Capt Vince Pierleoni

Can't speak about that unit, but for longevity and better boat control, stick with bow mounts. They are absolutely critical to the Captains on the Niagara river, and we all have bow mount models. Even if you want it for rare warm water species fishing, I would imagine it would hurt performance dragging on the lower unit. If it goes on and off easily, then perhaps it would work out.

The scary thing is, he is not dumb at all. He is brilliant, and he is doing everything perfectly and systematically to bring this great country to its knees. Has Been, very well said. Keep themselves in power by creating dependency with entitlements. I remember hearing a piece on the radio about how hard it was to stay a superpower, because of this entitlement mentality. Meanwhile, Chinas got their "ears pinned back" like a blitzing linebacker. Does anyone on here know what kind of entitlements that emerging superpower has?

The most important thing is to learn how YOUR unit marks fish. There are so many differences based on cone angle and frequency. ROD'S BENT-- often schools of bait, especially the resurging smelt population, will mark as a large drawn out arch.

Yeah, explain Jerry. That place is built like fort knox, why do they have to be quiet? And you telling THEM to be quiet?!

Anytime I have experienced that problem with an outboard rig it has been a worn steering cable. If it is, using it like that could eventually cause problems with the helm itself.

Many charter boats and tournament fishermen have both onboard. I personally run boards much more often. When you have the room, boards will get you out to the side further, and allow you to run more than one line off each side. Outriggers shine in heavy traffic as other boats can see them easily, and you can make tighter turns. although I don't use them much anymore, I have great memories of staging pierhead kings cracking the highly audible pompanette releases on the outriggers.

Good concerns, and justified. Best way to feel good about it is to take part in a bunch of them, meet the contestants and organizers. As for the U.S. Pro--Ams, many contributions have been made through contestants entry fees. In fact, much of the funding for the artificial reef built west of Olcott came from Niagara Pro--Am money. A very critical pump needed at the Altmar hatchery was purchased for the D.E.C. with Pro--Am money. Many rule changes have occurred for the Pro-Ams with conservation in mind. Because it is a goal to restore native specie Lake trout, the rules in the Pro--Ams only allow 2 in the Pro division, even though a 4 person crew could normally possess 8. The minimum size for most species on the lake is 15", the Pro-Am minimum is 18". This is so a team can't cooler a bunch of skipper kings just to score points, yet isn't too large to penalize Brown trout specialists. The Pro-Ams allow no culling, because as most of us know, the striking and fighting characteristics of Salmon and trout is all business out there. As I have stated in recent posts, gone are the days when noone wanted the fish. The contestants now keep them or there is countless people looking to have them. As for dumping fish, Pro-Am rules state that this is strictly prohibited. In the Canadian tournaments, many of the contestants are dedicated volunteers who raise the Salmon from scratch. They do it all, with no stocking done by Ontario province. Thank God for them. As for U.S. derbies, I can tell you southshore counties are grateful that people like Dave Chilson exist. Yes he treats it like a business, and he SHOULD. Without the profit motivation there would be much less organization and dedication. He is steadily revising his rules with minimum weights, so fish aren't killed for nothing. I wish many more things were run like a business in NY. As for all the new derbies, it is up to the contestants to conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner, and not participate in events that aren't organized with constant updates. Yes there are bad events, and poor judgement, but we as Anglers need to lose this guilt trip about harvesting fish. It is WASTING fish that should never be allowed to happen. That comes down to all of us. Welcome back "Has Been", maybe now you will have to change your name! Good luck this year, I hope you catch a big one this year!

I too, was loyal to Sampo. In recent years however, we experienced some failures. Heard that they changed manufacturing process. I will tell you in advance that I am a Dreamweaver Pro-staffer, but for the 2 seasons that we have run their ball-bearing swivels we have had ZERO failures. Pretty sure "Dream Steelie" Pete has them on his Great Lakes tackle site.

It says alot that we are surprised when our belongings are actually returned to us. It isn't the least surprising though, that your stuff was returned by an outdoorsMAN. The best people I have ever met are anglers and hunters. Thanks for sharing.

Actually, it is in the best interests of the fishery that all these derbies and tournaments take place. With all the threats that are out there, and potential policy changes looking for any "chink in the armor", angler trips utilizing the fishery are of utmost importance. I can say with complete conviction that the Lake Ontario fishery in the western basin has become a "contest fishery". There just aren't that many boats out on the water unless there is a derby or an upcoming Pro-Am. This isn't a bad thing, in fact, its a natural progression in what has become a mature fishery. It is very American. Competition breeds excellence and excitement, and the fish that are harvested are World-Class tablefare, highly sought after around the globe. The average angler only has so many vacation days and fishing dollars and they are going to spend them when it's most exciting. Never apologize for any fish harvested in this fishery. It was the vision of the great fishery managers like Bill Pierce, that this fishery would be a put--grow--and take fishery. There is no better, or justified use of these fish. The money spent along the south shore by rec anglers, charter captains, and charter clients (not to mention the escalating license fees) is huge and absolutely critical to the areas economy. This isn't to say that we should ever disrespect the resource. We should always look to share by returning uninjured fish that won't be used back to the water. In my experience, catch and release fishing of trolling caught Salmonoids is best done in the cold water of Spring. Spoonfed Glen, good for you, I'm sure you'll get your share as usual!

Welcome Tom! You will find, as I did, a bunch of dedicated Great Lakes anglers and stewards on this site. These guys are willing to stand up for what is right, and protect our great fisheries for the future. Let us know what we can do for the cause and thanks for stopping by at the LOTSA show.

Thanks Brian. It's everything that I have been warning everyone about since I joined the board. We must have our eyes wide open. L O "UNITED".

Stoutner, usually by then there is some stability and a mix of species. Moving deeper really depends on what you are after. Kings usually are reluctant to sell-out completely to the shallows(under 25') although an odd one here and there is encountered. Most seasons shallow fishing remains good into early May for Browns, Cohos and drop-back Steelies. The fish are often in there much longer, but success drops off as billions of alewives move in there to spawn. By this time, consistent fishing is available in deeper water, so you may choose to get away from all that bait unless Browns are what you are targeting.

Thanks fishless. It has been very good to me. The boat hauler calls it "the battle wagon".

Yes it will be similar. Hard to say when it will be cranking but we don't have much shore ice now in the Olcott area. Browns are probably there already, but we generally don't count on it for good until around April 10th. Tom is right, you will be thrilled with the size of our Cohos.

If it matters to you, there is already a "Balls deep" from PA that fishes out of Olcott. Tom is right, something funny to you today you may regret later when you see 27 of them on the Lake.

Welcome. We affectionately call Olcott-"Gods Country". Glad you appreciate it too.

Saw the same thing years ago at Pt. Breeze. Just last year the Double Play boys from Olcott turned one back to shore, and safety, with their boat. It was a young buck that was already exhausted by the time it reached 70' of water. Senior deer observers in both areas say it is dogs or coyotes chasing them, and they go to the water to escape. As for Sean's fishing report, isn't it great that we consider 5 or 6 beautiful trout, SLOW? We are living in the "good ole' days" of Great Lakes Salmon and trout fishing.

Its nothing personal, just hit many of the guys nerves when you link it to Republicans. Tim is right, it is a bogus cash grab hiding behind the "Green energy" shield. That comes from nowhere else but liberal democrats. You know, the ones that fly around in private jets to get a cup of coffee, and use thousands in energy a month in their mansions. They want YOU to change. I completely agree with Tim, it is a big fat lie, and a political tool. I have been around this lake my entire life, and in the charter business for 26yrs. The vast majority of good things that went on were Republican, and todays democrats are very anti hunting and fishing. If you won't go back into the Windmill threads here, keep a few things in mind: 1) no matter how well they attract fish, you will not be allowed ANYWHERE near them 2) Once they are here, they are here for good. There will never be any money allocated to disassemble them. 3) It is just plain wrong to put them in ANY of the GREAT Lakes. 4) They can only lead to less use of the fishery, which puts it in jeopardy. People want to escape to scenic places, not dodge eyesores.

Thank you for admitting that. Does it have to be that way? Do you guys have ANY say? I know if it wasn't for the efforts of some hardcore dedicated sportsmen over there, 0 salmon would be stocked in Ontario province. I know the true loyalty of the OMNR in the GREAT Lakes is with commercial fishermen, and restoring native species for them to net. Keep a close eye on this. We are up against it here too, sometimes it seems as if NY is sorry the Salmon program is so popular and successful. Every chance they get, we are deluged with doom and gloom. In my opinion, they are trying to "wean" the angling public and businesses off of Pacific Salmon. Forums such as this one are great tools in getting people educated, and aware. We will fight to the bitter end, please do the same.

I have a rig with an outboard that I run all winter on the Niagara. Most of us have no problem starting the motors in as cold as 0 degree mornings. Hank could probably offer some advice on here, but the battery is probably getting tired or there is some corrosion robbing starting power. Many manufacturers make dual purpose batteries that will give you up to 4yrs of service. Always a good play to keep your batteries on an automatic charger, especially during colder months.

We experimented extensively with spinners years ago. Found decent results in the springtime mud with Browns and Cohos. Primarily Vibrax(Blue Fox?), and some mepps. Absolutely imperative to use a quality ball bearing swivel. We were trying to pull a few more bites and the flash and vibration may have helped. Ran them relatively short behind riggers. Never wanted to donate them to the lake so we never tried them off the boards. In any other application, caught a few, but not as well as other presentations. Thats been my experience, let us know how you make out. As for ball bearing swivels, the ONLY ones that are holding up to our repeated opening and closing are the Dreamweaver ones. I have had failures with Spro and Sampo.

Paulie, don't ever knock 'em til you tried 'em. I think they look BAD A*&S! They are the most trouble free, functional 'rigger there is, and I've had 'em all. C'mon Paul, they use the heck out of 'em in the Pacific NW. Is there a harsher place? Well OK, maybe the cockpit of my boat!

These are very important to attend. I have never been to one that was fully attended. It is an excellent way to express how important the Salmon & Trout fishery is to you, just by your presence. By having 3 such meetings along the south shore, on different dates, there is one that fits everyone.