Sk8man

The Willis is the way to go but the #8 spro swivel is another option that will clear the eylets  and tip of most rods.

I'm anticipating negative reactions to the following comments, but the fact that it has worked for as long as it has speaks for itself. I have used Cannon 10A's since 1985. I have 4 of them. I have had the same wire on two of them since I bought them. They all have 150lb wire. The other two I bought after the first two and replaced the cables about 2000. The specs require only 10 pound weights max and I have adhered to this since I have had them (yest there is blowback plus 100 ft but I can live with it). I have run a Fishhawk Bluetooth probe since about 2016 on one of them. I have been able to afford the newest and latest and greatest replacements all along but I have stuck with the 10A's because of reliability. Other than replacement of the electric cables on each - never a problem in thousands of hours of fishing. Are they slow coming up? yes. Do I care about that? no. I use the time to re-rig my lines and actually view it as a "positive". I set my drag so that when it reaches the top the drag kicks in. I do not have autostop and that is also OK because of the drag setting. I also rigged my probe with a "safety line" via an additional separate wire connection rigged so that the probe will remain if the weight goes. The reason I am saying this is that the "newest latest and greatest thing" is not always the most reliable answer to things, and whatever works - reliability has its merits regardless of age or view regarding it's "outdated" nature.

Welcome to LOU! Happy retirement!

Great report Anthony! Sounds as though you folks had a fun time I know it is heavily used recreationally but it is a very beautiful and unique scenic lake (one of only a few in the world with the "Y" shape

I've fished Keuka on and off since the sixties; earlier for trout and later on mostly for perch. Like most of the Finger Lakes, the development along the lake and related intensity of use and recreational boating etc. has changed the very nature of fishing on the lake, but the more (and most) critical factor is the introduction of invasives - especially the Zebra and Quagga mussels which have strained out the most critical link in the food chain the phytoplankton and zooplankton along with other crucial components of the baitfish diet and reproductive cycle. In the late seventies and into the late eighties I used to troll for browns and rainbows as well as the occasional landlock there and I night fished for them as well. There were some really nice salmonids available at the time and a state record brown was even caught there Some really beautiful perch also rivaled those on Seneca and Cayuga too as well as a solid smallmouth population. Keuka was also one of my favorite ice fishing lakes right up until the past decade or so when things really came to a head and deteriorated in terms of the baitfish population really tanking noticibly. When fishing through the ice for perch and panfish lake trout starting being commonly caught regardless of type of jig or bait used in very shallow water. Most telling of the desperation of the trout population was that when them came out on the ice they were spitting up tiny perch and sunfish. Many of these trout had the enlarged heads with skinny bodies further indicating that they had been "starving". This condition has progressed for a number of years and now the population of all species seems to have drastically declined on the lake. Although it appears to have been a number of factors involved from those mentioned above to the lack of baitfish, the central thing is that when you knock out a critical link in the base level of the food chain eventually (and at different rates) everything above it will be drastically effected and eventually possibly totally decimated. and that is what has happened. Whether artificial restoration efforts can be successful in bringing back the previous fishery is a big question mark especially with the same still culprits operating in the lake; and in any event it will probably be a long time turning around if it does in fact occur.

Parasitic nematode of some type?

Looks as though John is on a roll

Sorry to hear about it Mark. The worst one I ever heard though was at one of the state parks nearby where someone had a kicker locked to the transom and some scum took a chain saw to the transom to get it. Unfortunately we have folks in our society without a conscience.

Sometimes folks find out information after the fact that changes their intention of posting.....been there done that.

Great going Pete and Bill

Nice going Bill  - all the way around

Nice going John and Stan

That's great thx for the report

Years ago I switched out basically all my spoons to Mustad SINGLE XXX stainless hooks. The only trebles I use are on my homemade flies. and I use various (beaked extra strength trebles on them as well as triple strength red Eagle Claw trebles) I use 1/0 for small spoons, 2/0 for mediums and 3/0 (and some 2/0) for magnum spoons. The advice above from others is on the mark too.

There are substantial differences in the quality and strength of trebles. Replace the "iffy" ones with hardened trebles which appear thicker and are often designated as "extra strength" or "triple x" etc. OR change trebles to hardened stainless singles again the "triple xx" designation. The beauty  of the singles is they don't get caught in the net as often and are easier to get out of the fishes mouth without damage to either.

Just place the braid as far back in the church release as you can get it and have the release tightened down (carefully) and bring the boards in prior to netting the fish or wrap the braid around the church release. Yes it will often sink the board when a good one hots.... but it works.

x2

Although the SeaFlee line works ok on riggers it also has a lot of stretch so it isn't great for dipseys. When the fleas are really thick even the Sea flee gets some on it. Sometimes when the fleas are distributed intermittently in different concentrations throughout the water column folks think that whatever they are using is avoiding gathering fleas but it may be that they just aren't going through real heavy concentrations in the areas they are fishing. When the fleas are heavily concentrated in condensed areas of the column they gather on just about anything including 200 lb downrigger wire. The spiny fleas are not usually all that bad to clean off usually just shaking wire line for example....it is the fishhook variety that are the really bad ones that adhere like smelly grey cottonwood. I'd say stick with wire and take your lumps Andy

WTG John

He makes great weights and Seth Green sinkers and his prices are reasonable......and he is a good guy

Good going John and Happy Father's Day bud.

Plating is an art as well as a science. Yes, there are changes in government regulations requiring "adjustments" and some folks are more skillful than others in making those adjustments. Whoever does the plating for Hinckley is masterful at it.....that is all I can say. This is not to disparage Sutton (or anyone else for that matter) but it is a fact, and the proof is in a side by side comparison of the finishes which I'm not going to do on here... but give it a try for yourself! I am still a Sutton fan as well by the way

The Suttons are good spoons and I have used them for over 50 years and my grandfather used them just after they came out around 1900. I have hundreds of them in various sizes and weights and finishes. A problem with them is that there have been plating problems with them for the past few years and the finish on them doesn't hold up like the older versions. That is why I suggested you try the Elmer Hinckleys gold and silver finishes as they are superb.

If you like plated spoons try the Elmer Hinckleys https://elmerhinckley.com/the-spoon-drawer/

Exquisite plating on them.