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J.D.

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  1. J.D.
    Mikeyman, I was one of the first Depth Raider users on lake Ontario many year back, so I might be able to clarify a few issues. You don't need to strip wire and ground it to the downrigger, just spool it on. Connect the power wires to the starting battery, not an isolated second battery. The starting battery somehow uses the motor to ground the system properly. Getting a reading in a bucket in almost impossible, per Kell labs. The system grounds itself once you're in the water. ( I tried the same thing when I first got mine, had the same result. ) The coated cable must be stripped back to make an electrical connection with the probe. I use a Walker Clincher with a solid marine connector and stainless steel #10 screw and lock nut. The connection you show in your picture looks good as long as the coating has been stripped off the end of the cable. Make sure the swivel and ball clip are not coated. A quick scrub with a piece of sand paper assures a good connection. Here's a pic of mine: I use Scotty downriggers, never liked the antenna springs, as the Scotty stop beads always got hung up in the spring. I took a 4 inch piece of 1/2" copper water pipe and flared out the ends, wrapped the spring around the pipe and coated it with electrical tape. The solid tube picks up the signal from the probe much better, and the auto stop beads slide right through. I have never fished "too deep" to not get a reading from the probe. Here's 2 pics of my mod. I usually run around 2.2 - 2.6 for speed and hover around that 50 degree mark to start out.
  2. J.D.
    When the little guys are around, I run Scotty pinch pad releases with an 18" tether... much easier to see the rod tip shake..
  3. J.D.
    I had a counter fog up this spring, an e-mail to Scotty got me 2 new counters under warranty for free. https://scotty.com/contact/
  4. J.D.
    https://buffalonews.com/news/local/millions-of-gallons-of-untreated-wastewater-pouring-into-niagara-river/article_71bbd264-df82-11ec-8f1f-cb8a644fbc74.amp.html
  5. J.D.
    Slid out for a short trip Wednesday morning, in at 7:00, on the trailer by 10:00. Fished 40 to 170 straight North of the bay. NE winds and sunny, some color to the water but cold. 53 on top 47 down 50ft. Blank screen except a few lakers on the bottom in 140. Ended up 2 for 2, one teenager 50 down over 140 on the rigger, Stinger Stingray UV Two face, and one dink on a 5 color core hit a 3.0 watermellon Apex. Divers were silent. Enjoy the long weekend...
  6. J.D.
    Yup. I've added UV tape to a number of old flashers and spoons. I get my tape here: https://www.ebay.com/str/madrivercustomfishingtackle?_trksid=p2047675.l2563
  7. J.D.
    https://baybridgesportshop.com/rooms
  8. J.D.
    Older Starcraft tops and curtains were made by a company called "Taylor Made" They may still have the pattern for your boat, able to make an exact replacement. Sending them an email can't hurt. https://www.taylormadeproducts.com/boat-tops-and-covers/
  9. J.D.
    Great job!! That smile says it all...
  10. J.D.
    Clear Trilene Big Game
  11. J.D.
    Nope.... everything depends on depth, water color, wind and waves. A crosswind "slides" the boat sideways even when we don't notice it. One board will track away and pull well, the other side will lag behind and closer to the boat. Clear, flat conditions, long leads behind the boards and away from the boat, colored water and choppy, you can run closer. Each trip will be different, conditions will change constantly. Just for me,... I start with lures 100ft. behind the board, then let the boards out as far as conditions permit, and make adjustments as needed. Your results may vary...
  12. J.D.
    First thing that came to mind. During a boat turn, the rods on the inside of the turn slow down, outside speed up. A diver on the inside will drop like a rock if the turn is too sharp, and it doesn't take much. That's not a big deal in open water, but you don't have a lot of room for error fishing shallow. I have performed many "dry run simulations" with tackle components in the driveway looking for sharp spots, burrs, failures, weak knots, etc. before hitting the water. It's amazing what you can find. I once found a bit of "flash" on the edge of a plastic molded bead hole that was bad enough to fray the line...
  13. J.D.
    I don't use split rings on spoons unless the come with one. A good rounded end duo lock snap allows for plenty of action..
  14. J.D.
    https://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishing-hunting/topic/96286-braddocks-45/
  15. J.D.
    How is the channel this year ?
  16. J.D.
    This might help with your battery choice. https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/tools/calculator-sizing-a-battery-to-a-load.html
  17. J.D.
    I have removed the rod holders from the rigger and mount in the track. I can change angles as needed, and don't have to reach out as far in rough water to grab the rod. I will stack 2 rods on 1 rigger when fishing deep also. This the starboard side of my 17ft. tin boat. From left to right: diver rod, bottom rigger rod, top "stacked" rigger rod.
  18. J.D.
    Jeff, another possible option is a move to Sodus Bay. There is a bait shop and marina at the South end of the bay that has "fisherman's apartments" they rent out by the day or week. Docks available a few feet away. If the big lake acts up, there is plenty of fishing in the bay for a number of species. A few years back, a member of this site pulled his 17 footer up from Mass. and stayed at Catfish Creek. A great place for lake access, but they were blown off the big lake for 2 days. The next trip up they stayed at Sodus Bay and were able to fish every day regardless of wind. Just something to think about... https://baybridgesportshop.com/
  19. J.D.
    I've been fishing out of a 17 foot tin boat since 1996. Both wind speed and direction play into my decision to head out or not. I assume approx. 1 foot wave per 5 mph. of wind, so a forecast for 5 to 15 mph. winds equals 1 to 3 foot waves. Wind direction matters also. 5 to 15 mph. from the East is pushing against the natural lake current, so I expect more like 2 to 4 foot waves. Fishing close to shore in the spring, 5 to 15 winds from the South may only produce 1 footers near shore.... the farther out you go, the worse it gets. Consider what I believe is called "fetch", the distance a wave travels before it gets to you. With a NE wind blowing out of Canada, a wave has approx. 60 miles to pick up speed and height before it hits the South shore. A South wind doesn't have the time or distance to build like that, so wave heights are usually less. For me, as an old retired guy, once the waves start pushing 3 footers I'm back to the dock. The boat can handle the waves fine, but boat control becomes difficult and it's tough to keep your footing in a small tin boat bouncing around like a cork. I have the luxury of picking my days so I don't have to lock in to just the weekends...... being old and retired does have some perks.
  20. J.D.
    Try this site out. Drag the map with your mouse, and use your mouse wheel to zoom into the area you're going to fish, then pick the day and time from the bottom menu.. Next, click anywhere on the open water, the area of the lake you plan to fish. A wind forecast for that exact spot will pop up. https://www.windfinder.com/#10/43.3761/-77.1556/2022-03-27T06:00Z
  21. J.D.
    Some outboards have an electric automotive style lift pump to pump fuel from tank to motor. Turn key, lift pump turns on and pressurizes the system like a primer bulb would. The line should be full of fuel when you transfer it over to the kicker, so it's fuel pump should continue pulling fuel. I don't see why you can't add a primer bulb inline and just use it to prime the kicker if needed. I suggest you send a Private Message to L&M on this site. Hank is an excellent marine mechanic and a moderator here. He will have the best answer for you.
  22. J.D.
    Assuming the big Merc is either oil injected or 4 stroke. If the kicker is 4 stroke you're good to go. There is an inline fuel filter under the cowl of the 115, and most likely one on the kicker too.
  23. J.D.
    Is the main motor an I/O or an outboard? On my last rig, I had a Merc outboard and a Tohatsu kicker. I ran a short piece of fuel line from the kicker and added a Merc fitting. I would disconnect the fuel line from the main motor and snap it on the kicker when trolling.
  24. J.D.
    Nice article on Niagara Bar spring shallow trolling https://www.glangler.com/blogs/articles/lake-ontario-river-mouth-smack-down-mark-romanack
  25. J.D.
    Clip a big bobber on your line and put the rest of the money back in your pocket....
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