Sk8man
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Everything posted by Sk8man
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I was thinking about going to Lake O solo this morning but my wife said " why don't you fish out here and I can go along". Of course I said "yes" (for a whole lot of reasons). We got a late start and were on the water about 10 AM (quit at 4PM) . I used 2 downriggers cheated and a 300 copper trolling first the east side down to Pelican Point then across by Wegman's and down the west side. Caught a total of 7 lakers despite fishing for rainbows. None was over 4 pounds. The interesting thing to me is that 6 came on the cheaters and one came on the 300 copper and my trolling speed was from 3.1 to 3.57 and nearly all came from 3.3 plus.....I couldn't get away from them; one even hit a magnum spoon No sign of rainbows today. Saw a lot of bait at the south end. I didn't run any deeper than about 6o feet over whatever (the 300 copper may have been running higher than usual too given the speed). Marked a lot of fish in the 40-60 ft range thinking they were probably rainbows but the ones that hit at least were lakers. I didn't put down the probe to check temps but surface was 74. Usually about now the rainbows are out in the middle portion of the lake so we fished mostly 140- 210 and most fish marked were in that range as was the bait. Strange day! Quite a few weeds out there, a lot of algae pooling up in long bands throughout the south end both sides and the fleas were there but "doable"
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Ditto Mike. Seneca isn't "down for the count" yet and good to see it.
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There are various grades of Frogg Toggs - the top graded ones are very nice but they are well over $100 ( I have the Toadz?)but in some things at least you get what you pay for and this may be one of those things. I think it pays to get a quality set no matter what you buy.
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If you are someone with a bit of patience bleed them in the net held over the side of the boat. Just slit them across the triangular area behind the gills. It doesn't take very long if done right and very little mess. -
Sold / Closed Michigan Stinger Lot (standard size)
Sk8man replied to Hillside's topic in Classifieds - Buy, Sell, Trade or Rent
Geez Mike you're going to empty Cayuga out of fish -
That is another good thing to try. The sheathing on about any leadcore is what actually gives it it's strength the lead itself isn't very strong and not intended for that purpose anyway.
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If it isn't the screw loosening I'm wondering about a) the underwater currents and your direction trolling and b) the speed you are trolling maybe interacting to tangle things up. The diver may be revolving instead of swaying out to the side.
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The only problem will probably be trying to insert the mono through the sheathing of the microlead - not sure as I don't do it that way with the micro lead just the standard stuff in the past. Give it a try though as you can always go other ways if it doesn't pan out
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Not sure from description whether you mean tangling of both divers together or tangling of your attractor/lure with the diver. I do wonder though if the screw holding the weight in place may be loosening up allowing it to "flop" back and forth perhaps? The weights do move a little inside the covering on mine and I have over a dozen of them that do it.
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The #8 will go through the eyelets and tips of most rods and it is rated at 50 lbs. They also make a #10 which I believe is 35 lbs. but it is more difficult to tie knots with it. The Palomar should work and I'm sure there are others that will also work. I use the clinch knot with 7 turns on the fluoro end and 5 on the leadcore end and cinch down carefully and repeatedly and wet and then check them closely. A spot of instant glue can also be used on the knot. Never had one fail yet.
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I use 20 lb fluoro leaders for Lake O and 12 lb for the Finger Lakes and #8 Spro swivels so I don't use knots directly from leadcore to leader. My thought is that it is possible to tie depending on knot but question is : Will it get through the eyes and tip of rod? Fluoro tends to be a smaller diameter than most mono.
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x2 https://fishtfight.com/tuf-line-microlead-review
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You may have to play with it under actual conditions to get the best result. While the water is warm might want to go into a shallow area get into the water try slight movement/adjustments and then try it out each time doing that to get the "best fit" just a suggestion....
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Dead in the water in Mexico...
Sk8man replied to WalleyeLJ's topic in New York Fishing Reports - Lake Ontario (South Shore)
Now there is a classy offer -
Thanks ifishy. Hopefully we will get another chance to connect like at Hughes last season and chat some more -
Dennis is "old school" and really knows his stuff .....been at it a long time and is a valuable resource I could probably use a copy of that myself...my 10A's are getting nearly as old as me -
And the mystery continues stay tuned....someone may have an answer The only thing I can think of is that when the downrigger line (or lines with a slider) is in the Black release and the release is directly fastened to the wire above the weight the lure action may be jerking the wire frequently and repeatedly because the impeller on the probe (water friction driven) is being jerked as well causing a false reading (readings are updated and probably "averaged" within the span of measurement time) which is slightly higher than actual speed at the weight. When the release is on the weight itself the lure action and "jerking" may be cancelled out by the weight of the ball itself countering-acting it. Just an armchair guess....
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Using multiple reports and then looking at those that give an hourly breakdown of the wind velocity and direction can sometimes be useful. NymphO did hit the nail on the head though in terms of track record as they all can be inaccurate frequently. They seem to generally be more accurate on direction than wind speed too. One of the prime determinants for me is exactly where I am going to fish whether on a given Finger Lake or Lake O. The projected wind direction is the major determinant for me especially when taking a chance on velocity. The decision can be quite different for example on Lake O depending on where you intend to launch and fish out of. If you are located mid lake on the south shore and the wind is out of the NW or perhaps NE or due N (at any speed) the odds of having a good time out there aren't in your favor. Even an excessive southerly wind may be fine out to a certain depth or distance north but out deeper you may have white caps when the wind speed picks up because it has time and space to build. Having a "plan B" is always important and luckily we have so many other waters relatively nearby. Back when they had the ESLO derbies in the Spring I always launched from Sodus Point because I knew that if the wind cranked up I could usually fish the bay (and even that could get rough sometimes forcing me to sit on the tailgate of my truck sipping a beer hoping things would lay down). Back then there wasn't all the info available on weather conditions as there is today so you could have a long journey to the lake from home before you even knew the actual conditions (e.g. no webcams or buoy info etc.). So I guess regardless of the current limitations we've discussed it is still a lot better stuff to evaluate than in the past, so maybe taking things with a grain of salt and appreciating what we presently have is worth considering
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Sold / Closed 4 cannon mag 10a downriggers w/ 36” booms & swivel bases.
Sk8man replied to yellowgold's topic in Classifieds - Buy, Sell, Trade or Rent
Hope they don't belong to the dog....he looks a bit concerned -
works anyway. Used to use this version too and for a regular downrigger release before the Blacks came out
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There are many ways to do this and I'm sure others have ideas here but this is what I have used for about 30 years. The rubber bands can be found in craft stores or perhaps dollar stores, the shrink wrap at automotive stores, the duolock snaps can be ordered from many places (largest possible size), trot line clips (used for set lines or trot lines for catfish etc.I used to get at Netcraft (online). Bought a bunch a long time ago so not sure if they still carry them) P.S. They carry a lot more items in their printed catalog than are listed on their website)
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Some comments for folks that haven't had the experience of fishing solo or are new to it: The solo fisherman is a strange animal... we always want to maximize our chances of catching fish, but minimize our limitations in the process and often fail to see that what we are doing is all about "risk management". After stacking and using cheaters both sliding and fixed for more than 40 years and fishing solo for much of it it seems that there are a few aspects to it that become essential in determining the outcome: a) anticipation of potential outcomes when setting up ( including multiple fish at the same time on the same rod or two rods), b) how to maintain boat control and speed while fighting the fish, and c) netting considerations. Situation a involves planning the exact set-up of the rods and lines beforehand and anticipating what might happen and how to react to multiple fish - usually with fish on multiple rods you have to determine quickly which fish you might be able to let take out drag, adjusting it properly and staying in the rod holder while dealing with the other. Issue b involves the use of an autopilot for many folks now in reducing the load by one person which you don't have - but for many of us without the option it involves letting the boat go with the wind for easier control while slowing the motor enough to allow the fish to be "towed' by the weight of the boat a bit tiring them out more quickly. Most of the time you will not be doing "catch and release" with kings either as they will be spent. Issue c involves thinking beforehand about how you are going to accomplish netting while holding the rod as well, and how you are going to position yourself within the boat (and not outside it). I used to use long leads on my attractor set-ups and then hand line fish into the net and this still can work for smaller fish but for angry kings risks of losing the fish or getting severe cuts to your fingers are increased ten fold. I keep the total length to just short of my rod length (e.g. 6-7 ft or so for an 8 1/2 ft. rod) and set the rod in the rod holder with the drag adjusted so that it is a little tighter than usual but still below breaking strength of the line once the fish is tired and more cooperative...but positioning of the rod holder is something to consider beforehand too. As far as the free-slider vs. the fixed slider I think the free slider has significant advantages both action-wise and in terms of "simplicity" over the fixed approach, but with the fixed approach using the rubber band - selection of the specific rubber band is important. I use the little rubber bands used by females for their hair as they break fairly easily and they are very small and can be reeled right into the reel through the line guide if necessary without messing with the remaining band on the line with the fish on the other end. Using a fixed or free slider cheater above an attractor, or with a stickbait at the end of a mainline can be done but it often leads to various tangling problems especially with fish like kings and probably not worth the effort or risk of losing or messing up your equipment. Again, just my own two cents thrown in for what it is worth
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I was wondering when the gator would come sniffing around It is reputed that he can smell that KFC chicken miles away out on the ice too
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Cool....good luck with it Joe.
