muskiedreams

I am particularly asking for musky anglers to participate in the Angle Diary Study for Waneta and Lamoka lakes but this message can apply to all diary studies that the DEC is conducting throughout the state. You can check with regional offices for the water that you fish to see if they are conducting a study on those bodies of water. Diary studies are a very valuable tool for the DEC and also for participants. In 2013 Brad Hammers, DEC Region 8 Senior Aquatic Biologist came to one of our Muskies Inc, Chapter 69 meetings. We invited him because we wanted to do what we could to help with the management of the muskie fishery in Waneta and Lamoka Lakes. We heard that he was interested in starting an angler diary study specifically for the purpose of gathering valuable information from musky anglers that would help them better monitor and manage musky population there and we wanted to help him get it going. There has been a very modest amount of participation. In 2014, 12 diaries were handed out 7 were returned at the end of the season. In 2015, 13 diaries were mailed out but only 5 were returned. I know some may not have been returned because the angler fished with another participant and you can only log a trip in one diary. But weather that is the case or maybe you didn't fish there that year, you should still return it with a note in the postage paid envelope they send to you. The Waneta/Lamoka study is in danger of being discontinued if they don't get more participation. I am now asking for your help to keep this important program going. If you fish for muskies in these lakes, even if it is only one or two days per year, please consider participating in the diary study. It is simple and easy. You only need to log the date, time started, time finished, target species, # of anglers, species and length of each fish caught and fin clip info. To participate, you only need to call the Region 8 office at 585-226-2466 to request a diary. You can also ask about other waters such as Conesus Lake. For waters in other regions, call that regional office. HERE ARE SOME OF THE WAYS THE DATA HELPS 1) Assessment of growth rate, year class survival rate and natural reproduction percent (from size and fin clip info) 2) Angler success rate 3) Angler utilization. This is important to justify money spent for stocking and other management activities. Especially when Albany is looking for places to cut expenses. 4) Long term data over many years helps them to spot trends that can help better understand and manage the dynamics of the fishery as well as plan for the future. 5) All of these benefits will hopefully help to shape up the quality of the musky fishing opportunities in Waneta Lake and Lamoka Lake as well. I know there are a lot more than 13 anglers fishing for muskies in Waneta and Lamoka Lakes. This is one of the most important things you can do to give back to the fishery besides becoming involved in Muskies Inc. and other groups or helping with stocking or habitat projects.

I am not sure what you mean by winterization mode. When you pull it out at the launch or before it is subject to any freezing temps, you need to make sure there is no water left in the motor. If you don't, there is a strong possibility that any water left in it will freeze and cause damage due to expansion. If you store it outdoors in the tilted up position, water can enter the lower unit from precipitation and then if the air temp drops below freezing, there is the possibility of freezing damage. If you store it outside with the possibility of freezing temps, you should lower the motor. Some people say to crank it a little in the lowered position to get the water out. I have a 1990 motor and have never done that. The water just drains out when I lower it. I don't know if cranking is recommended with any newer motors. It might be good to consult your owner's manual or a mechanic that services them, to find out if cranking is recommended or ok. I know that you can damage your water pump impeller pretty quick if you crank or run it with no water.

Chapter 69 annual membership Banquet is next Saturday April 9th. Friends and those who are interested in becoming a member are also welcome. PM me if you are interested in attending and need more details.

Was at Conesus inlet Wed. Water was low. Some walleye along walkway and a couple pike but not too many. Nothing at the spillway.

Any hardware mounted through or into the transom or hull must be sealed. Use 3M 5200 marine sealant. Make sure you give it time to cure. Low temperature will slow it way down.

I thought this was a post about a fishless day.

I would think, run a ground cable to the motor from the battery negative terminal. But maybe there could be a problem with that if the motor doesn't have any sacrificial electrodes.

There isn't as much pressure on deer as the is on fish.

I would think that keeping a close watch on forage and forage diversity will become very important as well as watching the elements of their diets. Maybe we will also need to rethink nutrient control. Being very careful about limiting nutrients entering smaller lakes might be very important but the Great lakes might need a slightly different approach because they have a lot more water flowing through them, at least in most years. Maybe new computer models will eventually help, along with close monitoring. But there will probably always be some unforeseen influences. Some of which we will not be able to compensate for or control. The best thing we can do is to keep our faith in the experts and do what we can to support their efforts.

I would say there are four main species besides sturgeon which are protected. They are musky, walleye, bass and perch. There are also some pike (but very few) and other misc. panish. Musky season is closed now, walleye and pike will be closing tomorrow. That leaves just perch for now. And I think bass is catch and release, artificial only. I only fish for muskies there so I can't tell you much about any other species except as far as I know, bass and walleye are caught drifting and casting jigging or drop shot. I almost screwed up on the word "shot" because the i is next to the o. But I guess you can drop that too!! For a launch, you can go a little further south to The Isle View launch. That one is free and no permit needed. Or you can go to the Sheridan launch at the end of Sheridan Drive. During the boating season I believe it is $9. I think that is only between Memorial Day and Labor Day.