PeltHunter

I run an 8'6" 5wt fly rod with a 10 or 12lb tippet. I also fish at dusk on the Oak when a lot of people are gone already

They should take the money that it costs to take the course and put it into a fund to support fish hatcheries / lake clean-up, but we all know that would never happen

They should also take the money from hunting and fishing licenses and put it into bettering opportunities in those activities. Instead I'm sure thid money will also just go to walking trails in NYC for those people that **** about hunting and fishing.

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I did the old course when I was 14 or 15 and now I have about 30 days on the water before I can go for my captains license. While I understand why some think this is a good idea from my point of view having gone through the course its a waste of time. The regular state course teaches near nothing in my opinion. If they want to prevent accidents through regulations the best thing to do would be to make people have a log with a certain amount of hours on the water under power to be able to take a boat out on there own. There is nothing in a classroom that is going to beat experience on the water. -Paul

It depends on what you have to spend and what size boat your comfortable piloting. You can get a late 80s early 90s 25ish foot Sea Ray for around $8-12k. That would honestly be my recommendation or maybe a Thompson 240 you can pick them up pretty cheap too. If your not comfortable with something that big I'd go with a 20 or so foot Aluminum Lund.

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1987 Sea Ray S-24 Sorrento or an 89 Thompson 240 Fisherman. We're looking to move up to somewhere around a 30ft Sea Ray Sedan Bridge or Express this year

One of the most naive things to say is that when the 2nd Amendment and Bill of Rights as a whole were ratified the founders didn't know what guns would become. The whole point of the 2nd Amendment is to keep people in control of the country should it turn to a tyranny.

 

Would the same people who argue the 2nd amendment is outdated because of high capacity magazines and semi-automatic weapons because they can hurt more people faster argue that freedom of speech is outdated because of television sending peoples opinion or views out to a lot  more people much faster than a public speech or quotes in a newspaper? Or argue that freedom of press is outdated because the internet gets it out to a much broader spectrum faster than a printing press? Lets take away TV and the internet. It's a far fetched analogy but along the same lines

Really classy post man! Its good to see the comradery of fisherman when there are those that seem to be turning it more into big business. It was kind of hard for me to read because one of my buddies that I've hunted and fished with since I was about 5 years old is going to be moving out west next fall. Good Luck in your future back in South Dakota. I'm sure Lady O will be seeing you again now that you have "The Fever." -Paul

Lots of variables as to why, ever changing conditions, fads, new go-to's, Pro Staff guys promoting those who are helping them, the list goes on and on as to why we are running what. A few weeks ago a local captain out of Oswego was having a bad day or two, he claimed he was going to go home and hop in the cellar and dig out what he ran years and years ago. He went out with a whole new agenda the next few days and had much in the same amount of luck as he had the past few days.

 

Catching fish consistently does not come easy, and that goes for all of us. Even the local hot shots who seem to put fish in the boat on a regular basis are doing much homework behind the scenes to keep the rods moving daily. Talking to others, reading the conditions like watching weather the night before and recognizing fronts and wind patters, needless to say having an arsenal of many items readily available all the time. There really is a lot to this game that many of us love.

 

Flashers and flies are the "in thing" around the lake currently and consuming a lions share of use over other items (when talking chasing Kings and especially starting in the summer and into the remainder of the season) this doesn't mean all other items won't put fish in the boat for you at any given time. I was pre-fshing the Niagara Pro/Am this year and asked a long time friend to spend a morning with me as he is a big spoon guy, we fished about 6 hours one morning and our bites were around the same numbers as I was achieving with my usual fly spreads. Hence: Experience will most always prevail. (I would hate to have to compete against the "Royal Flush" team if we had to run meat program against meat program) !!!!

 

Keep in mind when choosing lure options the amount of info circulating these days, like mentioned the advent of the internet, you can easily access info from reports from those anglers out fishing daily and exactly what items they are using and where they are running them (depth of water, where in the column, east or west of a given port, speeds, etc) don't be so fast to think "something is up" when a "newer" art or a continued art of 13 years now is pulling fish for many. Its great to be able to run to a local tackle shop or shop online and grab a white attractor and a hammer fly, and head out onto the lake knowing your chances of catching a few fish is good.

 

I am sure for whatever reason if, dodgers/squid, j-plugs, Twinkie and/or meat rigs, spoons like NK's or etc. if they were to acquire a renown birth of popularity, then its possible the colors and tactics that go along with running them could be tweaked to a T and could become the next best thing "again". For now more than worrying why what is popular is popular my advice is to consume the knowledge or a part of it and head out and put it to use, the hard work and time spent that is needed to tweak these colors and items is there for you to capitalize on. This versus eating up a weekend or a season figuring it out for yourself.  (:

 

Just a side note when the art of running attractor/flies was introduced to Lake Ontario around the year 2000 (to the level and knowledge of today anyway) a few key benefits were as such:

-Only having to attain a small number of item colors or combos (even though that has been brought to a staggering level of a high multitude of colors) the fact stands we could easily be able to pick a handful and be successful

-To cover higher speeds with more commotion in the water and to cover much more area of water and area of water in the column (versus a spoon or a plug or a slow trolled dodger from the 80's)

 

When any "new fad" is introduced and you still see it around after 10 years it's no longer a fad, no matter the reason its still here for a reason. (:

 

Tom

Awesome post Tom! We pay a lot of attention to what people are running and other variables, but we still run the old trusty set ups too. And on the bold I agree with that as well as many of the old stuff that works probably had its day when my dad and uncle started fishing out before I was born. It's just weird to me how something just gets so big so fast out there and a lot of the less experienced weekend warriors really preach on that stuff without trying the old tried and true methods as well. We always have a flasher and an A-TOM-MIK Fly out in the spread, Great product!

The fishing in the Oak has always sucked and always will . The big groups of people should make their way up to the Salmon and stay the hell away from the Oak. No fish there to catch 

Nice job guys. I'm at school in Oswego and our boats in Fairhaven my dad and uncles were gonna come up this weekend to fish but like idiots we called it off due to the forecast. Ended up being a beautiful weekend 

Haha you got the Fever. Goodluck getting rid of it! 

Avoid The Oak like the plague theres no fish in that creek.... 

Back in the 80s my buddy ran evil eyes all the time. The black n purple was deadly. I remember pulling dipsey rigs with 30 lbs mono too...no fun

We run a black and purple Evil Eyes all the time haha they still work

You have some good points there.....Dodgers and squid have worked for decades here and in the northwest U.S as well for Pacific salmon. When you boil it all down it is much like the technology thing in general "the latest greatest new thing"...everyone has to have  it but do they really NEED it? These things attract many more fishermen than fish (e.g. latest spoon colors and names for them...do they resemble anything in the fishes environment?). It is big business and all of us "bite" on it but many of the old standbys do still work (despite folks selling the older stuff off on here for next to nothing). It's all part of the excitement of the sport though.....but some of us dinosaurs still roam the seas and hold on to our antiques ...just in case....kinda like holding on to your old suit with the narrow or wide lapels with the thought that they will come back into style someday

This was more of my point. People will look at you funny now if you have a good day on a J plug or bring in a nice fish on a hotshot. But at one point it time, I guess "Their years" they were all the rage. 

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I can assure you that the "good ol boy" local charter guys all run spoons meat plugs n flasher flys. I never knew a Oswego charter captain who wouldn't do whatever it takes to put fish in the cooler for clients or to win a tournament.

I for one run it all. Including dodgers when the time is right...

I'm not saying they don't use that sort of thing its just I find it odd that certain years they "push" certain rigs that are usually new thing thats out. I guess its hard to explain 5 years ago everyone from charter captains to shop owners we're pushing meat rigs. Now its flasher fly combos they try to push when the meat rigs that are being used are still catching quality number of fish.

Why exactly are there all these fads on what to use to catch fish on Lake Ontario. I've been fishing up in Oswego for 10 years with my uncle and dad and its just something I've noticed. 10 years ago it was J Plugs it seemed, people swore by spoons for a while, then it went to meat rigs for a few years and now its all flasher fly combos. It just seems odd to me how people will laugh at you for running a J plug or spoon now when they catch the same amount of fish as they did 10 years ago or when you have a good day on a certain spoon and people think your bullsh*tting them because flys are the new thing. Is it something to do with a kind of good ole boy system of charter guys and local lure manufacturers? It's just something I've been thinking about for some reason I cant seem to figure out lol

Long story short I was 8 only me and my uncle fishing hooked a fish he crossed all of our lines and we thought he was gone. Started pulling lines and the fish started taking line again. Reeled him in and have been hooked ever since. Oddly enough I caught an Atlantic before a King.

pics of the trailer and price?

any way possible you may be up near Oswego next weekend?

The Woo Daves are a decent cheaper Polarized pair of glasses. Personally I like my Ray Bans. Polarized so well I can see the moss on sidewalks you cant normally see. Make sure you buy a pair of glasses straps I've lost many a pair of polarized glasses in the bottom of Lake O and streams

Chex mix, a little homemade deer jerky and we've been known to bring a little previously caught salmon we smoked out as well

Beaver Retriever 

A third of my team just blew up in 2 laps haha

I'm in

Thats awesome! Makes me feel more blessed we can fish on Lake O though with the size of fish they get in Michigan. Are the salmon just comin back in Michigan or something?