mr 580

I picked up a couple on West Coast. Rather than using oil in the sponge that comes with them, I used canned tuna. They catch fish - something different to play with.

Used to be that many 15’s shared same block as a 9.9 - just were setup and rated at different specs. So you can definitely use a 15 on an 18 footer. To get under 1 mph you’ll need a trolling bag or buckets. I use a bag on my Lund to get to .9 mph on my 17 foot Lund with an 8 hp.

Another option could be Chautauqua-not as remote as Adirondacks but closer to Rochester. You could use some of the saved travel dollars toward fishing boat rentals and the boys could catch a variety of fish. Plenty of panfish along with good walleye, bass and musky fishing. There is some shore fishing, but is limited especially in July and August. If you have access to a dock the kids could wear themselves out with worms under a bobber for panfish.

X2 on Legacy’s comment on washing off scent products. When I was playing around with scent and Smelly Jelly was the worst, you had to get the scent off or you had a mess in your boxes. After I had some lures get discolored from left on scent, I would have a tray with Dawn dish soap and water to throw lures in when they were swapped out. Scent probably helped catch fish, but I quit using it because of the mess it made in the boat and the extra work cleaning lures.

Tuf-Line does offer two types of lead core. One is Tuf-Line Lead Core which has a polyester sheath which I would put in the traditional lead core category where a Willis will work fine. The other choice which this topic relates to is the Tuf-Line Micro Lead with a Spectra sheath and is advertised as 30% thinner and stronger. Allows for use on smaller reels and is supposed to have similar sink rate by being smaller diameter. That thinner diameter makes it harder to do the Willis for me. I use the Micro Lead on Saltist 50’s with 10 colors and have been happy with it. I use back to back uni knots to tie it. For shorter cores I use Stealth Core and use the Willis. To me the Micro Lead has an advantage in a longer lengths- not so much especially 5 colors or less. I have no interest in any lead core company by the way.

For someone looking to tie in a section of mono to use in a release into lead core, they probably should look at using a traditional nylon sheathed lead core like Mason or Stealth Core. I say this as the nylon sheathed cores are easier to tie with a Willis knot which likely would be the best choice to go through the rod guides easily. I use the Tufline micro lead on my 10 colors and have never had much luck with the thinner line and the Willis knot. Putting a number of sections of mono in a lead core means a lot of knots so they have to slide through the guides and be strong. I’m not a fan of having lots of knots so I’d run a straight 5 color if I could only have one lead core rod and was after eyes on Erie.

I updated an older Minn Kota to a I Pilot Terrova with Universal Sonar last season on my Lund. Real happy with it- remote works great and the jog feature on spot lock is very nice. Put a Helix 7 in bow and that is very clear and is great for vertical jigging. I thought the Terrova’s stowing by hand might tend to be more trouble free than the Ulterra self stow feature. Wish I had updated sooner now.

Sunset Farms and Cabins in Picton would be a good choice. They have been there for several generations. I had some great times and fishing there years ago.

I found that when using scents and especially Smelly Jelly that it was important to wash the lures to remove residue from the lures before storing after use. I had finish on some spoons get damaged and tackle boxes having to get cleaned out if I was lazy on cleaning the old scent off. Having a small bucket of water with some detergent to toss the lures in when changing out is a good way to handle. On my trips to the West Coast, I see a much bigger selection of scents than what we have here in the East. Interesting to see what guys use in different areas of the country.

Lots of variables here-trolling speed, line diameter, lure type etc etc. Unless you have smart troll or fish hawk td to measure it becomes a guess. I’d say the old 5’ depth per color of lead core and 5’ of depth per oz. weight would get somewhat close especially at 2 mph or under. Over 2 mph I’d shade it shallower and the same goes for more length and more weight. Most of the time you’ll let the fish tell you what they want. To me most of the time “junk” lines like lead core run higher than what you might think and what printed dive curves say. Using a rough formula is most helpful in setting your spread and preventing tangles. If it works then you can repeat.