momay4000

Absolutely - they're way cheaper too. Don't quote me on this but I think a #2 size split shot is about a 1/4 ounce and a #4 would be about an 1/8. You can always put a few on the line together. Good luck, Chris

I would argue even if you don't have the boat on the trailer but in a slip without shore power, that the block could freeze if it gets down into the low twenties tonight. Thx for the advice Hank - your post is why I do not have the stones to put my boat in this early! Be safe and good luck this year, Chris

WTG Rick - as always I thank you for your very detailed reports..... Be safe and tight lines, Chris I use between a 1/8 and 3/8 ounce keel sinker and it gets the spoons below the surface. Good luck to all, Chris

http://www.streeterstaxidermy.com/ Rick Streeter has done a ton of work for me. He has done many deer and fish for me and I love his work and his presentation on wood, rocks, etc. One of my fish is the 33# salmon on the curved piece of driftwood at the very bottom of his Fish page. I have also seen Paul's work who is referenced above and he is also tremendous. Good luck, Chris

With all due respect I totally disagree. Read the article that Jimski refers to. I think they referred to the deep water as "downtown" but they wouldn't be targeting this deep water if they weren't catching hungry kings. Chris

Chas, Listen to exactly what this guy said - he hits the nail on the head. As far as matching depth of the ST rigger vs. your other riggers - I would imagine even with the blowback, you're only talking a few feet difference in depth between your two riggers. Most of us stagger our riggers at different depths anyway, so this shouldn't cause huge concern. Chris

Chas, You're overthinking it. 1.) Use a 12-15# torpedo weight and it will help with the blowback 2.) Most importantly - the Subtroll is just a tool to give you a starting point on YOUR BOAT and a tool to reproduce what you are doing. Theorectically, you could also do this with your GPS but on my boat that fluctuates quite a bit especially on wavy days and it doesn't take into account sub-surface current which can change lure action. That being said, I recommend that you know what you starting point is on your boat (such as 2.3-2.5 when starting out in the morning) and then make a mental note on your speed when a fish hits and reproduce it. If you hit a pocket of subsurface current or change trolling direction, use the Subtroll to help maintain your speed at which you consistently are catching fish. I would give up my fishfinder before I'd give up my Subtroll Good luck, Chris

Love it Rick - thanks for sharing. Try doing it solo sometime - one of my fondest memories since the three rod rule was a solo triple in front on I-Bay. Great stuff - your boat is awesome. Chris

One of the main reasons you see braid used as backing is reel capacity constraints. You can fit much more braid on a reel compared with mono at the same test. Also, mono has much more stretch. Copper: yes, use braid as backing Lead core: yes, use braid as backing Wire line for Dipsys: just use wire, no need for backing Good luck, Chris

lol....that dude didn't give the cigarette guy even a half second to react! Thanks for sharing, Chris

Lineman, The new proposal will allow for crossbow use in the last two weeks of the archery season.

Why wouldn't you put an in-line fuse of 10 amps to match the 10amp BJ fuse on the motor if you are worried about redundancy? If the 10amp fuse on the motor went, you could theoretically draw more amps than 10 and cook the motor and cause a fire. Chris

Agree!!!! I imagine you have a smaller boat so you could get under the swing bridge? Congrats on the first fish of the year for the I-Bay brothers/sisters! Good luck this year, Chris

Thanks Paul - sounds like the tubing is bigger or has some sort of slit to pass the loop through for a quick change? Nonetheless, either I have a broken video link on the homepage or the website does not do a good job of explaining this. Although I'm addicted to tying my own tournament harnesses every year in the winter, I really like the idea of a quick change fly/harness and utilizing one harness with multiple fly bodies. Hopefully the website will elaborate on the concept a bit more. Cheers, Chris

Please help me out - how is this product any different from any other fly body, if you tie or buy your own harnesses? Most flies slide up and down the line of the harness but once I tie a loop in the end of the harness and attach it to a flasher, the fly body is permanently attached to the harness unless I cut the loop. I'm not trying to be an arse at all, I just can't understand what makes these flies unique. Thanks, Chris

There is no place to actually launch a boat at Webster Park. I suppose you could drop in a car-top type boat there if you wanted. I drove by the park the other day and there's lots of debris, but I didn't see any ice floating around. Good luck, Chris

Same thing has happened to me on two of my Heartlands. I used electrical tape and fixed it a bit, albeit it's not the greatest solution. I also hate how the butt cap falls off and get's stuck inside my rod holders and has to be re-glued from time to time. That being said, I've had the same Heartlands for seven years and at $25 a pop when I purchased them, how can you go wrong? I think they go for about $35 per rod now and it's still a great deal. Good luck, Chris

Did you try a magic eraser? Those things are pretty awesome and they still blow me away at what they remove from fiberglass Goof luck, Chris

There shouldn't be anywhere near that amount of play - I have the same unit and in fact it's extremely stiff when in standby mode. I'm sure Hank will help you out but if I'm remembering correctly from memory there's a woodruff key (I think there may have been a big one and/or a small one) that fits on the brass stem and then the tapered collar fits over that. Why did you have to alter that key to fit? Please keep us posted if/when you find out the reason for all the play. Thanks, Chris

http://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishing-hunting/topic/37828-cleaningshinning-up-old-spoons-question/?hl=%2Bcleaning+%2Bspoons

Here's a video from the Buffalo News a few years back. I think someone posted this last year, but it's pretty cool and I learned a lot about the boom from watching this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h27QVaRmuuA

Egoody - you will not achieve double the depth with 20 colors of core compared to 10 colors of core. Once the resitance of the 200 yards of line is more than the ability to sink, you will no longer achieve any more depth. Remember, depth charts of line out vs. depth of lure are never linear. I'm not sure what you are trying to achieve with 200 yards of leadcore, but if it's added depth, add a copper to your arsenal and it will be more versatile for better depth. Good luck, Chris