Gill-T

Haven't used the Suffix, but last year I started converting to Tuf-Line (made in USA)....same concept of spectra casing over lead with a smaller diameter. The only thing I found challenging was getting leader material to fit into the small diameter when tying a double Willis Knot. I found I had to splice in a section of backing via double Willis Knot then tie an improved cinch (mono) married to a Trilene Knot (braid splice).

Hey Tim, I noticed you run your in-line walleye boards when its wavy. What's up with that??? Just sayin' . My otters are in the water from the start of the trolling season in spring 'til the seasons end in fall....in all conditions.

Wind and waves in the spring usually means a NE is blowing off the lake (very common). Not only do you have to battle the waves and boat handling issues, but colder mid-lake water starts to mix with the warming western basin water. Most guys will run west and try to get into the warmer Niagara flow. I would say "in general" I run high baits off boards when this happens and look for the warmest water. There are times however, I am dragging fish off the bottom in the same conditions. When staring at a blank screen I would suspect fish are high out of the cone or on the bottom so a high/low game would be in order. During the summer, the highly productive epilimnion (upper water layers) will have lower O2 levels than the metalimnion (mid-lake layers) because the rate of O2 usage by the food web will be less than the O2 production by phytoplankton. Fish will find temps and O2 levels more friendly at or just below the thermocline in a layer called the "Deep Chlorophyll Layer" (DCL). See the LOLA report. When wave events happen in the summer, the thermocline can get "wrinkles" or "waves" in the layer lessening the hard structure edge of temperature and O2 gradients. The result is fish such as kings that which typically stay at or below the thermocline, can now head higher in the water column because conditions allow them to do so. In the summer when waves kick up......I will fish higher. Putting a bait down 60-70' now becomes productive in July or August. WOW.....I just spewed a bunch of crap there!

A lot of Charter guys with big arsenals will have multiple copper set-ups of the same lengths so once a key depth is figured out, multiple similar-length coppers are deployed to get more baits in the hot zone. When done this way redeployment is easy. Most weekend warriors do not have the funds to or the storage space to have multiples of the same set-up as described. I think for most weekend guys learning to run multiple coppers is more realistic on in-line "walleye" boards. I do run as many as 6 leadcore line off my Otter boards. Using line counter reels with the exact distance from the end of the backing/leadcore splice to the end of the leader written on each reel, I know exactly how much backing to release to keep things from fouling. The higher cores are on the outside and set further back to match the length of the deeper cores on the inside. The easiest set-up that I run is two leadcores of each side (easy to reset) and a 2 color down the chute. If I need to reset a line to the outside or if a fish is being netted, I move the 2 color to the opposite planer line.

Spend too much at the LOTSA event?

Traditionally the 1st week in June is the best time for Walleye. This year ice should be later so I would look at the second week in June. Bass will not be open but Pike are biting in the bays. For Lakes......endless supply. The further and harder it is to get to.....the better the fishing. Stay away from Algonquin Park as there are many lakes with acid issues. The closest locations with good fishing would be as Brian suggested the French River system and Lake Nipising. For Nipising I would want to bring my own rig (big water), otherwise, most outfits supply their own boats.

....and I would put a peanut head with a curly-tail gulp grub behind cowbells up against your custom spin-n-glows LOL.

Had a lunch date with my wife down in Lewiston on Valentine's day which allowed me to check out river conditions. There were four boats out drifting. The Lewiston launch is open, the water is nice and green but there is a lot of loose ice floating around. Below Lewiston there is a lot of shore ice. The Youngstown and Fort Niagara launches are completely iced-in with pack ice that extends 1/2 way across river. Fishing out near the green can is probably not possible. I think I saw Vince out there but everyone is so bundled up- unrecognizable. Maybe someone can comment on how the fishing has been.

Thanks for the report. So nobody is catching anything in closer on the rock structure off the point?

Trolling the shoreline in spring you don't need a downspeed, just look at GPS. Around 2MPH should be about right. Later in the season when you are using spoons or flashers downspeed is critical as you head out into deeper water where currents rule. If you don't have a downspeed unit you can start with your GPS at 2.5-3mph and then speed up or slow down based on your dipsy rods bend or the angle of the downrigger cable. When I didn't have a probe I would set to the GPS fore-mentioned speed and then speed up until I heard the hum of my rigger cables start. Keep in mind you downspeed changes constantly as you troll esp. if you change direction. Always a good practice to figure out the current direction down below, and troll into the current thus guaranteeing your spoons will be kicking and not dead.

Earliest I have seen Lake Ontario go Isothermic (same temp top-bottom). Lately isothermic conditions did not exist until mid-March. I would expect the boom on Erie will stay in place until April 20th. BOOOOOOOOO

Don't know why everyone is trying to re-invent the wheel. Does anyone really have trouble catching fish on dipsys?

Late May- early June you can see them doing their dance along the south shore. Sometimes in as shallow as 10'.

Depends.....shoreline trolling go smaller. Move out over Laker/King water then break out the mags in spring.

On 40 lb test it does little to effect the action. The disks shine on light fly leaders for flyfishing in lakes. Big Weenies vibrating flies do dance however.

On my 23' boat I run 9 rods. I would never consider running more.....too much work. Fishing should be fun not a chore.

Gobblers strutting in January.......no wonder by spring their heads are blue!!

As tight as your dipsy release for salmon. Trout and light line.....a little looser. The deeper you fish the tighter the release will need to be. Larger flashers will need a tighter release as well.

I have done similar testing using a camera flash just to test how long I can let baits wash before recharging them. Orange glow lasts the shortest. Blue glow (big weenie fly beads or lure tape) lasts the longest. Strands on flies don't glow long but having glow beads underneath keeps them charged longer.