Capt Vince Pierleoni

I have used a Fish Hawk 840 for years with great success. Went to the updated X-4 and it is fantastic.

Congrats Jeremy, that is a beast! Dave, thanks for sharing so promptly.

OK, I want to get this rolling because I'm getting very busy starting tomorrow. Many of you know how I feel about this. REGARDLESS of what the total biomass is doing, the Lake is under stocked Salmon-wise. Years and years of fishing Lake Ontario, and a fair amount of experience fishing Lake Michigan and observing Salmon behavior on both Lakes has brought me to this conclusion. This season will provide further proof. Last summer in a period of two weeks, we participated in Tournaments in Oswego, Sodus, and Bluffers Ont.(Toronto). In all areas bait densities were excellent. During a June Scotty tournament in Whitby Ont, we were snagging huge, fat(wide across the back) alewives. Anglers all along the south shore reported Salmon and trout foraging on Smelt, which we have been told, were dangerously in peril. This season brings emerald shiners so thick in the harbors you can walk on them. Smelt are found in any cleaned fish from the Niagara river or Lake shoreline. Smelt dippers are seeing runs like the "good ole days". Already, despite the peak spawning season being weeks away, trollers are already dealing with snagging alewives up and down the south shore, in the U.S. and Canada. Big fish should be increasingly common. So whats the problem, am I afraid of a little challenging fishing? No, it actually keeps the game challenging and rewarding. The problem is, it isn't healthy for the system. When the Alewives and Smelt reach the sizes they are this year, in the numbers they are at, they canabilize the young-o-the year much more than normal. This is what creates the huge spikes and valleys in the population charts , for whatever accuracy level they are in the first place. It is much more stable for the fishery and predator/prey balance if we utilize this surplus with greater numbers of targets. Of course more angling opportunity and angling success is a winner , especially if it is keeping the system healthier in the process.

Well, the "smiling coyotes" were out in force. First, it was the Somerset Town supervisor, stating that he wanted his area to become self sufficient utilizing clean, renewable energy. It was apparent that many in the room were there to learn about do-it-yourself windmill projects, and didn't grasp the scope of the NYPA presentation. The glossy, recently adjusted presentation was delivered in a giddy, misleading fashion. Yes, my blood was boiling, and after the very first oppositional comment by forum member "Flanman"(which was excellent), they moved quickly to move on to the next presenter. I wasn't having it, and reminded NYPA presenters that it was once thought to be a good idea to build the seaway and sanitary canal. The presenter walked herself into this by saying we had more to worry about with asian carp, than the introduction of windmills into the GreatLakes. I finished up by stating that although a few short term jobs may or not be created for local people, long term "bread-n-butter" tourism could be significantly impacted. They have no way to measure the losses should tourists choose to spend their hard earned dollars in areas where they don't have to stare at "monstrosities" while on vacation. Her response? "um, I think there are boats in Denmark charging $3,000. to take people out in the water to see the windmills!" Are you sh#@&%g me?!!!!! This isn't going to go away easy. There were mostly neutral people in the room, and the presentation was done in a way that suggests this is a done deal, just a question as to where. She indicated the favorable locations in L.O. were East of Oswego, Rochester, and the Niagara Bar. Please attend all of these meetings you can, and be heard. The squeaky wheel will get the grease, and the silent will get nightmarish obstacles in the Greatest Lakes in the world.

Thanks Dick. I appreciate all the fishery work you do as well.

The general rule with Spinnies is slow troll- back hole, fast troll-front hole.

Congrats Legacy! I have trolled L. O. for over 30yrs and have experienced that only twice. First time was all browns off Fair Haven in the Spring of 1983, and the second was staging Kings off the Oak in 1989. We were tickled to death to hit a quad at the pier heads off Olcott last Sept. There is a cool pic of it on my site. Happy for you, you will never forget it.

Hope to see as many of you who can make it Tues night at the Barker meeting!

There is no doubt about it Yankee, SPEED KILLS! Both lots of fish(when you run to a hotspot faster than anyone) and your chances to win (when you get happy feet and run around the lake). Very pleased with that tank, and I think you will be surprised if you try to cruise next to us this year while we are in the Penn Yan. I think my props were mis-tuned for my 2007 repower. Speed is relative. Was talking on a boating forum to a knowledgeable boat owner on the ocean. He said there were many boats faster than a 35' Viking on flat water, but throw 6 footers into the equation and there aren't many in that class that will cruise as good. That's what I'm talkin' about! (He did not own one, his best friend did) Anyways, it won't cruise much faster than the PennYan on flat water with the 454's. Looking forward to repowering it when I can. You guys are technicians. You do what you do. Well. Trolling well in rough water is more important than sheer speed. You guys have proven to be dangerous competitors. See you in Dahlousie!

Thanks Bruce. I don't understand your last question. What is ruthybaby or milson?

Since it's only been a demo, used only to assist in sales, they are capable of negotiating anything into the deal. Stick to your guns.

Tom, do you mean 55L? The Okuma 55L convector is a great copper reel. I hope that didn't get discontinued.

Amen, Flanman. See you there.

Dex, I laughed so freakin' hard I was without words. There is plenty of things to "roast" me about without spreading falsehoods. You know I don't travel for a living, but I can freakin' rent a car! Who the hell knew Chicago Midway airport would be completely sold out mid-day? Anyways, I figured it out myself thankyou, and got to see more of urban Chicago than I planned to. This nonsense about being anti-social? Depends what mode I'm in. My brother Mark jokes that he wants to have a shirt printed for me that says....."If you speak to me while I'm in Salmon mode I may nod but do I really hear you?" C'mon Dex, you of all people know there is time for work, and time for play. Most of my posts have been regarding important issues and threats to our beloved Great Lakes and fishery. This forum is a tremendous tool for that. Anyways, you are always trying to get me to lighten up. Yes, my man, I know who will be onboard this weekend!

Hmmm.......who said anything about fishing tournys out of anything but the Penn Yan? Paul, that line about a wet cat getting launched by an aircraft carrier had Steph choking on her diet pepsi when I shared it with her! Tom, very funny, but true! To me, send it to you meant just that! Physically in hand!

Did some digging. Really appreciate everyones effort to land vital sponsors. Here is what I was told: Have the hardworking individual provide the following 2 contacts with the potential sponsors contact info. They will follow up with a consistent, "controlled" approach, and provide them with a sponsorship packet. The 2 to email are: Bob Cinelli @ [email protected] and Dave Turner @oswegocounty.com Hope this produces better results. Thanks again for your efforts to make these great events even better.

I just have to jump in. The Okuma catalinas have been a great reel for us, and I'm looking forward to putting the upgraded versions through the paces this May. They sure look sweet! Will be adding some Clarions to the junk rod presentations, as they now offer high speed models. My concerns with the high speed models are the same as yours Brian. Heres hoping they are just as powerful. No matter where your loyalty lies, it sure is great to see the industry looking for innovations and upgrades for the Great Lakes fisheries. It was getting stale there for awhile.

Yeah Fred, don't let Gander steal your fishing season like they did to you last deer season! Say hi to brother Doug!

Wow, where do I start. First, I love Wilson, but Olcott is home. The demise of the Penn Yan is very pre-mature. Looking better than ever, and for now we are contemplating keeping it as well, so cool your jets Jerry. Yes, I am a electronics dinosaur. Still love CRT color videos, and when I pulled my beloved Northstar 800x dual station LoranC this Spring, I shed a tear. That was the single best piece of electronics ever made, and served well for 20yrs. I would like to find a GPS that is as dependable and user friendly as that Loran was. Yes Paul, I am looking forward to staying drier. One of the things I wanted to check out was the visibility from the optional lower station this one had. Yes, it has as good of visibility as an express of the same size. Paul, thanks for posting that, but that is a sistership. I will send you a pic and you can edit it. Tom, thanks for the kind words and great pics. To all, thanks for the well wishes and kind words. PS, Highway Dave--Good eye, thats the one!

It's a combination of the Tourism guys getting pulled in 8 different directions, and Bob C using his business acumen. He knows you get ONE SHOT to land a whale, and he wants it to be just right. I have known him a long time, and yes he is anal, but he has proved me wrong with some of his ideas for growing these things bigger. I had some big leads too, and he told me to "cool my jets", the right time would come. I understand that time is near. Thanks guys, for pursuing these sponsors so critical to the growth.

One of these lifetimes I will learn how to post pics. On the other hand, a couple years ago I would have said there was no chance of me using the computer so much, so there is hope!