Prof T

I've got a question for "extreme" users. My boat's usually in the water for about 8 months and I put about 200 hrs on it annually. Power is a 2017 90 Merc Fourstroke w/ Command Thrust lower unit. I'd say 80 % of the use is trolling at about 600 RPM until October, then operation becomes more normal running from spot to spot for a couple of months. I pulled boat this week and am going through the normal pre winter chores. Lower unit grease, Merc High Performance only, is as beat as any grease I've ever seen. Black and stinks! I realize now, after looking it up, that I about doubled the 100 hr recommended change interval. (or as buddy Kevin suggests, every 100 WALLEYES!) My question is to those guys who keep their boats in. Do you pull mid season to do the 100 hr gear lube change? To anyone who runs 200 -250 hrs before change, how does the lube hold up? Research says that black and smelly is "normal" indicator for worn out lube. There's an acceptable amount of fine particulate, no shavings or chunks. I've run boats for 40 years and unless there's a problem with water infiltration of a part giving up, it's always come out looking just like when it went in. I tend to create problems, but beaten up lubricant to me is a sign of problems to come. Next season I plan to start checking it at 50 to 75 walleyes, I mean hours,

Didn't think this would take off like this, but it got me off to do some research and I found some pretty interesting, at least to this old shop teacher, stuff pertaining to threads, bolts and TORQUE. (I just wrote a long, long explanation of what's going on when you tighten a bolt and decided to delete it because who really cares except race car drivers and astronauts) I always try to follow manufacurer's recommendations. Somebody a lot smarter than me writes them, and for good reason. That's why the NO ADDITIONAL LUBE position. I say additional because the plating is there to provide a controlled amount of slippage so torque readings are consistent. Yesterday I changed my plugs and had just looked this up. Factory plugs in a 2017 Merc 90 Fourstroke. 556 hours. Thats a lot of heat/cool cycles. No evidence of lube on the old plugs, and they all came out just fine. New ones went in dry, torqued. Will let you know at 1000. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

NGK does NOT recommend anti seize. Plugs, as long as they are not the black steel type, are plated to prevent seizing. Spend your money on a torque wrench to prevent overtightening. It will save stripped out threads and seizing from its number one cause, overtightening.

High capacity trailer to pull behind ATV / UTV. 1 7/8" coupler. Sits level behind wheeler. Large tires pull easily though the woods, slides over stumps and rocks. I built this from thick wall 1 1/2" tubing to haul firewood, equipment, gear, deer, rocks, you name it. Sides are smooth so they slide along trees. Track is slightly narrower than wheeler. Bed is 5 ft by 40 inches by 12 inches deep. Sold camp so no longer needed. Possible delivery within reason.

Nope..folks pretty quiet. I think the fish come in from the lake and stage deep. Sure would like to get a confirmation on that. I also believe it's still early, there's limited to no runoff because of lack of rain, and the water's warm. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Kevin's said this numerous times. It'sard to find an area of the state with more opportunities for a fisherman. I live on the river now and this summer has seen an explosion in the number of fishing boats. Don't know if it's the Bassmaster publicity or the stay close to home recommendations dealing with Covid. Probably a combination of both in combination with a lot of good PR from this site and others. Bottom line is the pressure has increased on the fish and that poses a bit of a problem. I remember easy limits on Oneida 40 years ago, so much so that even I, a devoted stream fisherman, bought my first boat and got the Walleye fever. Populations were booming, launches were jammed and bait and tackle shops happy. After a hot run, it was followed by a deep decline in numbers. A lot of that was also attributed to factors other than pressure, but my point is that there will be swings in any fishery. After a long dip Oneida is booming again. It's hard to release summer walleyes here because they're caught relatively deep, the water's warm and they usually have an exhaustive battle in the current on the way to the boat. I've tried hard to revive fish in the livewell with little success. End result is that most fish caught end up in somebody's freezer. That's going to have a lasting effect I'm afraid. So for that reason, I plan to slow down and stow the walleye gear for the remainder of this season and concentrate on the perch.

Roughrider, You may want to consider postponing that retirement. I get to fish whenever I want and hunt as well. Get up at 3 to get a couple hours in before sunrise and still have time for a decent nap. I have time to keep my gear maintained, always clean my guns before putting them away, and have organized everything in my boat. I even sorted my nuts and bolts in the shop and separated the fine threads from the coarse ones. All of my drill bits are sharpened as well as my knives and scissors. Its a very busy life and not everyone is cut out for it. I hope everyone who reads this realizes I am extremely lucky and grateful for the life, family, friends and situation I have. Tight lines to my online friends, I need to go look for some perch. Prof T

I cleaned over 80 and didn't have the worm problem in any of them. I always associated that with warmer water. River surface temp is now at 67. When I do, I discard them.

Hey Rider, Congrats on the success and thanks for the mention, but I've got to pass this one up the ladder. Had it not been for Kevin's help a few years ago I'd probably be learning how to cook gobys! It turned out we're neighbors, and we've had some great adventures since we put things together. Here's what I did NOT do. I didn't ask for a spot, or a particular bait. What I did was put the time in, like you, alone, till I got it down and finally started to connect. Took half a summer and 30 nights out. Only then did I contact Kevin. I've limited my posts recently because I got followed, and now I can't fish my most productive spots because they're crowded and overfished. Same deal for a couple other friends whos names no longer appear in these posts. Fortunately, its a big river, with lots of good structure. And now, most of my fishing is in the dark, while most humans are asleep. It's been good having conversations with you. By the way, I've turned my attention to mr walleye's cousin, the yellow perch!!!!! Prof T

Justin, Congrats on the big day! I'm imagining 9 rods on a day when the bite's hot! Most guys know Kevin and I have a pretty successful program going here on the SLR. Your post highlights MY biggest flaw: when I get a pattern working, I beat it to death until it stops before I change it up. By waiting till then, new patterns that might have worked great when the fish were active don't get a fair test. The best time to experiment is when you know fish are catchable. Kevin and I have talked about this before. Whey do we catch most fish on the same two patterns? Because its what we put out first! If they're active we catch fish and say that's the golden lure or presentation. I don't try the rest of the tackle box until the bite slows. Not a fair comparison. The same goes for location, depth, lead lengths, etc. Case in point: Picked my rigger up to mid depth this week even though I usually chase the bottom and have had great success. Past 2 trips, limits, and some of the best fish of the season. Also left the structure for the flats, even when I knew I could get them there.

18 perch and a northern from the river today. Fished edges of weed beds, tons of small perch to pick though to get some keepers. 20 - 22 ft. Northern an "accident" on a perch rod. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Had good luck ice fishing Long Point last winter. Now I'm wondering what the program is in the bay for fall perch? Not looking for spots, but looking for general information on when the bite begins and what type of area to start out in. I see Greg is selling a drag weight for drift fishing at the hardware store. Nothing more enjoyable than a day on a hot school of perch!

PM Sent

Offshore: So very glad the party onboard all made it safely to shore. A great reminder to us all how quickly things can turn to crap, and how little time you can have to to get PFD's on. 2 miles is a long, long way in the water without them. I'm 66 and it's been really easy to get used to wearing an inflatable vest whenever I'm out at night, especially alone. I see a lot of people doing the same. A great late Father's Day present! I'm amazed it doesn't happen more often. I'm on the St. Lawrence in the Narrows area and weekends there are boat running well over 15 in the dark all night long. What kind of damage was there to your boat that caused that much water in so fast? Transom tear away?

Dave, which one's which, top to bottom? Thanks, Prof T

I generated maps using Sonar Chart, submitting meticulously created sonar logs and the result was a unique, detailed chart similar to, but nowhere as good as this. I found shoals not detailed on any chart before, and I know it produced fish for me, many for friends, and for those who stalked us. This looks like a game changer for sure! Especially if you're a hunter who's always on the prowl looking for new areas and untapped fish. I've been critical in the past of Navionics on the river because of missing detail, but that appears to have been improved. Need to look closer in my area before I pull the trigger. Also, they offer a rebate if you have an older version of Nav+ which will soften the blow a little.

x2 on the Emeralds

That's like asking if I know a spot to pick mushrooms . The how's a little easier. Most guys anchor up and fish bait. Bring a LOT. Slip bobber, a couple hooks, light sinker to keep it down. Some guys drift with small jigs. GOOD OLD FASHIONED FISHING. Look for warmer water as the fish are spawning now, and a little color helps. Bring a kid. Hit the right day and they'll be hooked because there can be a lot of action if you hit it right. Finally, DON"T CROWD OTHER BOATS or run real close to them. These schools are spookier than they are given credit for. If you are looking for boats to find fish, as you approach, find a spot comfortably to the outside. Generally you'll be on the bigger fish. Once you get them coming, keep bait in the water to keep them there by running multiple rods. Nothing's worse than doing it all right, having fish coming, and having someone motor over the school you've worked to get going. A little thought and courtesy go a long way.

Yesterday Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Jason, Goose Bay early, followed by Eel Bay now. Welcome aboard!

OK....Years ago New roller trailer...put buddy in boat because launch was shallow and no docks...going to back way in so he could back boat off. Well, launch dropped off quicker than I thought. In 6 inches of water in my rearview all I can see are huge eyeballs as he hollers. What did I do? PANICKED AND HIT THE BRAKES! You know the rest of the story.