Sk8man

Dan- I'm assuming that you have the usual counters on your mag 10's and are not talking about what to do if no counters. The major difference in depth between a counter and the actual depth the weight is running is mainly accounted for by the boats speed the depth the weight is set at and potential underwater currents pushing against the weight down below. The way your downrigger cable and weight pushes backward is referred to as "blowback". Blowback usually affects the position of the weight by bringing it upward and possibly to the side as well. This means that your lure is probably running higher than the setting on your counter suggests. Having a Fishawk XD positions a probe near the weight which sends weight depth information so that you can compare where the weight is actually running in comparison to you rigger counter. This separates the amount of blowback and also tells you how this relates to your surface boat speed as well as the speed down at the downrigger weight which in some cases may be surprisingly different (e.g. effects of current etc.).

Congrats Mike and crew. Quite a few good lessons in that post...and number one being "don't give up because persistance pays off" One of the oft neglected factors in success is "paying attention to your intuition" ;this is a prime example of that as well. Knowing what to do and when to do it played a huge role also and Mikes approach is something for the rest of us to think hard about during these very difficult recent fishing conditions.Having a "Plan B" and deciding when to employ rather than continuing to do things that aren't working; it is another ingredient for success. My hat is off to you Mike and especially the way in which you involved the kids in that experience.

Some of the best fishermen in the Finger Lakes were out there that know Seneca like the back of their hands spending 12 or more hours per day and they did not do well. The natural thing to do is to question your own competence and strategies but given the fact that so few large fish were caught by just a few folks strongly suggests it is not the fishermen or lack of knowledge, experience, or lack of equipment employed, or employed wrong or in the wrong spots etc. it is the conditions of the lake itself, the proliferation of bait (another indicator of predator to prey being out of whack). I have fished Seneca my entire life with every fishing method, and during the most trying of times (e.g. late 70's) and this is the most out of whack I have ever seen my favorite lake. It is not just one thing responsible; it is a multitude of factors coming together to highly stress the lake environment and the total fishery. Some of the things wrong may be cyclical in nature but I'm pretty sure not all of them, and it is questionable whether even the most important factors may be remediable with just time. Seneca is truly a jewel of the Finger Lakes but its luster has suffered lately and hopefully its true beauty can be renewed somehow.

Nice going Bob. You never know what that sort of experience means to kids even later on it may be just the ticket to gain an interest in fishing or get them through life at some point.....thats what its all about Les

I think bait availability might be at least one factor in the fishing results this year

The fact that it was a rainbow that took it says quite a bit. Congrats on that nice bow

Nice going Mark Bet you're a little more relaxed out there than on the road

Wow.... and here you are the "brown meister himself" That may give the rest of us some hope

Nice going Ed. Save a few for the derby bud.

i think he is referring to a plastic "fluke" that attacches to the jig but it didn't have a jig .... I've found all sorts of stuff in lakers including a rusted Roostertail spinner, and part of aa rubber worm. They are basically scavengers and opportunists. Same with the big browns

fishyoo you have a PM (personal message....little envelope in the right hand corner of this screen)

R and R is my guess too