To all my fish'in frenz, a fishful hello:

    Spring isn't far off and soon after, my boats will leave their winter cradles and commence another season of charter fishing. To put this in perspective, I'll make a comparison. Jim Boeheim has been head basketball coach at SU as long as I have been a licensed charter boat capt....31 seasons! No national championships for me; however I have had as much fun if not more.

    Early season bookings have been brisk, so if you are contemplating a charter this year it is imperative to get to me soon, especially if you are looking for a weekend date.

In the meantime I have been busy with seminars at Bass Pro Shops in Auburn, NY. I will be there again this Sat., March 3 at 11:00 A.M. with a presentation on Oneida Lake walleye tactics. Most of my talk will focus on drift and jigging techniques to cover the May , June and early July fishery. The following Sat. I will address walleyes in the weeds and OctoberCast (the fall fishery).

    Reports of good to excellent walleye, yellow perch and panfish catches are coming in on a daily basis from ice-fishermen on Oneida. Big Bay has been the host of great Pickerel and Crappie fishing. Pickerel have a preference for silver shiners fished with tip ups and Crappie are responding to finesse fishing with spikes or mousies.  This is the month for the mega yellow perch bite and very consistent walleye bite. Structure in the offshore regions with precipitous drops are your best locations for walleyes. Yellow perch like the fresh water shrimp havens found on the manganese nodule bottom (pancakes) affectionately named by locals.

    Here is Stephen Peltz, Skaneateles who frequently fishes with his dad Steven. They are ardent jiggers. This walleye measured 24 1/2 inches and was among the largest we jigged this season. This walleye weighed 6 lbs., which is heavy for a 24 inch walleye.

Hope to SEA you Sat. morning at Bass Pro. Come and enjoy the seminar and the shopping!

"REEL" love starts with your first cast!,

cap'n tony