momay4000

This is a great post and a great idea - I would be in the front row at a seminar given by the guys who charter Lake Ontario day in and day out. That being said, I think it might be a good idea to have a few weekend warrior rec. guys participate as well to get a non-sponsored flavor. I have all of Keating's books and videos including the first trolling book he did with Chip Porter. I have also heard Keating talk a few years back. When I heard him in person, he talked a great deal about theory and techniques and it wasn't half bad but I agree with Matt that he's a light line guy. I love his books and videos. Chris

I actually just looked up hawkeye in the urban dictionary and lmao!!! I must say - I've never heard that one before

I'd give Kureha a call (they have an online website) and maybe they can help you. I'm not sure they make the actual line, but it sounds like they make resins and things which help in manufacturing. -Chris Disclaimer: I have no ties or interests to Kureha USA

Although the majority of Seaguar line is made in Japan, there is a US division which is part of Kuhera US Corporation. Some Seaguar line is in fact made in the US (which is why supply wasn't disrupted following the Japan earthquake). I would imagine you typed your original response on a "made in the USA" computer? Thanks for sharing, Chris

Seaguar - expensive but great stuff. They have a blue label leader which is awesome and a thinner green label premium leader which is thinner than the blue but just as strong. Green premium is more money. I think they also have a special yellow label material which is supposed to come out this year made specifically for salmon (supposed to have better knot strength) but I haven't seen this in stores yet. Good luck, Chris Disclaimer - no personal or financial ties to Seaguar

That's terrible man - at $75 a pop, that was some bad advice......but I stand by my original statement above that the board will not sink if you use the half-weight keel that BJ recommends and if you use the correct measurement advice on the connector rope that Brian gives above. - Chris

There are a few misconceptions in this post regarding Otter boards: 1.) There is no way a properly double keeled Otter will sink if you are "going too slow". The only way I could see this happening is if you are using a second full-weight keel instead of the half-weight keel that Big Jon recommends 2.) The only way an Otter will submarine is if you have the line on the board that goes to the tow rope screwed up (you have to set the correct lengths - again this is what Big Jon recommends in the instructions) 3.) There's no way a double keeled Otter is breaking a standard tow rope (130-150# test) from regular use. Perhaps a knot will fail, but I will put my money where my mouth is this year and pull in the board using my 80# spring scale to measure what the pull weight is when I'm pulling it back in. If it's over 80#, I stand corrected and will admit I am wrong here. But from my experience, I have been using them for years with el-Cheapo Cabelas planer line (I think it's 130# test) and it's never failed me. The planer line is around 10 bucks. That being said, it sounds like the Power Pro braided line allows the release to slide better which may be an advantage. Disclaimer - I have absolutely no financial or personal ties to Big Jon. I have used Otters for 3 or 4 years and they have been great. Good luck, Chris

So as you can see from this post, fishing in high seas is very straightforward: 1.) Guys have their worst and best fishing is stormy seas 2.) Guys fish both deep and shallow 3.) Guys fish their boards, others pull them in 4.) Guys fish into the waves, with the waves, and at angles to the waves I hope we all narrowed it down for you......lol Good luck, Chris

To be honest, I absolutely detest fishing in rough water > 4-5 footers b/c the fun factor really goes down the tubes. When it starts to get rough, all the junk lines off boards get pulled in, and I'll run only my two riggers and two dipsies. Nothing down the chute either as the rough conditions make it too hard to turn and that's when the tangles start. Having the tighter spread makes it a tad bit easier to turn. I fish the exact same lures as when it's calm, but my catch rate also goes down b/c it's so much harder to maintain speed. If you feel that you must stay out there, work a tighter spread and try and maintain your speed as best as you can going with the waves (simply for comfort reasons) or at most a 45 degree angle to the big waves. To go directly into the waves really makes it uncomfortable to you and your crew. I'm not sure this helps, but my guess is your fishing dies down b/c your speed is probably all over the place from the crazy currents that seem to accompany the bigger waves. Good luck and be safe, Chris

Thanks Rick

Thanks so much for sharing this information Reelxite! One question - it seems like the fish caught per angler hour scale is off by a factor of 10 in Figure 1. In the Chinook graph, it looks like about 0.07 fish per angler hour (on a Charter Boat mind you) and this seems like it should be more like 0.7 fish per angler hour. Anyone have any insight on this? Thanks, Chris

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this dude wants to use a Church board as a planer attached to a mast line and it would no longer serve as an in-line board. Instead it would be a very tiny Beetlejuice board instead of a big board such as a Cannon or Otter board. I'm still trying to grasp the concept, but then he would run the fishing lines off the line going to this little board?

I agree with Tom - I think a lot is what works for you (or something you see repeated in the fishing reports - such as green dot flasher/hammer fly patterns which starts the year out) especially if it's a pattern that has worked for you all year. I continue to use a lot of the same patterns all year long b/c they work although I'd be willing to bet if I started the year out with a purple paddle and a red fly and it worked - that would be a combo for me all year. Like an idiot I own 150 flasher and flies combos but I need no more than 5-10 most of the year. That being said, I do hold to a few very simple rules: 1.) Early morning/low light - there's always a glow flasher, a white flasher (typically white/green dot) and a green flasher in the water along with a hammer fly, a fly that glows and a green fly 2.) As the sun comes up and things get brighter, I'll start switching to more chrome flashers or often adding a mountain dew color flasher, still keeping green flies in the mix but also adding a mirage fly 3.) If a flasher/fly goes cold or isn't getting hits, but other things in my spread are, I usually switch the entire thing out. I will rarely just switch the fly and never do I change leader length. Good luck, Chris

Don't waste your time with B+E. They only have eagle claw swivels

Catadromous means to go from fresh water to sea water to spawn but I'm not aware of any brown trout that do this. Anadromous means to go from salt water to fresh water to spawn like a sea trout. - Chris

Here's another great place: http://madriverflytyingmaterials.com/Home_Page.html Disclaimer: I have no personal or financial ties to this joint, although I did win a gift certificate there at one of the Pro-Ams. Good luck, Chris

I tie a simple overhand knot with a loop, pass the loop through the eye of a large swivel like the one on a Spin Dr. and pass the loop around the swivel itself and cinch it down. The fly always stays attached to that swivel, but when i change it out I'll just unhook the swivel from the flasher and attach it to a new paddle, Spin Dr., etc. Good luck, Chris

I fish a lot of lakers during the slow times of June near I-Bay. I also use the 1-1 1/4" Spin n' glows, either an all white/glow pattern or the yellow/orange pattern with green dots. I'll fish them behind NK watermelon cowbells or Hammerhead chartreuse cowbells. I'm going to give Paul's idea a try this year on my thumper rod. Thanks for the advice Paul! Good luck, Chris

Lol.......please no debate like some of the 150,000 other posts on this site where we debate the molecular makeup of something like a snap swivel....lol