hawkeye625

Nice fish...the addiction begins. Nothing quite like a king rippin line off a dipsy reel!

I picked up a couple 40's over the winter and have 1000' of wire backed with 150 yards of 40lb power pro on them...seems to fill the spool perfectly. Awesome reels, you won't be dissappointed. I would go with 30's or 40's for dipsys....would've bought 30's myself but got the 40's for $125...couldn't pass up the deal. 30's should take 1000' of wire with no problem. 50's seem way too big for dipsy's, but would make an awesome copper reel.

Nice job guys. Looking like the top 20 are all gonna be over 30lbs with 3 more weekends to go! Maybe we'll see some more 40's in the fall.

Thanks guys. I'm going to make something similar to Marty's overhead holder. I'll post pictures when done. Jeff

Your setups will work up until this time of year when the fleas show up. Now you'll want to add 7 strand wire instead of braid. Also may want to add twili tips to your rods. Run spoons in natural colors, greens and purples. Pick up a couple flasher/fly combos..maybe a white crush glow, a green, and something in chrome, green / white / glow flies behind them should get you bit. Don't get too caught up in the flavor of the day or you'll end up with as much tackle as many of us have and don't use too often. A couple color combos are all you'll need to get started. Watch the classified section for used stuff to save a few bucks. Check your leaders often for imperfections and use quality ball bearing swivels with welded split rings. Otherwise you'll be donating tackle to the lake. There's nothing more frustrating than trolling for a couple hours for a screamer then having in break off. Run spoons off 20 lb leader and flashers off 30 or 40 lb leader. Leaders rod length or shorter so you can net fish. Fish in or near the thermocline or look for bait and hooks on your graph on fish in or above them. Make sure your drags as set and in good working order or again you'll be donating to the lake. You'll pick up much more info by reading past and future posts but this should get you into some fish. Some of the charters offer educational sessions which will beat up the learning curve for you and probably save you alot of money in the long run. Maybe post in the open seat/trade a trip section and get a seat with a season salmon guy for the cost of gas and maybe lunch, with the loc derby going on some guys are just looking for someone else with a derby pass to fish with, but be careful, there's at least one guy on here that likes to drive in the BUFF...Sorry Ray, I couldn't resist. Never be afraid to ask questions on this site, and don't get discouraged if you don't get answers right away, remember there are many derbies/tournaments going on around the lake and sometimes things get tight lipped. Best time to get good answers is in the off season or when no money is on the line. Good luck and please post when you get your first reel burner...we like to see progress.

Dreamweavers are solid. greatlakestackleshop.com or gloutdoors.com both have them. Slippery sinker in Olcott also has them. Haven't tried the torpedos yet but hear good things about them. Lost 2 good fish to cabelas deluxe swivels last weekend. both broke just above the snap. I thought we took all of those out of the boat, but my buddy wasn't paying attention and the result was 4 lost spoons and 2 lost "DERBY WINNERS". The ones that get away are always the biggest. Gonna start putting my phone # on all spoons just in case they are recovered by another fisherman.

Thanks Marty, can't wait to see the pics. Thought of using cargo nets but they would not secure the rods very well. Jeff

Thanks for all the input, it looks like there are many options. Jeff

check it just under the surface, if it's close to your gps it should be o.k.. mine is usually within .5 mph of gps on surface.

Leave yourself a couple of wraps of fireline on the reel and make a loop in your wire and tie the fireline to it, or black tape the wire directly to the empty spool and wind on the reel. Make sure to keep the wire tight or you'll end up with a mess, have someone hold the wire spool with tension while you reel up. To form a loop double your wire and make an over hand knot. Add a swivel and your in business. Start saving to upgrade the magdas...it will save you alot of $$$ in the long run.

I've stayed at Captains Cove when river fishing in the fall, not sure if my hardtop will make it under the bridge or not. I'll check out 4 c's and the state park. Thanks Guys. Jeff

I'm looking to spend a couple weekends over at the oak and wondered where you guys like to stay. We use to stay in the rental trailers at North of the Ridge but can't seem to get in touch with anyone there. Are they still in business? Also thinking about a transient slip fairly close to the lake. I looked on the at the oak site but just wanted some input from guys that stay at these places. A couple of them look to be pretty far from the lake. Thanks Jeff

Looking for ideas on rod storage for the cuddy. I'd like to have them up and out of the way to keep them from getting broken. I have a couple thoughts but wanted to hear what you guys do first. Thanks, Jeff

Awesome! Will your camera run all day or do you turn it on when you get a fish? Just wondered how long the batteries will last. Jeff

You could run a 3 way swivel behind the dipsy with a shallow crank bait and a spoon. Have seen this done on Erie for walleye. Maybe run the deep leader a little longer to keep it behind the high bait. From your diagram I guess you might be able to run a slider just like you would on a stacked rigger line.......but it sounds risky to say the least and almost sure to tangle.

Gander Mountain has lettering kits for between $30-50 depending on style.

I was rooting through an old tackle box came across a bunch of spoon blanks and got the bright idea to paint some up. My question is what kind of paint should I use and should the final coat be some sort of clear coat? Will krylon spray paint work? Thanks in advance. Jeff

With the size of the fish this year I wouldn't be suprised to see the whole leaderboard full of 30+ lb fish. Already 2 over 30 and its only day 4.

sold..thanks for looking.

Happy Birthday Tim.

Having a smaller boat I can appreciate the call to cancel. What would you guys be posting if they gave the go ahead and the lake picked up to what it was suppose to? What if a small boat went out because he put up the money to compete and something tragic happened? I'd rather read about a bunch of guys being P.O'd about sitting at the dock than reading someone's obituary! Can't say I agree with everything that goes on with the pro-am, but I do think they made the right call for everyone's safety.

Lowered price to $2500.

Just wondered what you guys like to run for browns. Never really targeted them but have caught a few while salmon fishing. I'd like to try and target them a couple days and get a good one or 2. Should I run smaller spoons or are standard DW o.k.? I have some DW WD spoons that we run for walleye and some scorpion stingers. Most of what I've read leans toward stickbaits but isn't that primarily a springtime program? Thanks for all your help. LOU has really helped me boat some good fish over the last couple years. Jeff

Just installed a furuno 620 this spring and have to say I like it. Did alot of research and only read 1 complaint and think it was more user error than malfunction. I believe the only difference between the 620 and 585 is screen size. I can mark fish at cruising speeds on the factory settings. I found the best deal at hodges marine. Jeff

Thanks a bunch...I think the previous owner must have disconnected the hoses. Jeff