walnut109

Personally, I was not pleased with the initial sentence. He should have lost all guiding and personal hunting/fishing license rights forever. He was undertaking an illegal action for personal financial gain. That being said, I respect the licensed guides and the services they perform. Their job is not an easy one and certainly done for the love of the outdoors.

Just saw this post today. It saddens me to hear this news. My prayers go out to the family. I will have to make a trip down to the store very soon.

Small spoons and Yo Zuri Pins Minnows. 20 to 25 feet down,

I got a 5, 44 and 31 from Old Forge Hardware years ago. I wish I had gotten more as they were old stock. Got out this AM and had a 10 minute flurry from shore. 17" and 21" RT.

In the back of the store there is a piece of paper tacked up. There are three spoon outlines, 42, 43 and 47. The first 47 I saw I thought was a fake and I did not purchase it. Then I saw the outline in the store. Got lucky to come across the 47 and the 43. 5's are my favorite for RT on hot flat days in mid-summer, but a hammered 44 is a great all-around spoon. 31 was the go to for LT back in the day along with the 88 at the bottom leader of the Seth Green rig. Miller finishes seem to hold up a bit better over time and would not bend quite as easy as a Sutton. But Suttons always seem to have that certain awkward kick every 3rd or 4th flip if run at a certain speed. I like them all, Miller, Sutton, Quick Strike and Pine Valley.

Thanks to those who are looking. The 42 is going to be hard to find. It is a hand cut spoon that was made in the same time period as the 43 and 47. Suttons are works of art in a fishing lure.

Thought I would share a photo of my Sutton flutter spoon collection that I have been gathering for a few years. Odd that I am aware of 42 different numbers and that I need a number 42 to round out the board.

Fished this weekend. Got some perch, a LT and a LLS on Saturday. My brother also caught 2 LLS and missed a few hits. Very strong SSE winds Sunday morning kept us off the water most of Sunday until late evening. Fishing was slow. Monday was good with 3 LT, 2 RT and 2 LLS with about five good hits lost. Both LLS were 20" and in nice shape. RT were 16" and 21" and exceptionally fat. The perch was very slow. Overall a good few days while on the water with the family.

I hope they catch the criminals and prosecute to the fullest extend of the law. I feel bad for the victims.

Congrats on the great fish. I am sure it will be delicious. The Skan fishery has changed a lot since the '70's. Species that were once scarce or non-existent are now appearing in numbers. I do not recall ever catching sunfish, largemouth, crappie, walleye or pickerel as a kid. Not saying that they did not inhabit the lake, we just we never caught them. Lakers, rainbows, smallmouth, perch, bullhead, sucker and rock bass were the only fish we ever boated. We did see large schools of carp back then cruising the middle trolling for trout. Not sure how they got in the lake, but they did. Back in the day, a 14-inch smallmouth or a 20-inch rainbow was something to be proud of. Now they are common place. Fish are bigger and the fishery is more diverse. Yes, harvested rainbow numbers are down, but the average size is up. Not sure DEC has a good handle on the actual targeted species on the lake. The diary reports are a great source of information but participation numbers have significantly decreased and they have always been focused more on the coldwater fishery. Based upon my observations, fisherman are targeting warmwater species much more than coldwater species. Most days trolling for rainbows, I may see one or two others out at best. Walleye will have little impact upon the rainbows or lakers. 99 percent of the walleye diet will consist of young of year perch, same as all the other species in the lake. I do not expect walleye to ever be the dominant species in the lake. It will remain lakers and smallmouth for a long time. That being said, I love fishing Skan rainbows. Great fighters, beautiful colors and good table fare. That being said, walleye are great too. I am sure both will co-exist just fine.

Nice fish!

Lakers are available within paddling distance of the State launch. Boat traffic can be a bit heavy at times.

Went to Skan this morning for the first time this year. Caught 4 LT and lost 2 LT and 1 18" RT at the boat. Looks like a good perch hatch again, which makes the fishing a bit harder for the RT. The LT were spitting up 1/2" perch and the graph was full of them between 20 and 40 feet. Water was clear and the surface temp was 75. All hits were at 55 feet down. Ran lines higher all day with nothing to show for it. No other boats trolling for trout, but one guy jigging. Boat traffic was pretty light.

For LT, 1.8 to 2.0 mph should be good. I typically run 2.4 mph, but focus more on RT, BT, LLS.

I have not been out yet this year and I typically do not start fishing Skan until late June due to focusing on warmwater species elsewhere. Skan landlocks have been tough for me the last 2 years. Much the same trolling for rainbows but I catch at least one each time out. Lakers are relatively easy to catch. Small spoons at 1.8 to 2.6 mph has worked best for me in the past and pretty much the whole lake holds fish. I would start riggers 25 to 30 down if going out now and see what the electronics tells you. I would also run a flat line on planers early or mini-dipseys. Lakers prefer a bit deeper water and slower speeds and usually are schooled. Getting the lure away from the boat is also important due to the clear water.. Good luck.