muskiedreams

Ed Cragg was posting to facebook during the course of the tournament. So it might be under his name or under Reel Rippin' Charters.

Just got home late last night. Thanks to everyone for participating. Thanks to Capt. Ed Cragg for being the only judge boat, posting everything on facebook and photographing the event highlights. Thanks to Brent and his wife for providing the meat for the cookout. It was a great time as usual. I believe there were 43 participants and 11 fish entered. There may have been a couple other small fish not reported. The number of fish was a little low but there were a good number of respectable size fish with about 5 fish 40" to 43". Jim and I did some fishing on Sunday morning. Team Lacko cooked a great walleye lunch then we napped and cleaned up in the afternoon. We went back out around 6pm and found out that team Lacko just got a short window of action with three fish just before we came out. We fished till dark wit no action and then packed it in. Can't wait til the 10th Tournament next year.

I would say weigh it in the net and then subtract the weight of the net (weigh it after release). That should get you a close measurement. Knowing that you have an accurate scale also helps. With a digital scale, you have to make sure it zero's properly when you turn it on (turn it on with the hook hanging straight and freely). I think some digital scales just don't give consistent readings. A good mechanical scale might be better.

It is kind of in the middle of nowhere. I don't know what hotels are nearby. The closest towns that would have hotels are Hammondsport, Watkins Glenn and Pen Yan. There might be something an the east side of Keula Lake (maybe a B&B) but you also need parking for boat. You also might be able to find a rental on the lake but you might have to do the weekend minimum. From where you are, I am guessing it would take 1.5 to 2 hours to get there. I am not sure what the best route to take would be. The launch is where Fleet Rd. crosses the canal that connects Waneta and Lamoka lakes. See this map.

That"s what I started on when I was a kid. So when an adult takes a kid fishing are they considered a pusher?

Can be more addicting than any drug!!

I didn't notice it until Jim mentioned it and I looked at the photo. Wish I had gotten a closer look in person. If I zoom and adjust brightness and contrast, it just looks like there is a V shape chopped out and it looks like it happened a long time ago.

Here is one photo. there is a chunk missing from it's tail. The only way I have been able to post photos is to add to media on this forum. I know there must be a better way to post photos. Can someone explain to me how?

Fished the east Niagara River with Toothy yesterday from 9:30 am til dark. My first time on the river this year. Water temp. was 68 and went down to 67 later. I got a nice 44" tiger about 10:30 am. Was coming up to 13' from 20' near the southern most marina on Grand Island pulling a niagara walleye junior perchbait. No more action the rest of the day. Arms are sore from fighting weeds which were a big factor. Will post pics later.

Sorry you can't make it Mike. Brent, sending contact info in PM.

Nice shirt too Mike!! Coming to the meeting tonight? We just got hats

The more the merrier. Do you have all the right release tools and a big rubber coated net? With this tournament, you have to keep the fish in the net at boatside until a judge boat comes to verify your catch. You will be given a flag to use to signal the judge boat but you can also contact by VHF radio or possibly cell phone. This is technically not a Muskies Inc Chapter 69 tournament. it is run by the three guys listed above. Winners are determined by length. First place being the longest fish and so on. NY Muskies Inc.Chapter 69 will have a tournament on Sat., Oct. 24th in which the winners will be determined by a points system. 4 points for a 30" fish and 1 point for each additional inch. Highest points wins 1st place and soon. There will probably be a separate $5 to enter big fish prize where big fish takes all. Both tournaments are catch and release so all fish must be successfully released to count. No exceptions.

The distance is reasonable so it is not surprising. I imaging they could also go to many other locations through the canals but they would have to be very adventurous.

The 9th annual Mark Troy Memorial Musky Tournament will be held Saturday October 3rd on Waneta Lake. It is put on by Jim Reynolds, Bob Saucke and Captain Ed Cragg in memory of Jim's friend and fishing partner, Mark Treau, who passed away in 2006 with cancer. Bob is recovering from an operation on his knee due to an accident at work so he won't be operating a judge boat this year. This is a catch and release tournament. Judge boats are used to verify your catch. Tournament hours will be 7 am til 3:30 pm. Morning fog could delay the start. Registration will be at the boat launch between 6 and 7 am. The entry fee is $25 per angler and this is a cash tournament with prizes for first, second and third place. I do not have all the rules but I believe they will be the same as last year and will be provided to participants before the start of the tournament. After 4PM will be the awards, then a cookout, raffle table, 50/50 raffle and group picture. Bring your own drinks. I believe it will be at the cottage on Swarthout point as usual. If you have any questions, you can call Jim at 585-670-0422 or post them here. Contact Jim if you want to stay at the cottage. I believe there is still room.

Very nice

Please let us know how you do. I have talked to friends about checking it out for some time now. Just haven't got around to it.

I think I have heard that there are a lot of walleye there too. The problem is you don't want to eat them out of that lake. At one time, I believe it was considered the most polluted freshwater lake in the country. They are still working on removing all the pollutants from the bottom of the lake. I believe they they sill don't allow swimming in the lake. But I have heard that the fishing is good there for various species. You just don't want to eat them.

Even in the Boat US article, there is no definitive conclusion. I don't use one. I have a roller trailer and the nearest trailer cross member is at least 1.5 feet forward of the transom. My motor is 1990 Mercury 75 hp. I just tilt it all the way up. In that position, the balance of the motor weight is leaning toward the front of the boat slightly. So most of the weight is exerted vertically on the transom. As mentioned in the Boat US article, road vibrations can be transferred through a transom saver from the trailer to the motor which can in turn exert stress on the transom. It will depend on how rigid the trailer is and how tight the boat is held to the trailer. It will also depend on how much shock is absorbed by the trailer suspension and tires. The more the trailer flexes, the more energy will be transferred through the transom saver and the motor to the transom. Of course, when trailering, no matter what the setup is, it is always best to slow down for RR tracks and bumpy roads. Trailer suspension just doesn't smooth out the bumps like your vehicle suspension does. Also I found out the hard way that if you have only one roller supporting the front of the boat, you have to strap down the bow to keep from damaging the hull as the boat bounces on the roller. This might be a good idea for any setup.