Prof T

Just got back from a Sunday drive. Oneida Lake is still 80% covered w/ ice with very little breakup along the North Shore. Visited the hatchery and they have NOT yet set nets for walleye. All of the troughs are empty, although the creek next door is stacked with fish ready to spawn. Seeing that alone was worth the drive. Wish I knew where those big breeders spent the summer! Boats are ready to go and I was told they are going to try to get started Tuesday, but a shift in the wind and ice breakup will raise hell with the process. If you're in the neighborhood over the next couple weeks, it's a good show. Big difference from the salmon process in that fish are stripped and returned to the lake, relatively unharmed. They also bring in some notable "other" species for display that end up in the nets. I also photographed a chart they had on the wall and it is attached here as a photo. That's a lot of walleyes stocked from this one hatchery, and lots of lakes benefit besides just Oneida. I'm from Rome and I know Lake Delta is a big beneficiary, as well as many others.

After reading 4 hours worth of posts from the past couple of seasons, and with some great advice from Kevin Legg, I decided to pour some bottom bouncers for the upcoming season. My fishing is on the St Lawrence these days, and 3 to 4 knot currents have a way of making bottom contact a "challenge". The top bb is a Bass Pro 4 oz for size comparison. My smaller one is 4" 1/2 lead filled copper tube at 8oz. Next is a 6" at a little over 10oz. I used wire from the flags like the ones National Grid uses to mark underground power lines. Don't stress, they can be purchased at Lowes. I did pour an 8 incher on a coat hanger.... hope I never have to use it! Now I need to get out the dumbells to build up the strength to use them.

Give this a try: Goose Balls Slice 2 breast fillets lengthwise into 3 strips Cut those strips into 5 or 6 equal size bite size cubes Place your 30 or so cubes on a flat cutting board or plastic surface Use a macerator (see pic) and puncture the cubes twice, the second pass at 90 degrees to the first Mix em up and repeat Give them a generous dusting of garlic salt and pepper. Cut a slice of bacon in thirds, then cut each piece lengthwise in half Wrap each cube in a bacon slice and skewer, leaving a little space. I break the bamboo into smaller kabobs of about 5 pieces. Wrap tightly in saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Allows spice to permeate meat) Grill on high heat, hitting all four sides to char, but DO NOT OVERCOOK. When bacon is done, so is the goose. You will be amazed at how good this simple, cheap recipe tastes without trying to make the meat taste like something it isn’t. Be sure to eat while hot. Ours don’t make it far away from the grill!

Assuming you're of to see Kurt. Hopper size is 14 lbs. That's a lot of goose sticks, but they never get turned away by folks who say they won't eat goose. We picked up 3 in the field Sunday and only 1 this AM on the river.

Man, what a pile of birds! Good hunt.

Kevin, We've got a lease in the LaFargeville / Clayton area. Been out 3 times and killed birds 2. Very slow start compared to years past for us.

Kevin, Nice series of posts of your river walleyes. Just starting to come on board for them, but have been jigging deeper water rather than trolling. Now that the boat traffic is reduced, might go back to pulling plugs without having to fight so much chopped up grass. Any tips on how to set up?