished one in MI where a team was DQed for waving to another team--under the no comm rule. We watched another team and observer sort through their cooler, sorting out fish that would count and not count. They had ran so far away, they did not know the day had been weather shortened. The times and weights on their sheets were critical. Lowrance put sponsorship money up(as well as units), earned naming rights, and was considered the most prestigious event on both lakes. The "Brand recognition" they recieved from those early events continues today. Only until recently, many still referred to it as the "Lowrance tournament". I am looking forward to another company that wants to etch their name into history and the minds of the buying public, to step up and earn naming rights and run with the Pro-Am series. Perhaps the efforts with the TV shows will lead to this. I personally feel that the point scoring system, which came from those Lowrance people, is a stroke of genius. SO many times, strategy must be considered while weighing out numbers vs size. Many events where trout and Salmon were both available but not exactly in the same locations, have come down to mere single points to determine the winner. Good stuff. I do enjoy the Salmon only events, but the Pro -Ams and when they are held pose tremendous challenges. Today, due to the growing interest in these exhilarating events, we have 4. I'm sure the economic shot-in-the-arm they provide where ever they are held, is another reason why an area would want to host one. The series concept is fantastic, needs to grow, and I'm sure is in it's infantcy. As for who owns them, wow, I guess the counties that they are run out of??? Wish I could say we do. I just know improvement is easier from within, whether participating or sponsoring. I think the commitees that are in place today, are there because when the economy first started to slide, manufacturers did not want to spend man power policing and organizing these events. They hoped to continue name recognition through sponsorship money or product only. Tourism people(some begrudgingly) and a few business owners stepped up and picked up the slack. Most of us have something rule-wise we would like to see changed, but running these events is a HUGE undertaking. I think some of the way rules are conducted, are to minimize ugly "gray areas", and keep the counties from becoming involved in controversy. At the same time, the integrity of the events is of the utmost importance. Perhaps it is possible for us as participants through peer pressure to police ourselves above and beyond what the commitees are willing to do. This could work until another corporate sponsor with a backbone and a concern for ethics and integrity picks the series up and runs with it. As for online petitions, these should not be necessary if the event or series organizers conduct their own due dilligence. Have the spine to ban for life anyone flagrantly cheating. In the defense of the Pro-Am commitee, I feel this is why the rules have been relaxed in some areas and tightened up in others. They dont want to DQ guys for scratching their nose and having it construed as a "signal" to a nearby boat. Yet be a minute late by absolute satellite time and its "see ya!" Just ask me! Online petitions are risky. What if Andy and Toms team stay on the "tear" they are on, and just through pure resentment the majority vote you gone? Nah, the Tournaments must enforce their policies, especially if it means banning a cheater, or you have nothing. Until you have a bigger entity run with these events, we have what we have. In many cases, we as entrants should participate "in the spirit of the rule". We may have to self police in several areas to continue the integrity we all want. And the events must be willing to make the tough calls.

I heard several teams from Canada are coming that didn't last year. This should be a BIG one and a great way to close out the USA based Tournaments!

Congrats to you and the Screamer boys for the 7th place finish. Congrats to Vito on the win. We just have to help them with the meeting and observer pairing. Ours came from a 35 footer and got placed on an 18 footer. There was no seat for him. Growing pains, I'm sure. Even they must be amazed at the hunger for Tourny competition. We stumbled onto a slight concentration of migratory fish, on our way across the lake. They stayed put long enough Sat morning for us to have a shot. Just a day of drops for us and only managed 2 matures. We went down swinging for the big boys, as we knew with the caliber of the field that 6 immatures or Cohos would not do it. See you in a couple weeks!

Quality, one piece handle. I would consider it med hoop. Perfect for walleye, and all but the biggest Salmon. $20, Olcott area.

This was $300 new, and is in perfect working order. $75 It is the Horizon Nova model. NOW $50!!!! 8/11/10

Sold pending payment.

One reel sold pending payment.

Greg, if you run into anyone who needs the cannon stuff I have, let me know. I guess you said the probe and head were of an older cannon model.

Interesting is the fact that whether those are wild or hatchery fish, both of those fish are crowding the inside and are "mature". They would be precocious jacks this fall. The biologists don't always agree why, but I have heard that if the food source is abundant you will see more of those representing the year class. They spawn and die and are almost always males. The theory is this happens to ensure propagation of the species in a wild setting should there be a low water year. If a smallish female makes it over the shallow riffles to adequate spawning water, there will be surplus males there too.

Chinooker, that is absolutely a fine trophy Atlantic! They love the South shore, as the Canadians say they just don't get 'em. There is a cost for those fine anglers to the north, for the OMNR turning their backs on the wildly successful Pacific program. On the other hand, we learned while we were over there that the anglers are encouraged to harvest the "yankee" Steelheads, as they are running south, and return their wild fish to the water.

Please, Please, Tom, LOTS of advance notice! LOL! Some comments and observations on the above posts: Tightliner shootout is a great event, and is willing to listen to get better. Johnny asked me yesterday morning in the chaos of the observer exchange, "how do I fix this?" This is one place the Pro-Ams have it down. Should have been exchanged the night before-period. If they don't show by the time stated-BOOM, one of your teammates must go. Too big of money on the line there to be lax. Our observer was prompt, but we had to wait for our assigned obsever until boats were already leaving the harbor for ours to show. Growing pains for sure. If they can fit it, you will see 100 boats in this event. I'd like to see it 2 days, otherwise, a great event! We found a fair concentration, put a program together, just could not execute the landing part. I knew there would not be excess opportunities. We had to make them count, and we did not. God, I love Salmon tournaments!!! Paulie, you are such a gamer and I respect you. Are you serious? We were fortunate to win the main Niagara event last year, talked to no one. We then gladly agreed to the no comm "gentlemens agreement", went out and placed 2nd in the "Big Boys" on Monday, talking to no one. If I remember right, Maverick lost his water, came screaming west next to us and out scored us with weight to notch the win. I don't believe he communicated either. In fact, even though he "mugged" our spot, it was very respectable. Never once did we have to alter a troll, and this is well within the rules. Ethically, it is horrible when someone crowds a boat on the second day, because they saw what they brought in day 1. Making the boat who established the program alter their plan when they had no such traffic the day before is wrong. They fished higher than we did, stayed a long way away, and we shook their hands on the win. This year, Gehrig and I were the last 2 standing, as one by one everyone bailed out. The concept has great potential, but not as an afterthought. This Lake has the players and gamers to support a true "Big Boy" event. It needs to stand alone, not be attached. I had alot of time to think and reflect this weekend in Canada,as we did alot of running. The events will shake out, and the survivors will be bigger and better. As I have said before, I am for whatever elevates this incredible pursuit. As tournament fishing goes, Salmon stand alone I have discussed it with my main team members. We will continue to conduct our own closed comm policy, even in the open comm events. We must get back to the "spirit of the rule" that we all try to live by. We hold no hard feelings towards teams that have used open comm to their benefit. Many of these guys are our friends--and we want to keep it that way. Its like meeting for a pick up football game, and running over to the other teams huddle and telling them, "we are going to blitz this play, OK?" No, you bring your best, they bring their best, and you shake hands when its over and go have a coldie. Paul, I will sign the first line on the "gentlemens no comm agreement", and I hope you will be second. Who else is in?

Shimano Triton 400, loaded with wire. Mounted on an Eagle Claw roller guide rod. $50 firm.

These were spoken for, but the individual never came up with the money. $40 each, firm.

Tim, it went well from the standpoint that there were many intelligent opposing views presented. One that stands out in my mind was a comment from the owner of RCR yachts in Youngstown: "why, would we ever jeopardize the ONLY thing we have going for us in this area? Why, would we jeopardize the only thing that gives us a competitive edge?" It was disappointing, however, that despite presentations from engineers, naturalists, historians, Sportfishing reps, boaters, businessmen, to name a few, they reserved judgement on the situation. I am being told there is a whole lot of political posturing going on. Nick, I guess it's easy to buy in to the propaganda. If its reducing the dependence on foreign oil that you desire, fight to drill in our own vast INLAND 40 yr supply. Thats a 40 yr supply that could serve THE WORLD. Instead, we make the terrorists richer. Anyways, throwing up inefficient, unproven, permanant, "feel good" band-aids in an effort to grab the endless cash that is being printed under the guise of "green energy" would be a mortal sin. No matter where you sit on this, this is drinking water for many communities, and each mill holds 1800 gallons of oil. And yes, to those of us with lifetime ties to the lake, who have watched it rebound from a wasteland, you are damn right we are saying-NOT IN OUR BACKYARD! Even more importantly, not in anyones backyard if its in one of the precious GREAT LAKES.

The vessel will remain in the water for inspection through Sept. Will sell the boat stripped of equipment for $19,000 firm. $14,000 in new motors below decks.

That is how they do things. No observer, but if you are a contending boat after day one, one should be placed aboard as per their rules. This event, with its 5 fish a day format, should become the largest event on Lake Ontario when held in Oswego. Held during the Fall LOC, many boats are fishing already. Last year, I was astounded how many anglers in the area didn't know about it.

Let me take a turn with this. All you "shark" hunters, The Scotty is coming back to Oswego. The event is Sat Aug 21 and Sun Aug 22. This also has a bigfish event on Friday, open to those that enter the tourny. No matter if the numbers of Kings are there, it will take 2 days of them to win. It is Kings and Cohos only. Lets blow this up with all the boats down East.

Yes, Tim is correct. Tomorrow night, 7/27/10, at 7pm. Come out and voice your opposition, or support those that do.

They are still for sale. I may be in Roch again soon.