Todd in NY

I agree, which is why I will try three 1" holes in these new buckets and compare them to the buckets that have five 1" holes. Trying to get the right balance of water volume entering the bucket vs water volume exiting the bucket. I know I'm probably giving this way more thought and effort than the average guy, but that's how I approach the unknown. I suffer from OCD with certain things, and I guess my boat falls into that category.

Thanks for asking this question, and thanks for the answers. I hate releasing fish and watching them die shortly after. I know that sometimes it is out of our control, but it's good to have more knowledge and options.

Thanks again Jim. I know there has to be some science behind choosing the proper size and number of holes to get the right effect from the bucket. I bought 2 more buckets for my other boat (13' 6") and I will try three 1" holes with those in my 19ft boat with my big motor to see how well they work at keeping my RPM's higher without going too fast. I'll take my drill with me so I can drill more holes if needed, but that way I can fine-tune my buckets. I've noticed that drift bags have different size holes on both ends, depending on who makes the bags, and I'm sure they do it for a different reason. I know I need more drag when trolling with my main motor, and maybe three 1" holes will work better than 5... or maybe not. I think my next trip out with the boat will be October 11th or 12th. Firewood has to get done first, and dead trees need to fall before all the leaves fall.

When you say small hole, how small? And what diameter rope are you running through that hole? Dumping water is easier than dragging a full bucket, especially while the boat is still moving forward. I can easily tie a rope through one of my 5 holes and add a dump line that way. Thanks for the idea.

It makes sense that the row boat concept would still work today, but it seems we have lost many of those rowing skills as we evolved with more modern boats. Kayaks are pretty amazing when it comes to versatility. I'll bet that trout was fun on 4lb test. I have a row boat, but it has a 3.3hp motor rather than oars

Nope, that would create a hostile situation, not to mention complete frustration for all.

Thanks. I was wondering what depths they hang out in but I guess it depends on water temp and other factors.

Sk8man, good point about the willow leaf vs the colorado blades. My buddy has had more luck with the willow leaf blades on a lake that he fishes up here. He likes them so much that he makes his own worm harnesses with willow blades. Lake Bonaparte sees more recreational boaters than most other lakes I've ever seen, and most of them are pulling tubes or skiers. Then there are all of the PWC's zooming around all over the place. Trolling there on a busy weekend requires everyone to keep their head on a swivel to make sure someone isn't going to get run over. That's when we hit the smaller lakes that have a 10hp motor limit, and I use my 13 footer with the 3.3hp motor. I was hoping to find a bait fish in the belly of the fish that I caught but no such luck. I would love to get back out there this Saturday but I will be out of town this week, Thursday-Friday, then Sunday-Wednesday. Saturday will be a busy day, at least up until noon or 1pm with yard chores, then unpacking from the first road trip so I can pack again for the 2nd road trip.

I have a friend who fishes for steelhead in the spring time in local rivers. But when are we able to catch them out on open water? What techniques and lures work? When is the best "season" or time of year, and conditions? Are they fished shallow or deep? I want to have time to digest your feedback and prepare for some good fishing. Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the info and tips FishingTheFL and Wes! I have lots of "new" things to try for my next bunch of fishing trips. I plan to fish as late into the year as possible. I hope winter holds off until Christmas Eve this year... or January... or February. Okay, I know that's pushing my luck, but I can dream, right? Todd

That's a good idea. I have a 2 stroke VRO, so it is always a concern of mine to keep the RPM's high enough no not foul the spark plugs if I have to use the main motor for trolling. Keeping the RPM's high enough without going too fast might be a challenge. Drift bags are cheaper than a new prop with a different pitch. I think the buckets will work but I might not get to try it this year due to travel plans for my employer. October will be my next fishing opportunity, and my son wants to take our 14ft boat out on the smaller local lakes next time out.

Thanks Lily. We tried a copper daredevil spoon on our #2 rod, as well as blue/silver cowbells with a white spin-n-glow, Chartreuse spoon with orange dots, can't remember what else, but we changed it up a bunch on the #2 rod just to experiment. We left the #1 rod with the silver/blue spoon on because it kept working. I ended up trying a little cleo silver/blue spoon on the #2 rod and it didn't get a hit. The longer narrow silver/blue spoon got all the action. We tried yellow bird planers along the shore line and had no luck with various lures. We also drifted with various lures, baits and presentations, to include worm harnesses and never lost a worm. They might have been a little boat shy, which is probably why they were hitting the #0 dipsy rather than the #1 dipsy. We could get the #0 dipsy further from the boat, and it was the only #0 I had on the boat. I usually have 2 of each size dipsy, but not yesterday for some unknown reason. We ran the #1 dipsy out to the right on the #3 setting so we could run the same depth without having it close to the boat, but it never got a hit. We used the #0 dipsy with the O-ring and the #1 dipsy without the O-ring. There's a bunch more stuff I could have thrown at them but 6 or 7 hours on the water was long enough for me. Before my next trip I'll be getting another #0 and #1 dipsy divers and silver/blue spoons just like the one that got all the action.

Thanks for the feedback since my last post. I decided on five 1" holes in the bottom of both buckets, 1 in the center and 4 near the edge. I figured if I need more holes I can always drill more holes. If I drill too many holes I have to buy a new bucket. I used both buckets for drifting in my 19ft boat yesterday. We had a light wind of 5-9 mph and the buckets worked great. I didn't troll with the buckets because I used my 15hp motor for trolling duties. Thanks again and best of luck out there!

Thanks for the new information since my last post. I went back to Bonaparte yesterday and tried many different drifting and trolling setups. What ended up working was trolling with a size 0 dipsy 30ft deep with a silver and blue spoon, at 1.6 to 1.8 mph. I landed 1 fish that I think is a brown trout. We lost 4 or 5 others because I was trying to teach my son's friend how to fish (they are both 17). He had never been fishing before and had no clue how to properly set the hook, keep the line tight and keep the rod tip up. He had a fish 20 feet from the boat, stopped reeling and pointed the rod tip at the fish, and that fish said "See ya". The trout we caught was 16" long and we had nothing to put him in except the livewell. He was floating within minutes after putting him in the livewell, which we just filled after we boated him. I didn't know that brown trout had such pink meat because I have only caught 1 brought trout 7 years ago on Lake Ontario and I don't remember what the meat looked like. He had great color when I caught him but I didn't take a picture of him until I got home 7 or 8 hours later. I'm trying to attach a picture of the trout but I haven't figured out how to attach pictures on this forum yet. 

Lily, I'll try to locate those spawning browns tomorrow near the stream inlets. I'll try a small gold spoon and other lures to figure out what might prompt a bite. I'll post my results here after the fishing trip yo let you guys know if I had any luck. I know the browns are stocked every spring, but I don't know if any of them survive to spawn in the fall. Nautitroller, I'm looking forward to fishing Cayuga and Seneca. I'll try Cayuga first though, but I like to keep my options open.

I haven't talked to any bait shops but I have talked to a few fishermen that have caught lake trout on all three lakes that I have tried. One guy caught a laker on Sixberry while ice fishing. Others have caught lakers on Millsite and Bonaparte, but not in large numbers.

Thanks for the input Has Been! What size boat and motor are you running? I can see a need for these if I have to use my main motor on Lake Ontario if the wind and current are too much for my 15hp kicker. The wind really makes it hard for my kicker motor if I have my bimini open. It catches the wind like a parachute, even though it stays tight on the bows and frame.

I'm fishing Millsite, Sixberry and Bonaparte for now. Will try other lakes as I get the chance, such as Sylvia and Trout Lake.

Thanks for the info. It's a good 3 hours drive for me to fish the Finger Lakes, but I'm planning some fishing there next year. These other lakes are less than 30 minutes drive, which makes them really attractive. I know the numbers of fish can't be all that high, but most people who fish these lakes aren't fishing for the lakers and salmon, so they might not be getting much fishing pressure like the bass are getting. These smaller lakes are all natural lakes, and they are full of under water structure, to include some random boulders the size of a 2 story house. Also, the streams that feed into and out of these lakes are too small and too shallow to attract spawning fish, or at least that's my opinion. The shore line is less than 3 ft deep and full of hidden rocks around these streams, so I only fish near them when I am in my 14 ft boat. These fish don't appear to have any place to go during the spawn, so will they go to a shallower rocky shoreline or go to the deepest hole in the lake. We were seeing excellent fish marks just off the bottom, so that tells me they are still there. I just don't know what they might be feeding on down there. I plan on fishing again tomorrow, and I will use my 2 downriggers as well as a small size 0 or 1 dipsy out to each side to see if I can hook into something higher in the water and further from the side of the boat. I'll be using my 15hp kicker for trolling. Cayuga is looking very attractive. What is the latest time of the year you fish the Finger Lakes?

EZ storage is always important. Do the bags ever mold easily? I also use my 14ft boat for drift fishing, and I figured I could store the buckets one inside the other, and also use them to store equipment that I use in both boats. Then all I have to do is grab a bucket (or both) and I have some of what I need. I'm sure I'll invest in a bag or 2 down the road. But buckets will get me through the rest of this season and into the spring 2016 season. Good point about replacing the metal handles with rope!