Sk8man

Paul, He was seated and He looked about 40 ish maybe dark hair and by himself on white sailboat that is about all I remember I was so busy I didn't get a name on his boat or anything but he seemed very amused when he did it.....certainly not "accidental" and it looked as though he launched from German Bros.

Paul I had the same thing exactly happen a couple weeks ago (solo) near German Brothers with boards out and I had waved my arms, yelled etc. to get his attention so he smiles and then turns right at me again. I didn't have an eleven year old in the boat and I took full advantage of the fact and really let him have it verbally including a few hand gestures for good measure....He just laughed and went along his merry way. Probably could have fried and egg on my head

Launched early from the Chamber with my buddy John and had 6 lines trolling by 5:45 AM headed south on west side. 2 riggers with sliders, a 10 core,a 5 core and 2 wires with spinneys. Trolled for about an hour before first fish - laker about 3 lbs on wire rig out120 on green home made fly. Another good hit on same rod half hour later off before could get to rod. About 2 hrs later pulled lines went back north reset with different spoons etc. At about the same spot as last laker another same size on downrigger set at 45 with Great Lakes #44 spoon with dark blue tape. later another hit and gone same lure. Trolled across lake to east side wind calmed a bit trolled south toward Sampson as during the whole troll from north end marked all kinds of bait and fish suspended mostly within 30-60 ft range but couldn't get them to hit no matter how many lure changes or presentations or changes in trolling directions. Finally just as reaching Sampson park downrigger set at 50 peels line and at first I thought it was a good rainbow or landlock but then it dove toward bottom and repeatedly peeled line multiple times...all the while staying down...then I thought maybe a good brown or big laker....the next head shakes and I was thinking laker....sure enough a big fat laker about 9 lbs on the Great Lakes 44 again (released unharmed). All three lakers had pot bellies and have obviously been chowing heavily out there. . The availability of bait is pretty incredible and a lot of the marks we saw in large numbers suspended with and near bait suggested silver fish to me with lakers below. I think it indicated pretty strongly that there is way too much food readily available to the fish out there that it explains to some degree why they won't hit when trolling (i.e. minimal energy expenditure). I took a few representative (and quite usual screenshot examples out there today) so folks can see what I mean. Never had a touch on the cores regardless of lures used or how run (off boards or straight, down chute etc.) ran the 10 color in various ways (number of colors - nothing). John kept the 2 smaller lakers for the smoker. P.S. Very light fleas noted but the grass (several kinds) was terrible out there attached to everything

WTG some great fishing

Nice going and thanks for the report

To me it looks like a lot of bait in different densities spread along the thermocline in that particular area you were in at the time that had clutter in it maybe as well. The fact that the leadcores picked up the salmon and rainbow within that general depth would support that view. Looks as though the downrigger set at 40 missed the possible action

Ah.... I've thankfully never encountered those out there only the little black buggers that won't leave you alone no matter what I never remember these damned things out there in the old days ....man.. fleas, zebras, flies...what next? I know....don't ask

If you are referring to those little black fly &*^%$#@s that bite like heck I don't think they are "green heads" like you see out on Cape Cod etc. more like the flies you see around animals on farms (not the big horse flies). man the little buggers can bite though.

WTG nice box of fish. Glad things are starting to improve there....hoping to get out down there soon.

Nice report Ed. No feeling like turning a youngster on to fishing

Not sure where you are located but the prop shop in Canandaigua is as good as it gets for prop repair and folks and marinas from all over the state send them there for repair. If it is an aluminum prop and the hub is still intact it may be repairable but if it were me I'd get a new prop as it would probably be about as expensive to repair it. Here is someplace to order a new one. http://boatpropellers.iboats.com/propeller-showcase/michigan-wheel/?cm_mmc=Google_Main-_-Props%3AGoogle%3AGreat+Lakes-_-Michigan+%28Opt%29%3AProps%3AGoogle%3AGreat+Lakes-_-michigan+wheel+props_Exact&mkwid=sMP9KYPJv&crid=69678357739&mp_kw=michigan%20wheel%20props&mp_mt=e&pdv=c&gclid=COCkl_ehx8YCFYKPHwodR0AE5g Boat Repair Shop 53 Leicester St, Canandaigua, NY 14424 (585) 394-1860

The marina where I bought the boat did the wiring but they go through the breaker box (30 Amp fusing?)

Thanks guys.

I have the long adjustable booms on my Cannons and have never had a problem but I also only use 10 lb weights too here are the plugins I have (4 of them spaced so I can operate either of two or three downriggers off any one on same side musing an alternate socket is one were to become dysfunctional.

Here is what they looked like last year on the downrigger wire at Keuka I've used the Sea Flee 30 lb for the past three years and it works great.

Nothing like a new boat to make things enjoyable out there.Looks like a beauty from what I could see in the pic. If you have inset rod holders there are things you can do to minimize drilling. You can get some gimbal mounts and mount a couple downriggers to them with swivel bases and if you have additional ones toward the cockpit along the gunwales another gimbal with a short section of track mounted to it and three Bert's ratcheting rod holders (metal ones) mounted to the track. Additional stainless rod holders (e.g. perko, Attwood or others) that are rail mounted could be located on the bow rail for additional rods. if you can get to them easily The nice thing is that you can take them on and off when using the boat recreationally....just a thought....no additional holes required. It is basically the way I went 13 years ago on my Whaler and it works well. P.S. I can run the 3rd downrigger just by lifting out whatever I have in the forward hole and inserting the rigger so there is also flexibility this way.

Nice looking rig Dave.

Admiral Byrd and I gave it a shot from 4PM -8;30PM tonight and targeted the steelhead and kings out in the depths. We motored out to 600 plus ft. and kept trolling NW out to 680 ft and then turned back south and then when we reached 658 ft we saw a nice steelie jumping in back of the boat and he was on the 5 color leadcore on the outrigger and it was then "game on" Bob had his hands full as this guy jumped roughly 30 times and I'm not exaggerating....I thought it might be an Atlantic at first because of it. The fish was literally out of the water more than he was in it all the way to the boat. A while later in about 600 ft. the downrigger went off and I had a jumper as well on the slider which had a prototype Revolution spoon I was trying out (not a production color but one I taped) and the steelie really slammed it and took line a bunch of times as well as jumped. These spoons work beautifully. We trolled further into 483 ft and Bob had another nice steelie on the downrigger. Trolled for a long time without any hits and we didn't mark hardly any fish or bait whatsoever while out there. On the way in trolling Bob had a double one off the rigger (got off near boat either small steelie or king) and one on a Walleye board with 4 color leadcore which was a small but healthy king released unharmed. All of the fish came from within the top 40 ft of water and we went 5 for 5. NO fleas were noted but the biting flies were pretty bad and they especially loved bob's feet It was a great time out there and beautiful weather and sweet sunset. I think Bob may have secretly been jealous that my fish was bigger than either of his so he didn't want my face recognized with the catch......aren't you glad you didn't hire him to take YOUR wedding pics?

I too have wondered about the fleas getting into their gills etc. I've also wondered if they actually eat them too whether inadvertently or on purpose. I think it is possible that they locate to avoid them too as you say. I do know that the fleas are distributed erratically within the water column which is probably why on large bodies of water like Lake Ontario some folks find them thick while others thin or not at all and it may depend too on WHERE in the column you primarily fish or set your lines. It would be interesting to know whether they actually concentrate just within the thermocline layer as it often travels up and down in the column. Unfortunately I'm not a fisheries biologist so like most folks and you I am curious about them and have more questions than answers. I do also know that when the temps decrease in the Fall the fleas seem to decrease radically and then disappear so there is definitely some type of relationship with the water temps or ranges of temps.