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ADKHewes

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Posts posted by ADKHewes

  1. Wanted to provide clear information for the long distance travelers like us.

     

    The boat ramp and parking lot at Wright's Landing is "open". The parking lot is accessible as in there is no construction/equipment/barriers blocking access and parking. The toll booth is boarded shut. Bathrooms are open. People are launching their boats without issue. There are several trucks/empty trailers in the parking lot.

  2. Hold on a second guys. Anyone planning on launching, despite what you read and hear, should check first with some of the members of this forum as they seem to be the authority on traveling, launch usage and general COVID-19 control. Last thing we'd want to do is upset someone for using their I mean the launches/ports prematurely. 

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  3. 12 hours ago, fisherdude said:

     It's beyond me how anyone would tow a boat 3 hours with this covid-19 going on .

    Sent from my XT1609 using Lake Ontario United mobile app
     

    Fisherdude, its easy really. A father and son, both deemed essential workers, both responsible for managing teams of people who support and execute "mission critical" work, who spend way too much time at work especially during a time of national crisis, want to get out and enjoy a morning of safe and healthy recreation. So we do our due diligence to see if the launch is open, as there has been so much unclarity on what is and isn't open, hook the boat up and go.

     

    Our work requires us to train people how to behave in this "Covid" environment, and has us monitored frequently for any potential symptoms. I promise you, our trip from a remote location in the real upstate NY to an empty FH launch did not spread Covid.

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  4. What a day of social distancing! Only boat on Lady O as far as the eye could see. Had a decent morning trolling in and out of a very defined clear/stained water line. Went 7 4 8, all fish between 5 and 7 pounds with a nice 9lb fish to close out the morning. All spoon bite, riggers only (a tad bumpy/windy for boards), 2-6' down over mostly 12 FOW.  

     

    As mentioned, launch at your own risk. There are signs up but the NYS trooper in the parking lot seemed to be tolerant if not accepting of our presence.

  5. Fair Haven State Park boat launch is "closed". There is a saw horse with a sign that says "Boat Launch Closed" on the left side of the left concrete dock. I called the park at end of the day Thursday and was told the launch was open.  Towed three hours on freshly salted roads to find a closed sign.

  6. On 4/12/2020 at 9:23 AM, mrclean said:

    Trust me boys....these things will be here for a very long time.....

    Image may contain: 1 person

     

    Nice fish! When posing for pictures, remember, "Right hand, right gill. Left hand, left gill." Something a charter captain told me a few years ago.

     

    Example:

    IMG_1559.jpg

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  7. If you ask 10 guys how you should set your boat up, you'll likely get 11 different (probably very different) answers. With the exception of competitive motorsports, I dont know of a hobby or sport that is more complex (or expensive) than great lakes trolling. I was raised by a lifelong outdoorsman/sportsman and he and I spent two solid years researching this sport before getting into it. Reading everything on the internet (LOU.com is a phenomenal resource), books, magazines, going on charters, going to shows, Salmon School, talking to captains, talking to people in the know, talking to manufacturers, product reps; you name it. This will be our third season and I still wouldn't claim to know what I'm doing. 

     

    As wackncast suggested, start doing your research, take lots of notes and go from there.

  8. Garmin Reactor with smart pump. Works beautifully. Quiet, simple. System is two years old and have had no problems. You can literally fish for 17 hours (including motoring between spots) and never have to touch the steering wheel. We've fished in flat calm to 6-7 footers, strong cross/head/tail winds. The only time you'll ever spin is when you unknowingly hit the "standby" button on the remote while kicker is turned full lock. 

  9. On 8/20/2019 at 4:21 PM, greenhornet73 said:

    How high do the winds have to be from the North to make it uncomfortable out there?  I’m hoping to try on Saturday and as of now the forcast says 6mph from the north.  If that stays true it shouldnt be too choppy for my 19’ should it?

     

    6mph will be no problem. Our general rule of thumb is N or NW @ 10mph, plan on 4 to 6 footers. In a very seaworthy, 25' boat, 4 foot seas are about as rough as we can comfortably fish in. 6's just take the fun out of it. I would say in a 19 foot boat, you'll need to be careful about not taking water over the transom in 4s plus.

  10. Last year was our first year on the water and we really started from scratch as far as big water salmon and trout trolling goes. After much research, we bought Ranger Tournament Series nets for a number of reasons. At first I considered the RS nets but for $225 per net, I wouldn't be able to handle the first time it got scratched, bent or stepped on, not to mention accidentally being sent to the bottom in 650 fow. They are also very heavy.  They do look great and seem to be made with quality components.

     

    The Ranger net is coated and we've yet to have a hook get stuck in the material. The individual holes in the bag are about 5/8" dia and it seems to be very easy on the fish.  It also rinses clean very easily with a few aggressive dunks at 2.5 mph.  The net bag material and both hoop and handle are strong and durable.  You know that low hanging branch on the West side of the parking lot at the Fair Haven state launch? No match for the Ranger Tournament Series net. The handle is octagonal in shape so there is no hunting for the hole (like on a round handled net) in the heat of the moment. You can get the big, telescoping net for about $90 bucks so if you lose it or when you step on it and bend it, it won't hurt as much. 

  11. We struggled. Fished Saturday and Sunday. One steelhead 45' down on on a rigger using a standard RV Twoface late morning. Between 6:30 and 7:30 PM we went 3 4 4 on both standard and mag Moonshine Smitty. 40-60' down in 90-110' fow. 

     

    Marked very few fish and little to no bait. Tried a wide variety of spoon patterns/sizes. Not much interested. 

  12. I apologize. Reading my post back to myself, it does sound slightly offensive. Not my intent AT ALL! As I've mentioned before, this site is an awesome source of information and I certainly do not want to wear out my welcome!

  13. UPDATE:

    Brought the boat home and parked her in the garage mid Feb. Since then, we've been working every weekend (and some week nights) rigging the boat. Here's where we're at: 

    -OP 220 Rigid soft top/ET

    -Honda BF 250/9.9HT (with HD SS tie bar) and HD-4 gauge

    -Hewes (WhoDat factory) folding fish tower with 6 rocket launchers and net holder

    -Truck suspension seats, washdown pump, live well, shark hide

    -Garmin GPSMAP 1242 XSV at helm

    -Garmin GPSMAP 1042 XSV on RamMount on fish tower for fishing deck

    -Garmin Reactor 40 Corepack with SmartPump and GHC 20 display

    -Garmin 210 AIS VHF w 8' antenna

    -Garmin AP remote

    -Garmin CV52HW-TM transducer

    -(Maybe we should buy stock in Garmin)

    -Trollmaster Pro Troll Pro3+

    -3 Scotty HP2116 Downriggers w/15lb Sharks

    -6 Cannon ratcheting/swiveling rod holders on Cannon tracks

    -BigJon Planer Rigger mast/reels mounted in bow with double keel Otter Boats

    -FishHawk X4D 

    -Black Oak 20" Marine Headlight and POD deck light 

    -Flexfire under gunnel LED Strips (White throughout, UV in stern)

     

    Hoping to finish this weekend! Pics to come...

     

     

  14. Garmin makes several AP systems, including their Reactor 40 Corepack with SmartPump and GHC 20 display. Not sure what you're willing to spend but I think this system and support that comes with it is second to none. In doing quite a bit of research, it sounds like the Lowrance Outboard Pilot is a toy compared to the SmartPump system.

  15. I'm interested to know if anyone has used the Traxstech planer reels with the integrated pulley (specifically part numbers PR-300 or APR-3000) and what you think. I've been told by one individual that the small pulley made it all but impossible to reel in an Otter Boat.

  16. Hi all,

     

    I am very near to pulling the trigger on a new Ocean Pro 220. We will be using the boat to fish local lakes for walleye, trout and landlocked salmon as well as Ontario for Kings, steelhead, trout and more.  I have a pretty good idea of what major components we will rig but I'd like to get input from experienced/knowledgeable people who can tell me what I need/don't. Here goes:

     

    • BF250 or 225 and BF9.9 high thrust joined with tie bar (Are there better options to control kicker?)
    • Fish tower (factory or Barewest) with 6 rocket launcher rod holders, 2 net holders, radar plate, tabs for deck lights and headlights
    • Lowrance HDS-12 GEN3 with Sonar and Structure scan (considering second 9" unit to mount in the stern)
    • Lowrance Outboard pilot AP with WR10 Remote & BT1 Base Station
    • TROLLMaster Pro2/Pro3/iTroll (Suggestions?)
    • 3x Scotty 2116 HP Riggers
    • 4x Big Jon ratcheting rod holders (very much open to suggestions-vertical trees, Traxstech systems, etc. What works best for plate boats?)
    • Planer rigger - fish tower mounted reels, port & starboard or Dual planer rigger mounted toward bow. Suggestions?
    • Fish Hawk X4 or X4D
    • Lawrence Link-8 VHF with 8' folding antenna

     

    Feel free to agree with or tear my list apart. You won't hurt my feelings and I am always happy to learn! I greatly appreciate the input!

  17. Hi all. Long time lurker, first time poster. What a great resource and wealth of knowledge this site is!

     

    I'm in the process of buying a Hewescraft Ocean Pro 220 ET/RT. I live in the Fonda, NY area and we fish many of the Adirondack lakes/reservoirs (George, Champlain, Indian, Sacandaga, Otsego to name a few). We are outfitting the boat to fish these lakes as well as our newest endevour; Ontario.

     

    I had a few questions about rigging, electronics, tackle, etc.. After hanging around the site for a few months, I have even more.  So much to learn. 

     

    To start, I may make a separate post describing the layout/accessories/electronics I have in mind and let you folks tell me if I'm way off base or headed in the right direction.

     

    Thank you ahead of time! 

    Josh

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