BSmaster

Pete, good time to hammer out the honeydo list.  I am going to get as much done before May as I can and then get after it again.  May is packed with turkey, walleye, pike, crappie, striper, blue gill, and bull head - maybe even some trout.  If I get the list done (haha - who am I kidding) or at least look like I made a big dent in it, maybe the abuse won't be so bad.

I'd say try them both.  I had a similar situation.  I liked the 5HP over the 2.5hp, but if the 2hp works for you, it will be a lot easier with regards to working it to and from the lake.  If you have oars, don't worry about running out of gas.  People pay a monthly fee for that kind of workout.  You will get to do it (free) out of necessity.  Good luck...

I think we had this conversation last year but it was Conesus Lake.  I really don't think you will find willing participants right now anyways.  They are focused on business  & I also don't think you can drag lines where they are at present moment.  Browns sound like a better option this time of year.  Opener should be excellent for Walleye and Pike.  I am Looking forward to it.  I hope the weather cooperates.

This made me  a little after reading.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/04/eastern_sports_and_outdoor_sho_8.html

I have zero experience on Erie and very little on Ontario for bass action.  I will say that I have noticed on inland lakes that there are large concentrations of predator fish on a few bodies of water and it can be extremely difficult to get them to take the presentation.  Some of the FLs are so clear you can see the bottom in 40ft of water.  Some are so full of bait that the juvees look like miniature slobs.  If you have a situation where both conditions occur, how would you expect to get a wary game fish to hit your presentation (consistently)?

Gill-T makes some good points.  If there are any fisheries students on here, this would make a good thesis argument.  What is the impact of the gobies on the bass population in the great lakes?  From data collected, what are recommendations moving forward.

We got blown off the south end.  3 perch.  Kept waiting for the south wind that either never came or came too late.  This is the kind of day that makes me me want to stay home and work on the honey do list.

Nice fish. Steve, How many?

My goal is to limit out on nice eaters.  Hoping to accomplish this tomorrow.

APB,  My partner and I got two of these last month and the only reason I didn't post was because I couldn't get a good picture of them in the sun.  We were hootin and howlering like we won the powerball pulling them in. 

Guys down in the northern tier of Pa are starting a panfish derby.  Can't wait to hear the smack talking.  "You call that a blue gill?"  Haha.  Good times...

Good fish.   That one pic looks like it could swallow your head.

If you are done bearing children, eat the fish without worrying at all.  The LD 50 of adults is higher than that of children but even with kids, I think benefits far outweigh the risks.  Babies, I don't know.  My kids don't eat fish yet so I never had to cross that bridge.  LO has deep lake cycle which keeps polutants in the lake instead of flushing them out SL seaway.  Erie, however, is shallow and most of its problems were cleaned up fairly quickly.  A lot of this "don't eat the fish" happened when I was in college (91).  I respected my Fish Bio Prof (Wrote a lot about it), but I still ate the salmon and trout from lake O and other than cancer and a full hip replacement, I am perfectly fine.  Well, I do have plantars fascitis, but that could be from the lead paint that was peeling off in the dairy barn.

I don't eat fish that live in or near the genny and less because of Rochester and more because of the vast amount of farm land the river transverses.  The turbidity is quite high which is a sign of high agriculture.  With that comes pesticides and others like fertilizers.

When I was a kid there were no coyotes, just ferrel dogs.  When I was a young adult, there were no Bobcats in the twin tiers, just ferrel cats.  Now there are no mountain lions, must be bobcats are making a comeback afterall.

Here is front page reading material.

http://www.tiogapublishing.com/news/the_wellsboro_mansfield_gazette/a-mountain-lion-in-wellsboro/article_e4bffd58-9c70-11e2-ac9e-001a4bcf887a.html

Depends more on Buck to Doe ratio.  But this is indirect.  The Rut stop when estrus stops.  to stop estrus you must have implantation.  To have implantation, you have to have implantation.

I work on a complex that has a very low buck to doe ratio.  It is not uncommon for me to see Antlers in April.  This year I haven't seen any which I deem as a good sign.

The scene you described, doesn't sound like rut because they were herded.  I like the Sasquatch theory.

BTW, guy this morning was telling me he thought he saw a Doe dropping a fawn this morning on his way in.

I do not fly fish but from what I observe they use weighted wet flies with 30 lb mono instead of backer line and tippet when the water is this clear.  Unfortunately, Gill-T is probably spot on.  I would wait until after the mad rush is over.

All of these are good explanations of why there is no reproduction.  Please explain to me why I catch LL Par/juvies in the streams?  Are they put there by man?  I have not looked into the reproduction of walleye so I do not know, but the reasoning in Conesus is that the alewives return the favor. 

I always like to ask an old timer as well as a highly educated fisheries expert and then formulate my own ideas.  You can learn so much from both of them but both make assumptions that I do not always agree with.

Was there a time table set for the Owasco fishery going all warm or all cold?

Thank you to all that went.  I could not make it and I really appreciate that some made the effort.

Darryl,

Your first post is a doozy...  Kind a makes me want to cry.

Interesting, gun legislation aside, doesn't this map summarize the fundamental problem in New York State....

Been saying for decades we should cut the head off the snake and give part to CT and part to NJ and then we don't have to deal with them or their backassward ideas...  My apologies to people in CT and NJ who deserve better.

Heard on the radio this morning that Counties against safe act are trying to find ways to circumvent the safe act (legally)and that followed by reports that Governor (aka emperor) Cuomo considering revising parts of the bill naming clip size as one example.

I also heard on the radio that he is considering a rebate for families between 40K and 300K incomes of $350.  I am guessing this is to drive up approval ratings but I will take it.  Gas isn't cheap.

 here in California we use lampreys to

catch sturgeon.

I got    about this again.  Selling Lampreys was the first thought :cash:on my mind but  then I got thinking about it from the other way.  We should be after  the DEC to stock more Sturgeon.  Maybe that would be the naturalist way to keep the population of lampreys low.

Came up with that one without a  in my hand.

BP, That is the truth.  I usually tell people that I am that guy that shows up only to have someone tell me, "you should have been here yesterday - we hammered them but they aren't too active today."  I have heard a lot of great fishing experiences on the lake, but don't dream about them the night before, just let them happen, otherwise, you could be letting yourself in for a big disappointment.  I haven't gotten the skunk like in the past, but I have had to work hard for what I have gotten.  Still hoping for that magical trip...  Fish 1/2 day - fillet fish the other half.

When I look to fish there I look at wind forecast and temperature and place a guess to see if it is worth it.  I hate fishing in the wind in general but that lake I hate it most.

Joe

When they run the tribs in spring is the best bet for numbers.  Be pretty dependent on timing and water levels I'd think.

I agree.  Sounds like a reason for a good ole redneck snag fest.  I'll stop fishing to do it so I suppose it wouldn't be to hard to get me to do it if I could sell them instead of feeding the coons.

I have some comments:

1.)  Love watching the fish jump - all I can say is wow.

2.)  I notice that the LL enters the Oak at the end of the Chinook peak run and beginning of the brown run.  This usually means high pressure from meat hunters.  If a strain could enter in mid to late November, it perhaps would alleviate this one and done run.  25in - 1 fish is a good thing but all those drop shot rigs can foul hook them to death.

3.)  I do not know much about the fish so I googled to find out how long the young stay in the creek.  This is an excerpt [ Juveniles live in the streams for 2 to 6 years, at which point they undergo 'smolt' transformation].  Seems like a lot of the waterways are too warm (summer) or deal with too many predators to support this holdover.  Chinooks go out before the following summer, so they can moderate this in the lake.

This is the article I found:

http://www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/salmon/salmon.htm

Reference to pitch forks sounds familiar.

6-7.5 ft light action tip medium bait rod with basic spinning reel with 6lb test mono.  Gotta feel it.  If not, your just guessing.

We tried Watkins end on Saturday.  Long lined with oak leaf grubs and small minnows.  All but 2 fish came on minnows and for ~7 hrs we boated 21 perch.  Water temps are 38 at the surface.  You will need a little more heat to get the eggs to loosen.  This will bring them in closer.  We were doing most of our damage in 50ft of water.  Good luck.  I like what Seasquirrel said - good advice.

http://www.bongino.com/

Interesting quote about wolves and sheep.

I had this big girl on last year before she through the hook.  Just goes to show you how far they can swim.

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/51239/alabama+anglers+monstrous+striped+bass+is+one+for+the+record+books/

Any longer and the reel becomes optional...