Sk8man

Wow! Great detailed description Jeff. Hope it works out well for you after all that work. Best of luck this season.

Chad indicted earlier that he is working on the new upgrade and there would be some times when the website wouldn't be accessible.

x2 on spoonfed's comment plus I run them way back of the boat and out away from other stuff most of the time especially during the summer months

In reading this I thought that perhaps not everyone reading here may be familiar with what is being talked about....e..g. "newbies" and it might be a good opportunity for all of us to share some thoughts on it. Blowback or the repositioning of the cable and weight outward from the back or side of boat and upward because of water resistance is mentioned on here a lot mainly when discussing downrigger weights. This might be an appropriate post for sharing folks ideas and experiences on their own "platforms" (boats ). I am always struck by the fact that most folks assume that just going heavier in weight will totally solve the problem which is usually thought of as trying to get exact (or close to it) depth placement of the weight so you know where the lure is running and it is usually in conjunction with where you are spotting target fish on your finder and or locating to desired temperature they are thought to be residing in. Although this is important it is not the total answer because especially on Lake Ontario there are very strong subterranean currents often running in various directions and sometimes at once. Another factor that occurs to me is the size, and weight of your boat combined with how much it is powered when trolling as well as perhaps the shape of the hull. Many folks have gone or are going from the old 10 lb cannon ball, pancake, or fish shaped type weights to more sleek torpedo or streamlines fish shaped weights from 12 to 20 or more pounds to try to severely reduce or eliminate this repositioning of the downrigger weights and lures. This increase in weight and change to a more hydrodynamic shape can help to varying degrees but again the amount of change may also depend on the above factors as well. and especially the amount of underwater current present combined with boat speed etc. I have not previously heard anyone mention that the weight of their boat pulling through the water might be a significant factor in creating blowback but my hunch is that it plays a major role. I am assuming larger heavier boats with increased engine power encountered on Lake O probably create larger blowback than smaller lighter powered craft pulling through the water and I wonder whether it is as critical that a smaller boat use a16-20 lb weight which may greatly tax their downrigger motors especially over time. One very important consideration is how deep you usually troll with your downriggers. The deeper you go the more substantial the blowback can become even with minor increases in boat speed. The other thing is that the underwater currents down deep can be strong and greatly affect your weights both backward and sideways. Fishing the Finger Lakes a lot and moderately fishing Lake O most of my downrigger use is within the 100 ft to surface as I try to avoid lakers for the most part and fish mainly for the silvers. I've used 10 lb weights for years (the max for my riggers) on my 18 1/2 ft Whaler with a 9.8 trolling motor and about three years ago I switched to the 10 lb fish shape torpedo type weights (bikinibottom on LOU or for the torpedos troutman87) which help with reducing the angle of the wire cable and the currents on Seneca for example can be substantial as well. My feeling is that whether you actually need to go with dramatic increases in your weights isn't a matter of "heavier is ALWAYS better" and perhaps some folks would say "Change to braid" for less resistance and reduction of the "singing" of cable. I'm interested in hearing the thoughts of others on the topic.

When I cast for nearly anything (don't fish tigers or muskies but do fish pike) I do as Pap mentioned use a #8 Spro with a 5 or 6 ft fluoro leader. (including for eyes). Using these shorter leaders has never seemed a problem and since most of my eye fishing has been at night a longer leader length longer than the rod has been viewed as unnecessary. I go longer for trout and salmon but that is with trolling reels and rods. I have never felt that eyes were particularly line shy of that set up even in the daylight trolling for them (Honeoye). I have also used short (crimped) sections of thin (yet very strong) titanium wire for casting for pike and the lure action still seems to be pretty good with that.

Well they are a lot of fun when the fishing is hot...kinda like pulling the lever on the slot machines...never know what you're going to get You're right about the adjustments and depth changes etc. can make all the difference. mark had a couple missing shiners yesterday and I think they may have been pulled off by perch....they are pretty good bait stealers I do run the tip ups on other lakes and they do catch fish.

Wouldn't the Wiliis knot go through the eyes as well with the smaller stuff (on leadcore) trolling (walleyes)? or don't you guys use leadcore there for the eyes? I had to add to this post after I looked at it again as I didn't get specific enough (leadcore and eyes)

Hard to say but over the years at least the past 15 or so I haven't done well on them whether shiners, fatheads or emeralds on Honeoye. Used to get the eyes and the bigger perch as well as some bass in the old days but now most of my luck is jigging. My son still puts them out I now stick to jigging

Thanks Mike. I recorded 39 mph on my new weather station on the 26th. Sure wouldn't have wanted to be out there then

Slammin - My son and I fished today it from 12 -5 at the extreme south end 3-4 inches of decent ice but debris trapped in some of it, and most spots of good ice from east to west but the area just past were you were last time there is some open water and nobody fished anywhere near that area today, and there are some large open water spots in the lake from there north. We caught quite a few real nice perch., large gills and a bass about 16 inches jigging with waxies and nothing on the tip-ups with shiners.

Mwinter66 I hope you realize that I was joking when I made the comment about wrapping your life savings int he equipment.....most of us have spent even more than that over the years

There have been some posts in the past on here about the Fishawk use and lots of downrigger info and together with the stuff on their website http://www.fishhawkelectronics.com/marine-electronics/fish-hawk-x4d and any of the Youtube things and it should give you a good sense of where to start once the season rolls around again ......

OR you could use commercial Velcro which would not entail any holes etc.

Just a general piece of advice....whether it is your downrigger, depth finder, a temperature or speed measuring device the effectiveness of it will depend on how skilled you become actually using it. Youtube videos and books are nice for basic familiarization and going with someone who really knows how to use these basic tools can be even more helpful but in this day of the seeking instant answers and instant gratification actual experience on the water is really where you will learn the most important information to be successful. There is no substitute for direct experience for some things and I believe this is one of those situations. Many of the guys on here could write page after page on all the ins and outs of using the Fishawk based on their own intensive experience out there but it still could be of limited value to you because many of the "nuances" of it you need to experience and experiment with and they may be the most important pieces of the "puzzle".