Label everything 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Great report Capt Rich!!!

This same knucklehead tried to rip me off last fall when I posted a wanted/iso for a thermo-troll 840 foul weather cover.  I figured he was a troll as I always check out posters creds or reputation stats…this jerk joined LOU the same day I posted my ad…reported him straight to LOU.  I never did get any response from LOU admin team, just assumed (😫😫) they did their thing.  Apparently they missed this lamprey.🤬🤬🤬

Dan— I have had great success with Bunky’s Charter Boat Fishing (https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100055396102171). They are located at 14448 Solomons Island Rd S, Solomons, MD 20688.  My son and I did two charters for trophy season stripers and had great success.

Respectfully

Scott aka Pair of Jacks

I bought mine based on BoatUS:  https://www.boatus.org/study-guide/equipment/vds
 

Glad is was something inexpensive and simple.

I have been a member of BostUS and all my boats are insured by BoatUS via GIECO since I bought my first boat 45 years ago and I now own 3 boats.  I get the unlimited towing from BoatUS Tow.  I consider myself a fairly good sailer/boater and marine mechanic and would not go boating without the tow insurance.  I had to use it once when I filled up at a marina that had water contaminated gas.  We were 8 miles from the dock in my 1995 21’ SeaRay when the engine fouled out.  I had 2 non-nautical guests on board…fortunately the weather was good and TowBoatUS was responsive and a great service.  They had four other toes that same day…all of us had filled up at the same marina😫😫😫.   I would be without it.

Oh yeah!!!

LOU colleagues—I want to give a shout-out to FishingSkrip27 (here on LOU)who is starting up a small business making and selling spoon pads.  The attached picture gives you a sample of his work and product.  I recommend him without reservation.

Another point to be aware of  for Mercury 4-stroke outboards is Mercury specifically recommends lower viscosity oil during cold weather operation.  I learned the hard way with my 2019 Mercury 25 EFT 4-stroke. I fish year around here on my home port on Lake Anna Virginia and last winter (January 2023) we headed out on a 35 degree day and before we ever left the slip the engine alarmed and shut down.  Fortunately the engine shut down before any real damage…took the boat to my dealer…and he fired up the motor inside his maintenance bay (68 degrees) and no issues.  Then he checked the oil change history and eureka the oil was the higher viscosity warm weather  oil.  So I learned a valuable lesson…read the owners manual wrt different operating conditions and different oil viscosity.  

Sherman—sorry for the confusion… you stated in your original post,”I have found the dredge weights to work the best with less blowback than all the others I have tried.”  So I search google for Dredge weights and found this:  https://fishrazr.com/dredge-pulling-kit-in-waterproof-box-with-6lb-fish-weight/

If I now understand your post a dredge weight is just a downrigger weight shaped like a fish…correct?

3 hours ago, steelie1 said:

I have a box of 10-12 of them if ya want them.  You would have to pick them up because they’re way too heavy to ship when I’m in northeast PA.

Sherman—can you clarify how you use dredge weights to reduce blow back…I looked on YouTube and I found a dredge weight but it looks like an over signed Alabama rig you attach to a fish-shaped downrigger weight… I cannot see how this configuration would decrease blowback when it just adds more surface area to the weight.

Capt Rich…many thanks.  That video should be in your HOF library😎😎😎.

Capt Rich— great video of the young man doing a great job handling that salmon.  Just curious what rod/reel/line combo?  It sure looked like it was a medium rod and it was all it could do to handle the big salmon.

sad situation indeed.  My dad had a mid 80’s 16’ sea nymph that my brother now has…solid as can be but dad had to have the transom completely replaced under warranty as there was a manufacturer’s production process problem that allowed water to get into to transom.  After repairs were made she was a stout fishing machine.
 

Just curious if your zinc anode on your motor was also affected?  The entire purpose of the zinc anode is to be that sacrificial metal that stray voltage will eat up vice your motor or your aluminum hull.  The other thing it could be is galvanic corrosion caused by two dissimilar metals in contact with each other with moisture being introduced typically a ferrous metal and a nonferrous metal with the non-ferrous metal being the sacrificial metal.  During my aircraft maintenance days in the USAF we had to inspect our jets on a regular basis for this situation.  Typical scenario where galvanic corrosion start is when someone inadvertently introduced/installed an unapproved steel fastener (screw, bolt, nut, washer, etc) to panel or airframe component.  In some cases the culprit was two different pieces of aluminum one with a higher ferrous content than specified.  We lost several aircraft to structural failure due to this problem.

I have a a 16’ tracker Laker Guide DLX I use for walleye and land locked striper… my Minn Kota Terrova is my exclusive trolling motor and it’s powered by a West Marine deep cycle lead acid battery and it last for about a day and a half of continuous trolling.  When we go to northern Ontario walleye fishing I take a spare battery so we can swap and charge the depleted battery while fishing.  My Mercury 25Hp 4-stroke trolls down to 1.4 mph easily without a trolling plate or bags.  The only reason I prefer the Terrova is less wear and tear on the outboard and the Terrova has an autopilot function and can record tracks which make it really nice to fish.

I am looking for a Thermo Troll 840 foul weather cover. Will pay shipping.

Find tins—many thanks.  That exactly what I am looking for!!!  Many thanks!!!

Tight lines 

PoJ

LOU colleagues —I looking for your “hacks” on the best way to store spoons and divers on board during fishing trip.  I have my preferred method of off-season storage, but while my method is very organized and efficient for long term storage it does not work as well on the boat.  Pictures would be appreciated and as always many thanks in advance for your advice.

Pair of Jacks

LOU Collegues FYI/SA:

The Lake Ontario creel survey recently wrapped up another season, and preliminary results indicate:

• Excellent Chinook salmon fishing in 2023. Angler catch rates for Chinook during the 2023 fishing season were the second highest in the 37-year survey and 40% above the 10-year average.
• Relatively smaller Chinook (kings) compared to the long-term average, but still running about 18.4 pounds for an age-3 fish.
• Higher catches of Atlantic salmon across all areas. Although still relatively rare, catches of this native species are on the rise with catch rates 82% above the 10-year average in 2023.
• Decent brown trout fishing. West area anglers targeting browns struggled a bit in the spring and larger browns were reportedly harder to come by across all areas, but the “cookie-cutter” 2 to 4 pound browns were plentiful in the east and east central areas, and lake-wide seasonal catch rates placed 8% above the 10-year average.
• Below average catch rates for steelhead and lake trout. Catch rates for these species may have been affected in 2023 because they are targeted less when Chinook fishing is good. Lake trout abundance may also be down due to the record high numbers of parasitic lamprey observed in 2022. Fortunately, lamprey numbers have come down in 2023.

More details can be found in the survey’s monthly reports posted on the Lake Ontario Fisheries Management and Research page, and the full survey report will be available in early 2024. The Lake Ontario creel survey continues in the tributaries from now until next spring, so be on the lookout for DEC creel agents and reports in the coming months.

Very nice pike!!! Had a similar experience this week with a huge catfish while trolling for stripers here on my home lake…Lake Anna Virginia….35 inches, 30 lbs.  25 minute to to land and nearly broke both my rod and net.

On 10/12/2023 at 7:19 PM, spoonfed-1 said:

Bigger than a basketball ball. Anybody ever ****ed with one this big? Plan is blast it from 2 sides tonight, drop the branch tomorrow night with a 3rd can ready. What do you think? Any better ideas? Thanks.

 

Actually they do pollinate as they are big consumers of flower nectar although they don’t make honey it is used make the comb portion of the nest and food for larvae and juveniles.  If it must be destroyed, I would call a professional exterminator since it’s being removed due to sale of the property.

On 10/12/2023 at 7:19 PM, spoonfed-1 said:

Bigger than a basketball ball. Anybody ever ****ed with one this big? Plan is blast it from 2 sides tonight, drop the branch tomorrow night with a 3rd can ready. What do you think? Any better ideas? Thanks.

 

Not sure why it’s necessary to kill/destroy the hornets and their nest before they migrate just before winter unless the pose a direct threat to humans or pets.  They do perform a necessary function in nature as pollinators not to mention the are veracious insect killers.  As mentioned numerous times on this thread they extremely aggressive and dangerous when their nest and surrounding area are threatened.

Capt Rick—would very appreciate any assistance.  I am up at Hector NY (Seneca Lake) this week from my home port (Lake Anna Virginia) working on the refitting the SeaRay.  At this point a/p is a next year budget item as I got all the electronics, downriggers, rods/reels, rod holders etc this year, but definitely want to get a good idea on BoM and pricing.

Feel free to PM me with your recommendations.

PoJ