Scalloper 1

Sweet, I just herd today that Wildwood campground will be opening this weekend so its game on.

Still for sale

On 4/3/2025 at 3:13 PM, HB2 said:

So theoretically 2 guys could go on an 8 hr charter and limit out with small  salmon  in 1 1/2  on a great day and the capt says we're done and head back to port and charge for an  8 hr charter  ? Does this actually happen ?  

All the time.

On 4/2/2025 at 3:31 AM, HB2 said:

So how does this work ? Say 2 guys pay for an all day charter and limit out in 2 hrs , even if they are C&R and you count released fish towards their limit .  Do you as a captain pull lines and head back to port and you are done for the day after 2 hrs  ? Do they pay the full day fee or do you refund them and charge them half or quarter day? 

Thats what most captains do

Where are you located?

How many do you have for sale?

Would this be considered a long shaft?

If there was I would guess it would be almost as much to pay a charter considering all of the messes some would get into running down riggers and a boat they are unfamiliar with.

If someone is on a charter and wants to keep their fish then I completely understand. 

Me and a buddy went on a charter 3 years ago and my buddy doesn't eat fish so he had the mate release two. When the captain looked in the cooler and saw that there were 3 fish less then we landed he asked what happened to the other fish. The mate said he didn't want to keep any so he let them go. The captain was quite upset. I understand that not all charter boats are the same but it did seem odd most will keep small 20' kings just to box out.

There is a argument on fish survivability with warm waters and deeply hooked fish, I get it. But as a 35 year commercial fisherman I also understand if you want to release a fish it has far better chances in the lake then it would in the cooler.

Very nice

Did I miss the price?

41 minutes ago, Missdemeanor said:

Catch and release .... Interesting topic...  There are lots of factors that are involved...I guess it all depends on the time of year, water temps, depth of fishing,where the fish was hooked, how long was the fight, did the guest drop the fish on its head when we took the photo? ( I might be forgetting something). 

    I specifically ask guests " Are we keeping fish today" as I am setting the first rod. In a perfect world.... If the reply is no, then I take extra time to ensure the fish is in good condition. If the guest doesn't want a picture, I won't even take the fish out of the net... Unhook, and flip the net over .. so minimal protective slime is lost. If I can tow the fish behind the boat and try to revive it, I will. Sometimes that's not possible ..

    I have no issues with releasing fish.... But I refuse to release fish that are floaters....That is not ethical... 

     That brings up an interesting debate...  If you are out on the Lake ( Charter or recreation)... And you box a limit catch... Do you still remain out fishing? If the answer is " Yes", what do you do if you gill hook a fish and it's going to die? Do you keep it  even though you got a box and now you're over the limit? Do you let the fish float? Is it wonton waste to knowingly let that fish float off dead? I don't know ... Ethically I couldn't let a fish float off only to be scavenged by seagulls... Many ways to look at it.... 

   I know lots of charter captains who still love the sport and love watching folks catch fish. However there has to be tough decisions made on the water to ensure guests have a good time, while ensuring there are more fish to catch in the future.  I don't think it's a business decision, but more of a moral decision.... J.m.o.  

       Be well guys and tight lines

   

 

  

Well said

I have been on a few charters on LO and fished it out of my own boat for years. I was always surprised whith the lack of CR. As a matter of fact it seems to be the complete opposite where many charter boats keep every legal fish just to box out and head to the doct early. Even if some of the salmon are 20" or less. This makes 0 since to me when that fish will get to be 15+ lbs in another year or so.

Price drop to $27,000

14 hours ago, jmyers8 said:

I've messed around with the sams pro releases in all different settings and co figurations. At best I'm getting about 50 percent release ration. I think over the winter I'm probably going to change to a snapper release on the front and back only running one a side isn't as critical for them to release 

I do only run 1 per side but man, if it doesn't release its difficult to tell if you are putting to much pressure on the fish/leader. And when it does release they track right behind the boat vs plane on top of my dipsys. 

15 hours ago, 13owhunter said:

Are you using the "Sams Pro" style release?  If so the orientation matters as does whether it is mounted directly to the board or attached with a large o ring.  It also helps to set the release VERY light even pulling heavy lines.   If not, let us know what style release you are using.

Yes I am. I dont have the large O-ring I mounted it as Offshore recommended.

Thanks

I have been trying to get the SST Pro Mag Offshore boards to release smoothly while trolling 350 copper. I even bought the proper release for the braid but they continue to hang up 70% of the time. I have watched several Youtube videos but after several weeks I still cant get them to release consistently.

Any tips?

As some know LO has been producing great numbers for the last 2 months. Last friday and Saturday were on fire but Sunday in the weather and Monday and tuesday things seemed to cool down considerably. I am heading back from home here in Maine tomorrow for 10 days. Hopefully things pick back up.

I first fish Lake O in 1996. Back then in the spring the streams were full of smelt. I am guessing the lack of higher quality smelt may be some of the reason for smaller kings.

The boat is running charters every week. Stop buy and check it out. Owner may consider a 22-24' Aluminum boat in trade even if he would need to pay extra. He would like to trailer a smaller boat to the salt off and on.

Bill Saffis catches as many as anyone and more then most and none of his boats have them.

Accuracy is always important. So far I think that I wasted my money on this thing. I cant say it has put one extra fish in my boat mainly because its not accurate or consistent. The temp does seem to be accurate but for speed....... junk.

There is a huge difference in the speed over ground vs what the FH transducer reads. I am talking about in a small lake in Maine with no current. Should I calibrate the FH transducer speed to match speed over ground from my GPS? Then set my probe down 4’ and set that to match the transducer and the GPS.

Is it something you use often?

Do any of you troll using the black 12 oz torpedo weights off of boards to fish 60-70' down?