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The Sheraton is offering group rates. https://niagarafishingexpo.com/lodging Sent from my VS995 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

As of today October 22, the salmon school is half full. Don't wait too long to get your tickets, when they are gone, they are gone.

LOTSA 2020 Salmon School The Lake Ontario Trout & Salmon Association (LOTSA) is proud to (once again) host its well-known in-depth Salmon School on Saturday January 18, 2020. This highly acclaimed school, now in its 13th year, has become the premier Salmon School anywhere in the Great Lakes. What started out as a local event 12 years ago now sees many diehard salmon anglers from across the Great Lakes and Canada attending. New for this year will be a “State of Lake Ontario” session put on by the DEC on Friday evening. This will offer the opportunity for Anglers who aren’t able to attend this session held on week nights during the winter, to receive this valuable information. It will be held just prior to the Salmon School “Meet & Greet” 7 pm Friday session where the Salmon School presenters along with the top DEC Fishery managers including Fishery Bureau Chief Steve Hurst will be available to discuss fishing in a casual setting. On Saturday, during the Salmon School lunch break. The DEC will be hosting an “Open House” providing the opportunity for additional 1 on 1 time with the key DEC Fishery decision makers and DEC Law Enforcement officers. Additional free Salmon seminars by well-known Salmon anglers including Bob Songin and Vince Pierleoni among others will be offered on Sunday. The School, coupled with all of the trout and salmon exhibitors, $69 Hotel rooms and additional education offerings at the Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo (January 17 – 19), makes this a “must attend” three-day winter event for many. Each year the class is enhanced based upon the survey input provided by those that attended the previous School. Based upon that input, Pete Alex, Andy Bliss and Matt Yablonsky will return to take the class to the next level. They will do a much deeper dive into the specific tools and techniques they utilize that they didn’t have time to cover in their previous school. The focus will be on the 3 main Lake Ontario Salmon fishing months (May, July and August) and dive into the more technical aspects for each of these months relating to location, the “right” water, deep king tactics, locating and catching offshore Kings and on fishing “meat” among many others. The presentation will be geared toward experienced Salmon Recreational Anglers fishing from a 20 – 24 ft boat. The instruction will include some detailed video footage taken during the 2019 season which should help the learning process. Pete will cover the West End and North Shore fisheries, Andy will focus on the Eastern End fishery and Matt will focus on the Niagara Bar fishery. In addition, guest instructors Karl Chmilnitzky, who is a well-known highly successful recreational Canadian tournament fisherman, will cover north and south shore Canadian locations and King catching techniques for the “weekend warriors. Marine Electronics guru, Lance Valentine, will also make a guest appearance focusing on using your Sonar/GPS to put more kings in the boat. For those that attended the school in 2019, consider this the next step. For those desiring a deeper detailed presentation, you will want to be with us in 2020. Salmon School Details The School consists of six hours of detailed Salmon catching instruction. The registration price of $85 includes free admission to the Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo for all 3 days, your 2020 LOTSA Membership, a hot buffet lunch (or alternative for dietary needs) on Saturday with beverages available throughout the class, a “goodie” bag consisting of the “go to” baits of the instructors and free door prizes. Also included this year is a Friday night “Meet & Greet” with the instructors that includes free drinks and food. The class (and Expo) is held at the Conference and Event Center Niagara Falls in a “state of the art” conference room with a large screen, stage, good seating with tables and a good sound system that all make for a comfortable venue throughout the day for everyone attending. Given the quality of what you will be taught, coupled with the lunch, “goodie bag”, door prizes and free Show admissions, it is a terrific value and a great way to start your 2020 season. Doors open at 7 a.m. for check in and the class runs from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Additional time will be available at 9am Sunday morning with the instructors for any questions that you have that weren’t answered during the class. The Salmon School is not meant for novices to the Lake Ontario fishery. It is a “hard core” salmon class targeted toward providing the “experienced weekend warrior” with additional insights and details to improve their catch in the limited time they have on the water. As the Great Lakes continue to change and become a much more challenging fishery, knowledge is often the difference between having a couple of bites or having steady bites throughout the day. This is a custom class built from the input from the attendees on what is most important to them to cover. It is not an “off the shelf” class for the masses. Each attendee when they register, will have the opportunity to submit their most important questions/ topics that they want covered in the class. The instructors will then use this input to customize the curriculum to cover these particular areas. This will allow the instructors to limit the questions during the School and make sure that they cover all of the details that they have prepared. The instructors have a huge amount of on-the-water experience trolling for trout and salmon along with a proven tournament track record of high placement in the most prestigious tournaments over many years. They are a much diversified set of instructors and will provide a class full of insights and details that no one single instructor would be able to provide. They are all skilled communicators and very well known for sharing their fishing knowledge and daily fishing trips with anglers to help them to be more successful fishing the lake. Each brings their own unique set of trolling skills, techniques and knowledge to the class. Given the depth of the knowledge base of these instructors and their proven ability to educate anglers, we expect this school to be another high quality, comprehensive, in-depth, information-packed event that our attendees have come to expect from this annual day-long instruction. The School sells out every year as many of the attendees come back year after year – which is the ultimate testimony to the value of attending the school. To sign up for the class and submit your questions go to the LOTSA web site www.LOTSA1.Org. Early signups are encouraged to give the instructors enough time to build the curriculum for the desired topics Captain Pete Alex Captain Pete is a 54 year old salmon and trout fishing addict and reached his 31st year as a licensed charter captain in 2019. Pete has always had a passion for fishing and especially tournament fishing which helps feed his competitive side. He has accumulated fishing experience on Lakes Ontario, Erie, Michigan and Huron. Captain Pete and his Vision Quest Fishing Teams have won over 20 events on Lake Ontario and Lake Erie and have amassed over 100 Top 10 finishes since 2006. He ended the 2017 and 2018 seasons by winning the 2017 Fall King of The Lake event, then both the FishUSA Overall Championship and the annual Lake Ontario Championship Series back to back. He feels that tournament fishing helps him fish harder and think outside the box. Pete enjoys doing seminars, educating and helping other anglers improve their fish catching ability. He believes he is a very diverse angler and can consistently catch both salmon and trout species by applying what he has learned over the years. He regularly fishes Lake Ontario from the end of April to third week of June then returns occasionally to fish throughout the remainder of the season. He really considers himself a part time angler on Lake Ontario because of that and must figure things out each time he returns. He believes that there are reasons some anglers locate and catch fish consistently, while some do not. He hopes he can provide some of that knowledge to you at this year’s Salmon School. Pete represents these companies: FishUSA, Team Dreamweaver, Shark Cannonballs, Silver Horde, Fish Hawk, A-TOM-MIK Trolling Flies, Costa Sunglasses, Big Jon Sports, GAMMA Fishing Line, Pautzke and Atlas Mike’s, AFTCO and Shimano. Captain Andy Bliss Capt. Andy first fished Lake Ontario in 1987 at the age of 7. He was hooked salmon fishing ever since! Since his early start he was able to work on many charters from Sodus Bay and Oswego learning many different styles and techniques from a variety of Captains. In ‘99 he started fishing full time aboard the Cold Steel out of Oswego with Capt. Tom Burke. Since then they have competed in many tournaments from the East end to the West end of the lake. With over 20 first place finishes and numerous Top Ten finishes, they know what it takes to be the best! They have won the Lake Ontario Challenge Cup 5 times and they were runner up another 5 times! This experience has taught them how to fish in many different conditions and produce results. Capt. Andy love fishing the open waters of Lake Ontario and typically compares it to a chess match. He enjoys teaching the techniques to become successful at catching these special fish to anyone who is willing to learn. Capt. Andy represents these companies: Michigan Stinger, A-TOM-MIK, Pautzke Bait Co., Atlas Mikes , Pro-Troll, Cannon Downriggers, Humminbird electronics, BayRats Lures, Shark Cannonballs Captain Matt Yablonsky Captain Matt has been a charter captain for 12 years and has have been fishing the Niagara Region for 18 years. He has been a full time charter captain for the last 6 years. On average he’s on the water 250 days a year. He runs charters on Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the Lower Niagara River. A lot of people refer to him as “the small boat guy.” He has been operating his business out of a 21-foot Lund boat since he started chartering. It has allowed him to operate charters on both lakes and the Niagara River comfortably and safely. On Lake Erie he fishes for smallmouth bass, walleye and perch. On Lake Ontario he trolls for all species of trout and salmon. He also fishes the Lower Niagara River from September through May for trout and salmon. Captain Matt fishes many tournaments and derbies throughout the year including the Lake Ontario Pro-Am series, LOC Derby, Lower Niagara Sport Fishing Challenge, Niagara Basseye and Reeling for a Cure. In the LOC Derby alone he has 40 top 20 places since 2009, of which 2 are grand prize, 6 are first place and 4 are second place. He was on the winning team for the Niagara Pro-Am in 2006 and won the Trophy division of the Niagara Pro-Am in 2012 as a captain. He has had the grand champion team 3 times and grand champion angler 4 times in the as had multiple articles written about his derby wins and techniques of fishing the various bodies of water in the Erie-Niagara region. You can find these articles in the Great Lakes Angler, Lake Ontario Outdoors, The Fisherman magazine, Salmon-Trout-Steelheader magazine and New York Outdoor News. Captain Matt has provided footage for various television shows. One of the shows was filmed on the Lower Niagara River for Illinois Outdoors. Other television shows were filmed on Lake Ontario for CRCS OUTDOORS. So far he has filmed 6 episodes for CRCS Outdoors. Matt represents these companies: Yakima Bait Co., A-TOM-MIK Trolling flies Silver Streak spoons, Torpedo, Tuf-Line and Shimano. So, signup early so that you are guaranteed a seat to avoid being left out in the cold. If you love to fish the Great Lakes for Kings, this is a great way to “Kick Off” your 2020 Season. Where else would you want to be in the Great Lakes on a Saturday in January than learning how to increase your catch from 3 expert Captains along with Karl and Lance, sitting in a comfortable venue talking salmon fishing with a room full of individuals with the same common interest that you have? Tickets are pre-sale only and have sold out every year (early December sellout for the 2019 School).

LOTSA 2020 Salmon School The Lake Ontario Trout & Salmon Association (LOTSA) is proud to (once again) host its well-known in-depth Salmon School on Saturday January 18, 2020. This highly acclaimed school, now in its 13th year, has become the premier Salmon School anywhere in the Great Lakes. What started out as a local event 12 years ago now sees many diehard salmon anglers from across the Great Lakes and Canada attending. New for this year will be a “State of Lake Ontario” session put on by the DEC on Friday evening. This will offer the opportunity for Anglers who aren’t able to attend this session held on week nights during the winter, to receive this valuable information. It will be held just prior to the Salmon School “Meet & Greet” 7 pm Friday session where the Salmon School presenters along with the top DEC Fishery managers including Fishery Bureau Chief Steve Hurst will be available to discuss fishing in a casual setting. On Saturday, during the Salmon School lunch break. The DEC will be hosting an “Open House” providing the opportunity for additional 1 on 1 time with the key DEC Fishery decision makers and DEC Law Enforcement officers. Additional free Salmon seminars by well-known Salmon anglers including Bob Songin and Vince Pierleoni among others will be offered on Sunday. The School, coupled with all of the trout and salmon exhibitors, $69 Hotel rooms and additional education offerings at the Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo (January 17 – 19), makes this a “must attend” three-day winter event for many. Each year the class is enhanced based upon the survey input provided by those that attended the previous School. Based upon that input, Pete Alex, Andy Bliss and Matt Yablonsky will return to take the class to the next level. They will do a much deeper dive into the specific tools and techniques they utilize that they didn’t have time to cover in their previous school. The focus will be on the 3 main Lake Ontario Salmon fishing months (May, July and August) and dive into the more technical aspects for each of these months relating to location, the “right” water, deep king tactics, locating and catching offshore Kings and on fishing “meat” among many others. The presentation will be geared toward experienced Salmon Recreational Anglers fishing from a 20 – 24 ft boat. The instruction will include some detailed video footage taken during the 2019 season which should help the learning process. Pete will cover the West End and North Shore fisheries, Andy will focus on the Eastern End fishery and Matt will focus on the Niagara Bar fishery. In addition, guest instructors Karl Chmilnitzky, who is a well-known highly successful recreational Canadian tournament fisherman, will cover north and south shore Canadian locations and King catching techniques for the “weekend warriors. Marine Electronics guru, Lance Valentine, will also make a guest appearance focusing on using your Sonar/GPS to put more kings in the boat. For those that attended the school in 2019, consider this the next step. For those desiring a deeper detailed presentation, you will want to be with us in 2020. Salmon School Details The School consists of six hours of detailed Salmon catching instruction. The registration price of $85 includes free admission to the Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo for all 3 days, your 2020 LOTSA Membership, a hot buffet lunch (or alternative for dietary needs) on Saturday with beverages available throughout the class, a “goodie” bag consisting of the “go to” baits of the instructors and free door prizes. Also included this year is a Friday night “Meet & Greet” with the instructors that includes free drinks and food. The class (and Expo) is held at the Conference and Event Center Niagara Falls in a “state of the art” conference room with a large screen, stage, good seating with tables and a good sound system that all make for a comfortable venue throughout the day for everyone attending. Given the quality of what you will be taught, coupled with the lunch, “goodie bag”, door prizes and free Show admissions, it is a terrific value and a great way to start your 2020 season. Doors open at 7 a.m. for check in and the class runs from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Additional time will be available at 9am Sunday morning with the instructors for any questions that you have that weren’t answered during the class. The Salmon School is not meant for novices to the Lake Ontario fishery. It is a “hard core” salmon class targeted toward providing the “experienced weekend warrior” with additional insights and details to improve their catch in the limited time they have on the water. As the Great Lakes continue to change and become a much more challenging fishery, knowledge is often the difference between having a couple of bites or having steady bites throughout the day. This is a custom class built from the input from the attendees on what is most important to them to cover. It is not an “off the shelf” class for the masses. Each attendee when they register, will have the opportunity to submit their most important questions/ topics that they want covered in the class. The instructors will then use this input to customize the curriculum to cover these particular areas. This will allow the instructors to limit the questions during the School and make sure that they cover all of the details that they have prepared. The instructors have a huge amount of on-the-water experience trolling for trout and salmon along with a proven tournament track record of high placement in the most prestigious tournaments over many years. They are a much diversified set of instructors and will provide a class full of insights and details that no one single instructor would be able to provide. They are all skilled communicators and very well known for sharing their fishing knowledge and daily fishing trips with anglers to help them to be more successful fishing the lake. Each brings their own unique set of trolling skills, techniques and knowledge to the class. Given the depth of the knowledge base of these instructors and their proven ability to educate anglers, we expect this school to be another high quality, comprehensive, in-depth, information-packed event that our attendees have come to expect from this annual day-long instruction. The School sells out every year as many of the attendees come back year after year – which is the ultimate testimony to the value of attending the school. To sign up for the class and submit your questions go to the LOTSA web site www.LOTSA1.Org. Early signups are encouraged to give the instructors enough time to build the curriculum for the desired topics Captain Pete Alex Captain Pete is a 54 year old salmon and trout fishing addict and reached his 31st year as a licensed charter captain in 2019. Pete has always had a passion for fishing and especially tournament fishing which helps feed his competitive side. He has accumulated fishing experience on Lakes Ontario, Erie, Michigan and Huron. Captain Pete and his Vision Quest Fishing Teams have won over 20 events on Lake Ontario and Lake Erie and have amassed over 100 Top 10 finishes since 2006. He ended the 2017 and 2018 seasons by winning the 2017 Fall King of The Lake event, then both the FishUSA Overall Championship and the annual Lake Ontario Championship Series back to back. He feels that tournament fishing helps him fish harder and think outside the box. Pete enjoys doing seminars, educating and helping other anglers improve their fish catching ability. He believes he is a very diverse angler and can consistently catch both salmon and trout species by applying what he has learned over the years. He regularly fishes Lake Ontario from the end of April to third week of June then returns occasionally to fish throughout the remainder of the season. He really considers himself a part time angler on Lake Ontario because of that and must figure things out each time he returns. He believes that there are reasons some anglers locate and catch fish consistently, while some do not. He hopes he can provide some of that knowledge to you at this year’s Salmon School. Pete represents these companies: FishUSA, Team Dreamweaver, Shark Cannonballs, Silver Horde, Fish Hawk, A-TOM-MIK Trolling Flies, Costa Sunglasses, Big Jon Sports, GAMMA Fishing Line, Pautzke and Atlas Mike’s, AFTCO and Shimano. Captain Andy Bliss Capt. Andy first fished Lake Ontario in 1987 at the age of 7. He was hooked salmon fishing ever since! Since his early start he was able to work on many charters from Sodus Bay and Oswego learning many different styles and techniques from a variety of Captains. In ‘99 he started fishing full time aboard the Cold Steel out of Oswego with Capt. Tom Burke. Since then they have competed in many tournaments from the East end to the West end of the lake. With over 20 first place finishes and numerous Top Ten finishes, they know what it takes to be the best! They have won the Lake Ontario Challenge Cup 5 times and they were runner up another 5 times! This experience has taught them how to fish in many different conditions and produce results. Capt. Andy love fishing the open waters of Lake Ontario and typically compares it to a chess match. He enjoys teaching the techniques to become successful at catching these special fish to anyone who is willing to learn. Capt. Andy represents these companies: Michigan Stinger, A-TOM-MIK, Pautzke Bait Co., Atlas Mikes , Pro-Troll, Cannon Downriggers, Humminbird electronics, BayRats Lures, Shark Cannonballs Captain Matt Yablonsky Captain Matt has been a charter captain for 12 years and has have been fishing the Niagara Region for 18 years. He has been a full time charter captain for the last 6 years. On average he’s on the water 250 days a year. He runs charters on Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the Lower Niagara River. A lot of people refer to him as “the small boat guy.” He has been operating his business out of a 21-foot Lund boat since he started chartering. It has allowed him to operate charters on both lakes and the Niagara River comfortably and safely. On Lake Erie he fishes for smallmouth bass, walleye and perch. On Lake Ontario he trolls for all species of trout and salmon. He also fishes the Lower Niagara River from September through May for trout and salmon. Captain Matt fishes many tournaments and derbies throughout the year including the Lake Ontario Pro-Am series, LOC Derby, Lower Niagara Sport Fishing Challenge, Niagara Basseye and Reeling for a Cure. In the LOC Derby alone he has 40 top 20 places since 2009, of which 2 are grand prize, 6 are first place and 4 are second place. He was on the winning team for the Niagara Pro-Am in 2006 and won the Trophy division of the Niagara Pro-Am in 2012 as a captain. He has had the grand champion team 3 times and grand champion angler 4 times in the as had multiple articles written about his derby wins and techniques of fishing the various bodies of water in the Erie-Niagara region. You can find these articles in the Great Lakes Angler, Lake Ontario Outdoors, The Fisherman magazine, Salmon-Trout-Steelheader magazine and New York Outdoor News. Captain Matt has provided footage for various television shows. One of the shows was filmed on the Lower Niagara River for Illinois Outdoors. Other television shows were filmed on Lake Ontario for CRCS OUTDOORS. So far he has filmed 6 episodes for CRCS Outdoors. Matt represents these companies: Yakima Bait Co., A-TOM-MIK Trolling flies Silver Streak spoons, Torpedo, Tuf-Line and Shimano. So, signup early so that you are guaranteed a seat to avoid being left out in the cold. If you love to fish the Great Lakes for Kings, this is a great way to “Kick Off” your 2020 Season. Where else would you want to be in the Great Lakes on a Saturday in January than learning how to increase your catch from 3 expert Captains along with Karl and Lance, sitting in a comfortable venue talking salmon fishing with a room full of individuals with the same common interest that you have? Tickets are pre-sale only and have sold out every year (early December sellout for the 2019 School).

On Thursday September 12th at 7:00pm we will hold a general membership meeting at The North Amherst Fire Company, 2200 Tonawanda Creek Rd. Amherst, NY. The meeting topic is “Season Wrap Up Roundtable” with multiple LOTSA Captains. Come share your insight from the 2019 season and maybe learn a thing or two. These discussions are information packed and full of useful tid-bits. Bring your favorite rig to show and share with the group if you wish. Bay Rat Lures will be onsite to unveil a custom bait that will be on sale during the Greater Niagara Fishing & Outdoor Expo that will be held in January. A portion of the proceeds from this bait will be donated to the Niagara County Salmon Pen Projects. Big Thank You to Bay Rat Lures for doing this. See you Thursday at 7!

On Thursday July 11 at 7pm, the Lake Ontario Trout & Salmon Association (LOTSA) will be sponsoring a Seminar by Capt. Rob Wescott of Legacy Sportfishing on Lake Ontario western basin summer time King Salmon fishing. Rob fishes out of Sandy Creek aboard the Legacy his 29 ft. Penn Yan Prowler. Rob has been fishing Lake Ontario for over 30 years with the last 12 years as a successful charter captain. He has placed in many tournaments including this years 2 nd place finish in the Niagara Pro Am and also 1 st place at the King of the Oak the day before finishing 3 rd at the Orleans County Open. Many of you might recognize Rob from his many posts on the Lake Ontario United website always giving valuable information to help fellow anglers. Rob will be discussing his techniques and answering questions on fishing the western end of the lake for summer time King Salmon that he has learned over the many years fishing the lake. With our LOTSA Tournament the weekend of July 19 th and 20 th Rob will be able to give some tips that should help you in putting more fish in your box and maybe an edge over others that will not be there for his seminar. This for sure is one meeting you don’t want to miss. LOTSA is a group of mainly weekend recreational fishermen who are dedicated to the enhancement of the Lake Ontario Sport-Fishery including the pen rearing project at Olcott. Each meeting also features a sharing of information the current fishing conditions. So come join us and become more successful at fishing Lake Ontario! The meeting will be held at the new location for our LOTSA meetings, The North Amherst Fire Company, 2200 Tonawanda Creek Rd. Amherst, N.Y. The Seminar is open to the public and free to attend. See WWW.LOTSA1.ORG for any questions.

On Thursday June 13th at 7pm, the Lake Ontario Trout & Salmon Association (LOTSA) will be sponsoring a Seminar by Capt. Paul Czarnecki of Tri State Charters on fishing for Lake Ontario King Salmon. Paul has been successfully chartering on Lake Ontario since 1988 while also competing in many of the lakes tournaments. In 2014 he won the King of the Oak title aboard his ten meter Trojan named Free Spirit based out of Point Breeze. Paul will be sharing some of his proven tactics that he has used through the years and also answering any questions you may have for him. LOTSA is a group of mainly weekend recreational fishermen who are dedicated to the enhancement of the Lake Ontario Sport-Fishery including the pen rearing project at Olcott. Each meeting also features a sharing of information the current fishing conditions. So come join us and become more successful at fishing Lake Ontario! The meeting will be held at the new location for our LOTSA meetings, The North Amherst Fire Company, 2200 Tonawanda Creek Rd. Amherst, N.Y. The Seminar is open to the public and free to attend. See WWW.LOTSA1.ORG for any questions. Sent from my VS995 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

This is the only place I've ever found them. Good people to deal with. http://calumetmarine.3dcartstores.com/Die-Ver-Dock--Standard-Size-2pc-Set_p_89.html Sent from my VS995 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

The 2019 Lotsa pen rearing project is progressing exceptionally well. This year we expanded the project by two pens. The NYDEC authorized us to increase our steelhead program from 3500 fish to 10,000, meaning we needed two more pens. DEC provided funding to have one pen built by the Orleans Niagara BOCES welding class. Progress on this pen fell a little behind and the pen was not able to be completed by the time we needed it, so Bootleggers Cove Marina in Wilson stepped up and loaned us 2 of their unused pens for 2019. The pens were assembled and placed in the water on April 6th. Nearly 50 LOTSA members were assisted by 15 or 16 members of the Lake Erie Chapter of Fly Fishers, and the 6 pens were rigged and ready for the water in record time of 45 minutes. Our fish were received in Olcott on April 9th. The chinook were received in three pens and the average weight was 143 fish to the pound, which is a little smaller than we have received in the past but they looked good and healthy. The steelhead were received larger than normal at 21 fish to the pound. A small group of volunteers weighed the fish in Olcott on April 23rd to check growth rates. Due to the better food that has been provided by DEC and more stable creek temperatures this year, the fish are growing at an exceptional rate and will be well beyond the target weight when they are released. Some dates to keep in mind We plan on releasing the steelhead on April 29th. We will meet at 6:30 pm, weigh the fish and then cut them loose just before dark to reduce predation by birds and prey fish. On Wednesday May 1st, all 6 of the pens will be moved to the launch area where the 3 steelhead pens will be re-rigged to accept brown trout. The Brown trout will be held for 2 to 3 days and released. This will help acclimate them to the local water and hopefully help survival. They will be released just before dark on May 4th or 5th, date is yet to be determined. We have received an extension on the chinook release date, so this year we will hold them for and additional week provided water temperatures stay stable. May 7th the chinook will be weighed at 6:30 pm and released shortly before dark. The pens will be removed and cleaned on Saturday May 11th at 9:30, please come out and help as this is one of the most labor intensive operations that we have, and we rarely have enough help. Thank you to all of the LOTSA members that have volunteered, Lake Erie Chapter of Fly Fishers, DEC, Town of Newfane, Town of Newfane Marina and their employees, Bootleggers Cove Marina in Wilson, The Boat Doctor, and everyone else that has volunteered and donated time and money to this project which has made it such and enormous success. These pen projects across Lake Ontario are the future of our salmon fishery.

On Thursday May 9th at 7pm, the Lake Ontario Trout & Salmon Association (LOTSA) will be sponsoring a Seminar by Capt Bob Stevens of Sunrise II Sportfishing from the back of his boat at the Bootleggers Cove Marina at 6 O’Connell Dr. Wilson NY 14172. Bob will be sharing his knowledge and techniques on fishing for spring King Salmon at the Niagara Bar and also out of Oak Orchard. Bob is currently fishing out of his boat called the Sunrise II it’s a 1999 34 ft. Pursuit Express Fisherman. Bob has been one of the top charter captains on the western end of Lake Ontario for the past thirty years. Although he rarely fishes in tournaments now, in the past he has been quite successful placing in the top ten twenty-seven times in sixty tournaments. Bob will be doing his seminar from the back of his boat with a hands on approach, going over boat set up and also proven techniques he has developed over his many years on the lake. Be sure to arrive early and enjoy a hot dog and drink prepared by LOTSAs one and only famous griller Marty Polovick. LOTSA is a group of mainly weekend recreational fishermen who are dedicated to the enhancement of the Lake Ontario Sport-Fishery including the pen rearing project at Olcott. Each meeting also features a sharing of information the current fishing conditions. So come join us and become more successful at fishing Lake Ontario! The Seminar is open to the public and free to attend. See WWW.LOTSA1.ORG for any questions.

April 11th General Membership Meeting Please note the meeting location change. North Amherst Fire Company, 2200 Tonawanda Creek Rd, Amherst, NY 14228 On Thursday April 11 at 7pm, the Lake Ontario Trout & Salmon Association (LOTSA) will be sponsoring a Seminar by Capt. Damian Kuzmin on early spring King Salmon techniques. Damian has been fishing for King Salmon on Lake Ontario since the early 1980s. He currently fishes out of the port of Wilson NY, fishing primarily the western end of the lake both in NY and Canadian waters. He has had good success chartering and also tournament fishing using the knowledge he has gained through the years spent on the lake. His love and knowledge of the fishery has led him to be President and co-owner of Bay Rat Lures. In 2011 he along with his partner decided to come up a better lure to improve their catch rate. They started in his basement making lures and soon the word got out how well the lures were working and the demand for them took off. In 2014 they started the company now known today as the Bay Rat Lure Co. The lures have become one of the hottest Brown Trout and King Salmon lures used by many charter captains and top tournament teams. Damian will be there to discuss his techniques and answer any questions you may have on how to put more fish in your box. LOTSA is a group of mainly weekend recreational fishermen who are dedicated to the enhancement of the Lake Ontario Sport-Fishery including the pen rearing project at Olcott. Each meeting also features a sharing of information the current fishing conditions. So come join us and become more successful at fishing Lake Ontario! Meetings are held at the North Amherst Fire Company, 2200 Tonawanda Creek Rd, Amherst, NY 14228, and begin at 7pm.

2019 LOTSA EVENTS WWW.LOTSA1.ORG SEMINARS & GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS: The dates of our meetings are listed below. They begin at 7pm at the North Amherst Fire Company, 2200 Tonawanda Creek Rd, Amherst, NY 14228. Please note May 9th meeting is in Wilson at Bootleggers Cove Marina. SEMINAR SERIES: Thursday April 11th - Early Spring King Techniques With Captain Damian Kuzmin Thursday May 9th - “At the Dock’ talking Kings With Captain Bob Stevens at Wilson Thursday June 13th - June Transition Fishing Technique With Captain Paul Czarnecki Thursday July 11th - Western Basin Summertime Kings With TBA Thursday September 12th - Season Wrap Up Roundtable With multiple LOTSA Captains Thursday December 12th - Annual Christmas Party 16th Annual LOTSA King Salmon Tournaments & Free Picnic July 20th 9th Annual Curt Meddaugh Memorial Free Tournament Friday July 19th See LOTSA1.ORG to sign up and for the details on both events LOTSA “Tournaments within a Tournament, free for LOTSA Members” Spring LOC Derby $1000 Cash Largest Salmon 5/10 – 5/19 Summer LOC Derby $500 Cash Largest Salmon 6/29 – 7/28 NYS Summer Classic $250 Cash Largest Salmon 7/1 – 8/31 Fish Odyssey $700 Cash Largest Salmon 8/17 – 8/25 Fall LOC Dery $500 Cash Largest Salmon 8/16 – 9/02 Salmon Pen Rearing Program: April at Olcott (Newfane Marina). See LOTSA1.ORG for the specifics

The LOTSA Officers and Board of Directors would like to Thank everyone who helped to make the Greater Niagara Fishing & Outdoor Expo successful again this year. Despite the worse weather we have had by far since 14 years ago when we started the show in the 4H building in Lockport, the Exhibitors all made it to the show and many hardy fishermen braved the elements to attend and enjoy all that it had to offer. We would thank the following for making this a success: 1. Pete Alex, Andy Bliss and Matt Yablonsky for continuing the tradition of delivering a high quality Salmon School to a sold out crowd of 170 students. Those who attended are looking forward to tweaking their 2019 Salmon program with what they learned from Pete, Andy and Matt. 2. The many LOTSA volunteers that helped with the LOTSA Booth on the floor, delivered some seminars, worked with the Salmon School instructors to build the Salmon School and take registrations, helped out at the Meet & Greet & Friday evening along with everything from check in to cleanup for the School on Saturday. Just like they do for Pen Rearing, these Volunteers are one of the reasons we all are able to enjoy the Lake Ontario King Fishery! 3. The Conference & Event Center for managing the operations of the whole show, providing attendees with the opportunity to attend a huge amount of Free Fishing Education, hosting the Salmon School Meet & Greet, providing attendees with a “state of the art” room to deliver the Salmon School in along with and excellent lunch, advertising the Salmon School and booking most of the top Lake Ontario related Trout & Salmon manufacturers as Exhibitors in the Event Center. 4. The Lake Ontario Trout & Salmon oriented manufacturers who support the Lake Ontario fishing community by Exhibiting at the show, talking with us about their latest gear, delivering seminars and offering us show pricing either directly or thru their retail outlets at who are also Exhibitors at the Show. 5. This year's Salmon School Product Sponsors which contributed to the student bags and associated raffles (including raising funds for Pen Rearing) . A big shout out to these folks. Some are new and some have been very loyal sponsors of the school year after year. We cannot thank them enough. Dreamweaver Lures* FishUSA* A-Tom-Mik Flies and Meat Rigs* Torpedo Wire* Great lakes Angler* Pro Troll* Michigan Stinger* Slide Diver* Addya Hooks Pautzke Atlas Mikes Bait Company Yakima Silver Streak Fish Thief Snubbers Vision Quest Sport Fishing Sent from my VS995 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Below is a copy of the email that Joe Yeager from LOTSA just sent out. This should answer your question Guys - I've included below the email you should have received on 12/16 with all of the details about the School. This should answer most of your questions. When you arrive at the Show enter thru the main door. At the ticket Booth please let them know your part of the Salmon School. They will have the registration list and take care of getting you your 3 day pass and Salmon School badge. You will need the Salmon School Badge to participate in the Meet & Greet event Friday night at 7pm and for entrance on Saturday including lunch. Pete, Andy and Matt have developed a very robust class and are excited about delivering it to you. We will need the full 6 hours on Saturday to get thru it all so we will be very prompt starting and with our breaks. They have requested that if you speak with them on Friday at the session, that you ask some of your burning questions to make sure you get them addressed to your satisfaction. Joe Sent from my VS995 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

You can park in the lot North of the Sheraton or in the casino parking ramp. The main doors open at 7am and the school starts promptly at 8am. Sent from my VS995 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

LOTSA doesn't do a swap meet any more. There are plenty other great ones around though. Sent from my VS995 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

SOLD OUT!!! Thank you to all who are attending, See you in January!

As of 6:09 this evening, 3 seats left. Get em while you can! Sent from my VS995 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Seats are filling fast, only 53 seats left. This is going to be a great school so Get em while you can. Sent from my VS995 using Lake Ontario United mobile app