tbromund

Well, the Thompson bought the farm a couple years ago and I've spent the last two seasons out of the water, picked up a 1989 22' Starcraft Islander Hardtop last year and took my time putting it together. Looking forward to splashing her this year and finding out how she fishes. We'll see if it is a long term or short term solution for me before I go through the re-naming ceremony. I'm back in the game biotches Tim

No such animal. Carp are not native to the continent, the common carp were just imported a long time ago, from Europe, where they were originally imported from Asia. Tim

you have a PM Tim

Yup, they were fishing in a salmon only tournament.

I fish Lake O out of Olcott all season and my first rod in the water in the morning is always a wire diver, just slowly creeping out against the drag fishing it's way out to it's intended destination as I get the probe rigger deployed. Many times, that diver gets smoked before I can even get the cannonball and probe hooked to the rigger, can't have more than 60-70 feet of wire out when they hit it. It is almost always a big mature king. They are definitely up high and feeding in the morning, regardless of water temps. Tim

There are quite a few sturgeon in the Buffalo Harbor area and the Upper (and Lower) Niagara Rivers. Their populations have really rebounded in the past decade or two. Tim

I've been using 30 lb 7 strand Malin bright wire for many years, never had an issue.

Hate to disagree, but I hate blacks releases and all of the variants like them. I've used them on other guys boats and just find them to be a royal PIA to set. I use Scotty Powergrips and love them. Easy to set, you can load the crap out of the rod and never get a false release, yet shakers are easily telegraphed to the rod tip from the long tether you can get on them. Tim

what climate warming?? It's amazing to what lengths some groups will go to perpetuate that myth.

Yes that's it, though you don't really need to go to the 48" leader, the 30" is more than enough. They work much better than the other ones, if you bury your line in the back of those it'll never release without a fish biting and if you're fishing deep, it takes some effort to pop them from the boat. Most of the guys I know, (including myself) use the large scotty planer releases, which is the same clip on a shower curtain ring for running long coppers off of big boards, they'll pull a 500'+ copper all day in heavy seas and not pop the release unless a fish hits. Tim

I know a lot of people love the Blacks releases, but I've always preferred the pinch pad type myself. I use the large Scotty releases with the long tether. you can absolutely load the crap out of those releases without getting false releases and with the long tether, shakers are clearly telegraphed to the rod tip, even with a fully loaded rod, so you're not dragging them around. Tim

I think I may have seen them somewhere before

Ahhhhh, now it makes sense Hi Chad, I might have known Tim

You want it as high as possible. I have the Cisco Electric Planer Reels on my boat. I have the reels mounted on the rocket launcher and the pulleys up near the front of the grab rails on top of the hardtop. Makes for a nice setup and with as hard as the Amish Outfitters Redwood Boards I run pull, it's really the only way to go as it's almost impossible to reel those in with manual reels. Without the hardtop I would have a mast at least 6' high mounted near the bow. Reels mounted on the Launcher Pulley on the grab rail Tim

I used to have 4 on the boat, but with all the other delivery options available today, the out downs never got used and really were just in the way, so I took them off and added more rod holders on the gunwales. Can't honestly say I've ever missed the two I took off. Tim