Sk8man

Oh no....I was hoping nobody would ask that well it was a lesson and although I knew better... I took one of my rigs that I use on the Finger Lakes with 150 yds of 50 lb Power Pro Spectra as backing for the 30 lb copper. I thought I could get away with it but with 6 rods out (including two coppers) it is a lot different than the old days with just a few rods to clear if you had to and it was rough water besides going into the waves so you are stuck with what you have out.....therein lies the problem for those of you who haven't "been there done that" when you have a few hundred yards of mono on a downrigger reel and even 100 ft out it is VERY different than having out 350 ft ( or 600 for some) of copper out already and then you rely on the backing on your reel for whatever the fish decides to run with. This particular king took line and never stopped (at all) When my son said "hey dad I can see the metal on the spool" I tried to put on the brakes a bit for him and at that instant the (lighter than I should have had 20 lb fluoro leader snapped like thread. Ys I was the guy who a little while back said on here "I've never been spooled even with 12 lb line" but that was based on a high capacity downrigger reel and being able to take up lines quickly if necessary and use the boat as a weapon. . All these problems came together in seconds and a fast becoming zero line with a very angry fish on the other end of that line is a bit unnerving and forms the basis of an instant education about what to do next time Pay attention to the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared

I fished near Nick and Theresa for a while this morning and believe me they EARNED their fish. It was very slow and Mark and I had only 2 hits from 7:30 AM till 3PM with 6 rods out. One unbuttoned on the wire and the other is probably now living in Oswego with our spoon after nearly spooling us on the 350 copper and snapping the fluoro leader. The high point of the day was chatting with Nick and Theresa at Arney's afterward

Heading for Sodus in a few to give it a whirl. Rod I feel the same way about the bait situation and Vince has repeatedly made great points about the bait situation that I feel are right on target. Good luck to you other "die hards" going this AM

Rod I actually was just kind of thinking out loud when I wrote what you quoted and I'm fishing Sodus in the AM as I have since 1975 and my son is going with me so I sure haven't given up on fishing or specifically fishing there either.. I agree with nearly everything you said and I certainly didn't mean to turn anyone off to fishing or in any way impact business of any sort as this sport means very much to me as I know it does to you. I also have a real feel for Nick's view on this as it relates to Sodus and I believe his perception is valid as well. Of late I have only been fishing Sodus and Hughes and not way west where I used to fish so I also understand it is a small sample size of the lake especially considering that it is also only the south shore as well. I do know however that during the mid to late eighties and during the first part of the nineties the fishing was way beyond what it is today in that area and the fishing techniques were quite primitive and potentially less productive by today's standards too. I think that is why I am unsure about the status of things right now out there and why I said what I said (which was related to Sodus basically). We all love to think about the high points in life and may even want them to all be that way but realistically these levels of available fish have always been cyclical and for a variety of reasons and some not having anything to do with man's interaction with the environment or ability to control things through either actions or "policies" or stocking plans. The serious fishermen will not be deterred by these ups and downs and businesses are always subject to the whims and cycles of hobbies or sports popularity. plecos4sale - It is very gratifying to see young ladies manning the rods and especially since they are at an age where they have already discovered boys and all the other "life distractions" WTG

I've been hoping that things are just running late but at this point I wouldn't be betting my house on it.....just can't help but think that a year class or two may have been decimated by whatever means and at this point in the season there certainly have been much better results for sure.

Mark you have to write Obama he owns it right now

You take the cake Mark!

:lol: Thanks Maybe see you there tomorrow AM

I know this will probably earn me a "wuss" label but whats the status of the bugs and fleas at Sodus today Nick?

WTG Jeff

Hoping to give it a try out of Sodus tomorrow morning so I hope things start to pick up sooooon

Very cool David. Those are the memories that last a lifetime for all concerned.

Nice going Kevin....your middle name should be "Walleye"

http://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishing-hunting/topic/40356-meat-rigscutbaitwhats-your-take-discussion/?hl=%2Bmeat+%2Brigs