Sk8man

Usually when you see kings hugging bottom they are in numbers (e.g. pre-staging or staging) and often appear as stacked up cord wood frequently off the mouths of streams or rivers and later in the season. I'm thinking most likely lakers but depends where in the lake they were spotted too and the water temp down there as temps in the 60's has been reported recently down in the 80 ft down range so if the temp breaks a little colder right near the bottom could be browns as mentioned and they can tolerate the 60's temps better than lakers for sure.

#8 Spro power swivel (50lb test)

Don't let her bring any cement blocks with her

You have a swivel snap at each end of the slider. The lure goes on one end and the other you snap onto the main line once the lure is down far enough for separation of it from the main lure (I use 15 ft as an example) I then snap the swivel end of the slider on the main line and let down the downrigger weight to the desired depth. You CAN set the downrigger to the desired depth and do it but depending on the weight of the spoon it may not travel very far down the mainline (e.g. a light small flutter spoon).

First of all thanks for your highly detailed report Dave. It could serve as a good "template" for the rest of us . One of the things that can be very beneficial to each of us is taking good notes when fishing (or afterward) but few people truly take the time to do it. Your post provides a real good outline for folks to follow in doing so. The review of notes from different time frames and locations over the years offers a goldmine of information regarding "what to do when" out there. At the risk of being "hog tied" by southenders because I'm a northender I'd say that often the fishing at the south end tends to be better in the Spring and Fall into winter specifically for browns and landlocks. Summertime fishing on Seneca is often a "crap shoot" no matter where you are and once again notes taken over the "long haul" can be important in looking for any location trends for the different species and thermocline information at that time of the season. The two ends of the lake are very different "animals" to fish as is mid lake. In the Spring and Fall they may be very much like fishing "different lakes" so different strategies may apply to them to be successful. It is of interest to note that in the not so distant past the guys from the south end stayed pretty much in that end of the lake as did the northenders stick to the north end to mid lake (I'm being serious now). Now days and especially with the information sharing on LOU we've all become a little more comfortable ranging throughout the lake at different times of the year and I think this is adding a lot to the quality of information we can gather and share with a common goal. I can remember when information was jealously "guarded" even between fishermen at either end of the lake and it is gratifying to see that this has changed considerably and has opened up the opportunity for great friendships to develop as well and it adds a very valuable dimension to our sport and many thanks to LOU for bringing this about

Good to see that you've recovered from your misfortune and are back in gear again Ed. May the fish gods be kind to you this season.....I think you have fully paid your dues bud.

Sliders are short sections of line (e.g.2-8 ft long) with a swivel at each end used to run a second lure on a single downrigger. They can be free sliding or fixed at a certain point on your main line once it is let out in a number of ways (different types of "releasing mechanisms from use of rubbber bands to specific designed releases). . The process is basically you run out your main lure as usual and fix it in your regular downrigger release about 15 ft down. Then you attach one swivel on the end of short section of fluoro or mono (slider) with your selected lure at the other end right on the mainline and fasten the snap and let it slide down the mainline and let your downrigger down to the desired depth. The slider lure will seek its own depth and it may vary with speed and depth and weight or type of lure up and down the mainline and often locates in the bow of the mainline. Fish will sometimes come very close to the boat or right into the prop wash to grab the slider lure (usually a spoon). This process allows you to run two spoons per downrigger rather than stacking multiple rods per downrigger. The fixed slider is usually attached with a rubber band or other desired release to the downrigger wire at a specific depth after the main lure is deployed normally and it maintains the spoon at that depth rather than allowing it to slide up and down the mainline. Either of these versions can be very effective catching trout or salmon and with a little care major tangles can be avoided.

I think the choice is between the #3 Spro (150 pound test) that Chris suggested and the slightly smaller#8 Spro power swivel (50 lb test) and some of it depends on the size of the diameter of your rod eyes and type of rod tip but Spro makes a great swivel in either case. There are some applications where the quality of the swivel may be less important but this isn't one of them

When you say "stackers" are you referring to stacked rods as in a couple per downrigger? If so, you may want to run sliders instead. A little less trouble and increases options for running more or different equipment

http://www.chinookdiver.com/

Since this is your initial investment in this other stuff go with the wire and divers but I'd say go with the Chinook #5 divers rather than mess around with the others (although I use the 124 mm Deeper Divers). The Chinooks offer quite a bit less resistance on the wire and will dig real deep. It can make a noticeable difference in your results. Just be sure to hook them up in the recommended way. Just as an added comment....you can use the wire rods pretty much year around while the lead cores are more limited in scope

These guys all have it right. I've fished solo more than with other folks for many years and safety first is always the best policy and it took awhile till I had that attitude. Mark is right on the money with his specific suggestions and it is obviously based on experience. Keep the net located at the back of the boat for easy access and keep your leaders short enough according to rod length so that you can net without having to hand line them unless you are very experienced doing it. You'll have to keep a closer eye on your depth finder and steering than otherwise too. I always run sliders on my riggers to maximize my lure presentations and I also keep a knife and needle nose pliers right on back easily accessible for dealing with severe tangles in rough water or windy conditions and they are come in handy for releasing lampreys in multiple pieces

I agree Rich even 5 amps would be a pretty large draw for a standard boat stereo setup I would think.

X2 on east winds suck.....I've never done well with an east wind no matter where I have fished (for whatever reason)

In all likelihood an older radio may draw MORE current than a new one because of the older technology and a variety of other size and connection factors. I know I accidentally turned mine on at low volume when I first got the boat and over night the battery was dead. I think they do draw quite a bit of juice.

X2 on Marks suggestion of the Diawa