How things have changed .

[rolmops]

I love salmon fishing exactly because it is a team effort. Once a year I fish the LOC with 3 other guys and we have done this for many years. It is a week of renting a cabin and tasting each others moose, deer and smoked salmon. If not for this week I would not spend any time with very pro gun people who cannot even imagine pointing a gun at another person. I would never know how many types of Kentucky Bourbon there are and how good they taste. This derby is a great social event , but as many have said, it is advertised (if at all) as a fishing competition.

Another reason for its waning popularity is all the other tournaments. There are competing fishing tournaments all over the place, often there are several ones during the same weekend. If there was one big tournament more boats would participate.

[GAMBLER]

18 hours ago, HB2 said:

Most years , you have very little chance to win big salmon unless you fish Olcott west and really ,including this year . 

Yup , kings are the man  but if the prize was bigger , maybe more east end guys would participate . 

But thats just an observation . 

 

Lovin my row boat . At some point , and I have been saying this for some time , some of you guys have to ask yourself the question , " what are we really doing here , is this fishing or a video game ? " 

It is really amazing how many boats refuse to fish anything but kings.  I love the challenge of targeting each species individually.  There have been 3 years in the past 8 seasons we tried to get a species on the final leaderboard in each division and was one away.  Sometimes you have to do things like this to challenge yourself to keep it fun.

2018 - 1 king, 2 browns, 2 lakers

2020 - 1 king, 1 brown, 1 steelhead

2023 - 1 steelhead, 1 brown, 1 laker.

Edited May 12 by GAMBLER

[Kingfisher06]

On 5/7/2026 at 1:27 PM, idn713 said:

I’ll be honest—and I know I’m not alone here—King trolling has simply become boring. When I started in my teens, I couldn't get enough of it. Probing the deep waters of Lake Ontario was a mystery, and watching a rod pop was the ultimate rush.

But over time, that mystery gave way to predictability and a nagging realization: the boat is doing the fishing.

 

When you’re on a buddy’s boat, the captain and the electronics set the game plan. What’s the actual payoff? Reeling in a fish that was hooked by someone else’s tactics, equipment, and spread while you just happened to be the quickest to the rod.

People will argue it’s a "group effort," but let’s be real: unless you own the boat, you’re just a deckhand. Trolling is exclusive; it keeps the actual "fishing" in the hands of the machine.

 

The thrill of the fight eventually wears off. You become increasingly aware that the boat is dragging the fish; that "screamer" is often just the result of water drag pushing against a frustrated King. After a few years, the novelty fades to the point where you’re begging your buddies to take the rod—especially if it’s a Laker on copper (at which point I’d rather throw the whole rig overboard). Even the appeal of "wild-caught" salmon loses its luster once you admit it doesn't hold a candle to Walleye or panfish.

 

Lately, I’ve become obsessed with jigging because it feels like an actual hunt, offering a level of autonomy that trolling simply can’t match since I'm no longer relying on a motor to move my lure. It provides a direct connection to the fish that makes for the best pound-for-pound fight you can have on light tackle, allowing me to be the true author of the process and the architect of the catch from start to finish. While jigging might never beat trolling in terms of sheer numbers or "efficiency," it has already blown it away in terms of pure enjoyment; if the conditions allow for both, I’m picking up the jigging rod every single time.

Ive always felt like trolling was akin to trapping and making your set. Its the technical aspect that makes it fun for me. To keep things fun I'll tell a buddy to run his side of the boat or make sure the kids are picking the spoons etc. I probably get more pleasure landing a walleye or steelhead on an outside board effectively without tangles than getting the bite itself if that makes sense. Same concenpt for a tipup 'set' v being in the shanty jigging. Theres a reason more people hunt than trap and if the fishery keeps supporting good results for King jiggers I expect more people to give it a try because its a thrill-but it'll never satisfy those guys that want to perfect their set.  

[orangediablo]

4 hours ago, GAMBLER said:

It is really amazing how many boats refuse to fish anything but kings.  I love the challenge of targeting each species individually. 

This is why me and a buddy love the OCO tourney.  Forces teams to catch multiple species rather than relying on kings to do well and win.

[chinook35]

I started fishing the salmonoids on Lake O in the late ‘70’s 

things were much simpler then and more fun

small boats dragging drop sinkers or if you were lucky a couple of Riviera downriggers 

thumper rods with 1# balls dragging Luhr-Jensen dodgers with squid ( hoochies ) or little cleo spoons 

lowrance flasher depth finders , then paper graphs 

some of the guys got into Loran for position   No such thing as GPS then

cut bait was a great introduction 

caught several tons of fish dragging flashers / twinkies and Rhys -Davis cut bait 

NOW 

chartplotters , military grade sonar , auto pilots for setting trolling patterns, downriggers that do everything but chose the lure for you , down temp , speed and light , planer boards that allow you to have a 300’+ wide boat to let people dodge, trolling spoon selection in the thousand range ,it goes on and on with new , hot products coming out daily 

the only thing lacking is the ability to pay for all this stuff 

I will always love trolling on Lake O , but a lot of the fun is gone 

maybe that is the reason for the decline in participation in both fishing and the derbies 

 

 

[GAMBLER]

The day it is no longer fun, I will sell all my stuff.  I love fishing trout and salmon just as much now as I did in 1984 when I was 5 years old.  

[SusanJames]

I keep it fun by keeping it simple. Granted it's out of necessity and the limitations of my boat and equipment but I truly enjoy the challenge of pursuing browns, steelies, spring kings and this year, an abundance of cohos. I have been a stream and river guy since I caught the fly fishing bug on a Montana trip in 1975. I caught the trolling bug when a good buddy gave me a 1954 Larson-Crestliner 15' aluminum that had been in his wife's family at their cottage in Canada since it was brand new. It had been sitting in his backyard for several years. I spent the better part of  18 months restoring it and setting it up for trolling and/or jigging on the Finger Lakes and near shore Lake Ontario. I fish almost exclusively solo so my typical "spread" is one planer board on each side and a Chute rod out the back or two planers on one side if I want to run two boards on the beach side to put both baits in the shallows. I built a removable board that I can mount my manual rigger to and have two slide diver set-ups if I need to get a little deeper. 8hp Johnson gets me where I need to go and a 55lb MinnKota with I-Pilot does the steering. A Lowrance Hook7 is my only electronics. My expectations would be abysmal for many guys but If I am able to get out for a 3 or 4 hour trip and am fortunate enough to hook up and/or land a few fish I consider that a win! Hell, I consider just getting out a win. I do sometimes find I enjoy the equipping, rigging, engineering the boat, rods and gear as much fun as the fishin.........on second thought....Naaaah, it aint!

Edited May 13 by SusanJames
typos

[schreckstoff]

Love the boat Pics SJane & definitely appreciate hearing the history and stories about the LO fishery in the 80s

 

[King Davy]

I still love it all. I’ve fished every ESLO or LOC derby, and chartered a boat for 22 years plus a ton of recreational fishing on LO since 1971.  And then in 1998 I took my first trip to Alaska. I remember waiting for my small plane flight from king salmon back to Anchorage a guy who I helped duck tape his trophy moose rack to his duffel bag asked is this your first time. I said yes. He said nobody comes to Alaska just once.

 

From fishing all over the Kenai peninsula down through Bristol Bay including a camping tent trip on the Sandy River in the Aleutians catching Bering sea steelhead while waking up each morning finding the wolf,  moose and brown bear tracks all around our camp I decided I wanted to go to all the places I read about in Sports Afield, and Outdoor life. I sold my charter boat and passed  my clients to other captains and headed out on a 25 year journey of fishing both salt and fresh water destinations. All with a rod in my hand experiencing the power and excitement of the “Take, Grab, Pull, Tug of the greatest game fish on the planet.  From GT’s and Tarpon to 50 pound king salmon, 20 pound steelhead and 30 pound sea run Atlantic salmon. And dozens of other species you can’t catch here. From Africa to the arctic circle. While I still love Lake Ontario and its tributaries I don’t regret for a minute to make trolling my least style of fishing.

[Gator]

Awesome stuff, traveling around the world fishing...I've been privileged to experience some of the same stuff - GT and marlin in Australia, permit in Honduras and Belize, bones in Abaco, salmon in Alaska, BFT off the Cape, tarpon in the Keys, and trout on the fly just about everywhere they swim - but no matter the location or how you chose to fish, it comes down to whether you enjoy where you are in the moment.

 

There's a boatload of guys down on Honeoye it seems like every day. They're whooping and hollering, having a grand ole' time. You'd think it would get old, but for them it's the company. As I get older, it's the same for me. I don't so much care about the details but more about the folks I choose as companions.

 

Of course, having the Patagonian Andes as a backdrop as you enjoy a Delmonico after a day's fishing doesn't hurt lol.

[Sk8man]

After 76 years of fishing and thousands of fish all over I still very fondly remember the first one a 12 inch black bass caught in the Yacht Club bay on Seneca Lake with my dad on a bright sunny day on July 3rd, 1949. I still can't top that one!

Edited May 13 by Sk8man

[King Davy]

Yes there is a big exciting beautiful world out there and while I don’t find fishing the open waters of Lake Ontario necessarily boring. To have the stick in your hand when you unleash the primal instinct of a top line predator to come kill a prey fish while you are the presenter instead of the boat and trolling gear for me these days…… is why I fish. 

[HB2]

When I was younger , I was looking and wanted all the latest and greatest new technology . I guess I thought that it would make me more successful. And to a certain point it did , but in a sense , it hindered me . 

Mostly because I was focused on that and not the basic fundamentals. 

At some point , and I think it was on my happy spot in the ADKs exploring a new spot in my canoe , I had to rely on those fundamentals . And thats when I truly learned to be a good fisherman. 

Don't get me wrong , I have a lot of the gadgets but I limit myself . 

I fish tribs , and won't by a pin outfit 

I won't buy autopilot 

 

I use to be exited about new technology , now I cringe . 

FFS is one . All the guess work , or most is taken out of the equation . Maybe the decreased numbers reflect the fact that the thrill of the hunt has been taken away to a large extent 

[Gator]

My favorite fishing in the world is a spot in the ADK that I access using my paddling kayak, no fins, no motor, no problem catching 5 lb+ smallmouth.

 

Simple is often more satisfying. You know the glory belongs to you and not to your fishfinder or subscription or number of friends on Facebook lol.

[chinook35]

Salmonoid fishing on Lake O has a huge learning curve. Not like throwing a jig and slip bobber for perch 

Most people don’t have the time to be able to learn 

then there’s the fickle weather 

for years I fished a 19’ cuddy and spend a lot of time at the launch watching the waves crash over the breakwall before going to breakfast 

people that travel long distances to fish get discovered when they are only able to get out 3 days of a week long trip

it is a fishery that I will always revere , but as I get older I like simpler better 

then there are your fishing partners. My man passed 2 years ago and I haven’t found any one to fill his shoes 

some are along for the ride   Can’t rig , can’t steer the boat and have a problem kicking in for fuel ⛽️ 

nothing like having the newbie steer while you set the spread  , only to have him do a tight 180 and tangle everything. Start over 😂 

[whaler1]

And I thought listening to the VHF in the late 80’s early 90’s was annoying……

[BRsnow]

On 5/3/2026 at 6:35 PM, Skins said:

HB Deuce -

 

This is correlation without causation....You blame today and forget about the past...

 

The southern shore in the 80's was booming with industry and execs.  Kodak was still king...B&L, Xerox, etc...Tons of money in town.  Just Rochester...

 

Niagara Falls was classy...

 

Youngstown, Wilson, Oldcot, are built off that old money...

 

Who has money now?  

 

Where do these people come from when the normal guy can't afford to troll and the rich guys can't be bothered with the hassle because they worry too much about taxes and policy?

 

Go have fun and stop with the challenges...youre too old to tell people where the answers are...Im tired of your ****.

 

If the fish were as big as they use to be I would be out 1-2 weeks of July again.

[Silver Fox]

1 hour ago, whaler1 said:

And I thought listening to the VHF in the late 80’s early 90’s was annoying……

“Go to a different channel”……lol

[Silver Fox]

Just now, Silver Fox said:

“Go to a different channel”……lol

And everyone switched to said channel only to hear me say I just took a duece into a bucket……

[chinook35]

1 hour ago, whaler1 said:

And I thought listening to the VHF in the late 80’s early 90’s was annoying……

You had a vhf ? 

[Lucky D]

Remember in the late 80s early 90s fall ESLO derby  About 10AM when it slowed down alittle someone would say happy birthday George then everyone would start. every fall ESLO this happened. Still don't know who he is.LMAO

[Gator]

We should nickname this "the old farts thread" lol. One I'm proud to be a part of...albeit not a fan of hearing Scotty say he crapped in a bucket...but better virtually than live!

[Bad Habit]

I remember in the 80s when the ESLO derby had a tent set up at Charlotte Beach.  The first prize boats were on display, The local news cameras were there along with a few small vendors. It was a big event for the local fishery. Now our only weigh station is open 10:00am until 3:00pm. Afternoon charters aren't even able to participate in Rochester. Different times for sure.

[fisherdude]

1 hour ago, Gator said:

We should nickname this "the old farts thread" lol. One I'm proud to be a part of...albeit not a fan of hearing Scotty say he crapped in a bucket...but better virtually than live!

Gator I  have to say you're right the old farts LOL it's memories Father Time catches up to all of us the 30 40  year olds are all gung hole full of piss and vinegar people that remember the 1970- 80s  90 s are slowing down now  the world has changed from those back years. technology being the biggest thing. I belive times were easier. 

[Gill-T]

Speaking of changes during the derby, did anyone live through the gnat swarms Saturday??  It was hard to breathe.