JJBat150

Not only should the fisherperson loose their commercial license, any fish market purchasing fish from someone with a recreational license should also be punished by loss of business license. Unfortunately, the only way to put an end to it is hit folks in the wallet. Maybe heavy handed, and could be argued as over-regulation by big government, but what other choice is there to protect the fishery ? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

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I have a stohlquist EZ water suit - bought it on line a few years ago - no problems with the fit based on the sizing charts on their website. It's not insulated, so I do layer up underneath it depending on air temps. When I bought the suit, it was oversized enough for layering, since buying it, I've lost 60 lbs, so there's even more room for stuff underneath. The suit has a relief zipper then runs horizontal across your waistline, and because it's a Hobie, things drain easily out the drive well - I do use a cup or sponge to get some rinse water into the yak if needed. I've found that with the SOT Hobie, your're exposed to the elements a bit more then expected, so the nice part about the suit is that it protects you from the wind and rain as well - and I have actually worn it early / late summer when conditions are rainy or cooler then normal. Because I'm using my legs and not arms for propulsion, I don't have any issues with over heating or the suit binding up as I paddle. I wear a basic pair of Hodgman Neoprene Wade Shoes as foot wear with the dry suit. http://www.stohlquist.com/touring/drysuits/ez.html http://www.hodgman.com/hodgman-wade-boots-wade-boots/hodgman-neoprene-wade-shoe/1347875.html

I ride a Hobie Outback on the Finger Lakes and near shore on Lake O depending on the weather. I'm about an hour away from T-falls (between Canandaigua & Geneva), so understand your concerns with the the winds and how a slight difference in wind direction can make thing around the point tricky in a yak. This time of year ( or in the spring) , you may also consider driving the 15 minutes down to Treman state park and peddle Cayuga inlet to the fish ladder. Sure you're aware of all the safety issues with cold water, but I'll throw out the "120 degrees" rule as a reminder - I've actually been wearing the dry suit since mid September when I'm on the water. I've had decent luck off Taughannock jigging or by pulling an assortment of shallow stick baits like Rapala x-raps back 100-150 ft

TTT Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Actually, I think the rules say "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave"... Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

The downrigger is a Scotty Laketroller with a 4 lb ball. I did replace the steel cable with braid to help with blowback. Here's a link to a previous post with some more info on my set-up.

Planned on hitting Hemlock this AM, but the south wind was creating too much chop for me, so headed over to Canadice. Launched from boat launch and in 3.5 hours, landed 2 fish, with 3 lost before I could get them to the yak. First Laker was 23" fin clipped that came from 45 down over 50 FOW on a yellow Alpena diamond spoon and was released. Lost 1 on the Alpena after a quick fight, then another on a sutton 44 being pulled behind a torpedo diver. Second fish was a 18" or so laker on the Alpena - apparently it "swatted" at the spoon, as the single hook actually was hooked from the outside of it's jaw going in. Once hooked, it either did a head shake or rolled, and got the line tangled up around the spoon and the hook shank, and when I was reeling it it, could feel the spoon fluttering in the water. Once netted, it was still full of fight and got itself and the spoon even more tangled up in the net. As I was getting it cleared, the other rod started jumping, so I quickly released and was hoping to pull in my first double from the yak, but quickly lost it. Over all a nice morning, even if I had to deal with a dozen or so kayakers and paddle boarders provided by the local outfitter.

Got a lot of friends in the area working DOT/highway crews and Fire / EMS - it's a real mess between Seneca and Cayuga lakes in Seneca county. From the Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association :

Had a few hours to kill this morning, so decided to pass-up Hemlock for the south end of Canandaigua. Got to the drop -off and was marking good sized bait balls and hooks from 45-55 FOW, so I set-up with the 7 color lead pulling a Rapala x-rap and the down rigger with a gold Sutton # 22 flutter soon with a custom bend on the tail end. The custom bend wasn't planned or engineered - it actually got created when the spoon got caught up in the fold-up rudder on the kayak - but it's proven itself to be pretty effective. Followed the drop off east-west weaving from 40-90 FOW and hit a nice 23" bow on the 2nd pass. Quick picture then released. Pulled up the lead core, and switched to a torpedo diver pulling a 4" silver steak (?) painted blue & purple to help out with the turns and make depth adjustments easier. A few more passes, then got another bow on the Sutton - this one shorter @ 19 " - again released to fight another day. Had a little problem reeling that one in, because I was using 12 lb mono and the fleas got so bad at the rod tip that the double-uni knot wouldn't pull through the last eyelet. As I was heading in, ended up getting a small 15" laker on the painted spoon, and this time had to deal with a big wad of weeds I picked up with the line. Overall, a nice relaxing morning - haven't been on Canandaigua with the yak all summer, so it was nice to out there. Off the lake by 11 AM, so missed most of the recreational boats. but did see a few others out mostly still fishing / jigging along the drop off. Want to try still fishing live bait, but It's been a long time since I've fished with saw bellies - If anyone has any pointers or thoughts on how to keep them fresh & alive while on a kayak, I'd appreciate any info. https://youtu.be/OCTwSzgplpw https://youtu.be/ZLu2Ioympig https://youtu.be/UxQfQAaQ-SQ

Life and family got in the way of fishing the past few weeks. Was able to get out this weekend and had some decent luck. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

TTT - hard water weather is just around the corner

Yea, it's a bit of a catch-22 - as an Angler Cooperator, I want to get an accurate measurment and visualize any fin clips, but also release the majority of my catches. I try to keep them in the net as much as possible and keep hands-off to avoid rubbing off their slime. If it's obvious the fish is stressed or injured, I'll keep it When I release, I keep em in the net to see how they react to the water; can't see it in the video, but this one couldn't wait to get going, so it was a quick release - when I looked back, it was already running deep and barely visible. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Question on the fish hawk - whats the weight of the probe ? Run a 4 lb ball on the kayak and wondering how it would affect blow back on a that small a weight. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Couple of videos I made a few weeks ago on Hemlock. Still figuring out the whole video editing thing. Definitely not a professional you-tuber yet... Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Lake Ontario United mobile app