skipper19

Beautiful pics Phil, Love the serenity of that lake. Did ya see the Eagles? No trout came to the net? That lake has some really nice pickerel. Caught some giants thru the ice there on the south end. Good job on the bass Mark

Isn't she special? No respect for the military and compares them to domestic terrorists

Now it operates under the ACLU where if you look like a smuggler (suntan, beard, towel on head ect.) Uh oh Ray, not only one eye open but bring a shaver too....three days on the water livin in yer boat and buffy with yer towel on yer head, tryin ta keep that thang from gittin too much solar energy, Ya might look threatening all puffed up PS..Thanks rodbuster for helping to educate the officers on patrol on how to approach and address a fishing vessel (hopefully it was a learning experience for them as well) that is obviously engaged in fishing at 2.5mph. Maybe the rest of us will benefit from that and not have the same stressful encounter. I'm not against being safe in this country but would appreciate some form of common sense from individuals who are supposed to be previously trained in the rules of duty and know what to look for. Running interference with ones fishing equipment and the forward progress necessary to maintain it's order is just ignorant on anyone's part, being it authority figures or not. Polite is OK, and ask them if they mind standing off until you have retrieved your equipment and that forward progress be maintained at current speed until that time is complete. I think it would have been different had they known the techniques used for sportfishing the lake, something they should learn before they go out on any particular body of water for training. I have had no bad experiences with the agencies that "know" (Coast Guard, Sheriff, and DEC). Hopefully they have logged the experience as one of notable worthiness, and use the encounters as part of their training. BTW the border patrol is hiring every walk of life they can get for the job, and you know what the job market is like right now... Mark

I guess they don't have anything else to do but go around without a clue and harass fishermen, all while spending our tax dollars (triple 200 hp outboards = less than 1mpg) in such a misguided way. They were probably acting under orders from the illustrious Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. She thinks the Canadian border is the same as the Mexican border Maybe she should travel to the northern border to find out, oh that would be a waste of tax dollars too, she still wouldn't know the difference now that is lipstick on a pig. BLLLLLAAAAAHHHHHH

Ray, you can't get good sleep stopping at a truckstop. The coin operated beavers prolly saw yer hot buffy mode and kept bangin yer door. How are ya gonna get more fish next time if ya keep gettin them excited and droppin their load before they get to do their thing? Coitus interuptus Good story though, sounds like you had fun between the winks. Mark

Not sure what you mean by "leader lengths". If you are refering to using a leader off of a braid super line, then I would suggest two rod lengths of flourocarbon like Seaguar 100% floro. If you are refering to lead off your ball, then it depends on the setup and the situation. Run plain spoons any lead 10ft up to 60 feet is what I do depending on the shyness of the fish and the depth of the water. shallow water under 20 ft run longer leads to keep the lure away from boat disturbance, especially for browns in early season. Shorter leads allow you to turn quicker if you need to stay in a hot pod of biters.Sometimes the ball will actually attract salmon actively feeding, so the ball is not really a big scary thing. As for line separation on one rigger that is stacked it depends on a thermocline depth or a particular type of setup we refer to as a "Mup rig". If targeting salmon in the thermocline I like to keep one lure in that zone and one just above it on a stacker release maybe running10- 15 feet above the ball when fishing for deep water holding fish when the thermocline sets up below 50 feet. Most times though if I'm alone and do not have the luxury of running more than two rods I will run mup rigs and they are deadly and allow 4 lures to be run on two rods. Mup rigs are useing two of the same pattern spoons in different sizes on one rigger and rod. The target spoon being the smaller one on the ball release, and the attractor spoon being the larger one running on a floro leader of 6 feet to 8 feet off the cable on rubber band half hitched on the wire and a swivel hooked around the rubber band from your leader and your main line from the rod. I run a lead off the ball 10 feet and and then the attractor lure is on a leader of 8 feet. Run the attractor off the cable 5 to 7 feet above the ball. If a fish strikes the top lure on the leader, the rubber band breaks and the swivel slides down to the ball release and releases the bottom lure. The swivel around the main line then slides to the bottom lure and stops. Remember to never use a leader longer than you can reach above the water and as far as your net will reach. Hope this helps Mark

What W.W.IV. said is valuable. I echoed that response as well earlier here. Yes the smaller horsepower will MOVE you, and so will an electric trolling motor. Bass boats weigh plenty too and they can move with any troller, BUT, ask them if they go offshore in heavy seas or in offshore winds over 15 to 20 mph. When you have a deep V hull, or add to it, a high profile such as a top or enclosure and a net sticking up in the air, in moderate seas (2-4 ftrs) you will have a hard time even at full throttle to maintain course and consistent trolling speed. All this being said, I will take a guess that when you say you have a 19 foot open bow, probably a low profile boat, maybe not so much draft, and depending on how much load you have (cooler with Beer, ice) etc, I could say it depends on the body of water too....well lets just say it depends on a lot of factors to consider. If you only troll on nice low wind days then get a little 7.5 or less hp and save the bucks on engine and fuel. My only recomendation on the engine would be it have 2 cylinders for smooth operation (less vibration and usually quieter) and it be a four stroke for economy. Lots of stuff to consider but don't let it be too complicated, after all you just want to troll with it or have it get you back in a pinch when the main engine quits for some unknown cause. Mark

Hurray ...I win... Penn 209lc's are very good. Not expensive, very durable, and not a bit of problem with drags on seven of them for me. I have one that occasionally will skip the counter, but it's usually because I didn't push the reset button all the way down. Yes they are a little slow for retrieve but when you want to horse something in, it has the gear ratio to do it. You should be happy with your decision Trap Jaw. Mark

Now that....is creative writing. Great story Ray

very nice Stan. I'm lookin forward to havin time to come spend there with ya on that house boat. Cher says can we go now? Mark

Nice one Mark

What happened ?....did that one swallow the camera?...Nice striped pajama bass Ray Mark

does this GPS have WAAS? If so, find GPS settings and go to WAAS enable and turn it off. Then it probably will read satellites. Not sure if it has waas but that was a problem for my Lowrance once. Mark

Penn 209LC are excellent reels. They seem small but can spool over 1000ft of 30 lb braid. They are simple reels and very easy to maintain. I have seven of them for riggers and dipsey duties, Love em. Mark

Hurray! To the day for Chad Thanks for all you do here for us, and enjoy your special day Happy Birthday Mark

Thumbburn, I have only gone on the info from friends who use seven strand stainless malin wire. They tell me that the wire does not get fleas as "bad" as braid or mono of small diameter and that while reeling it in it "saws" the fleas off as it is retrieved. As for experience with wire, I run only copper rigs 150 , 300, and 600 ft., and never have fleas on it because of the larger diameter than Malin steel. I do sometimes run dipsys off the copper, and it works good for depth just as steel does but I get ZERO fleas with the copper, only where there is a rough knot or some snag in the main copper line, does it ever collect fleas. Mark

Beautiful pics, Makes me feel the rush, and I wasn't even there....Great finish ...nice fish, way to go Mark

Nice team photo, Very professional, great fish Mark

Absolutley!....until the fleas come out ....then you need 30 lb Ande or flea flicker by Cortland Mark

Nice pics Mark...and fantastic fishing Mark

Ok Stan...fess up...whats the deal with a blowboat gettin you wet....or is that to mush..I mean much info Mark

Oops...guess I just dated myself..oh well . He was a resident there and one of my classmates. Nice little village.

Good report, I used to know a guy from Freeville. Graduated college with Chris Wilson in 1976, know him? Mark

Welcome back to the USA Dave Thanks for all your service and returning safely to join us in the Salmon craze......Your gonna need a bigger wallet ....Don't let the wife see it ...Good luck from the skipper.Get tons of omega 3 in the boat Mark

Nice pics Bill, great finish Mark