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Everything posted by Sk8man
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If you want to do it right (but not inexpensively either) go to Fish307.com and get a set of the retrofit power cords. They aren't cheap (about $70 each) but they are really sweet. I replaced the cords on my three Cannon downriggers with them and I love them (much heavier duty than the originals and they have quick disconnects that are pretty waterproof etc.) http://www.fish307.com/cannon-downrigger-part-3883220.aspx
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http://www.weather.com/series/great-outdoors/video/man-catches-duck-while-ice-fishing-in-pennsylvania
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Rod For Lake Trout (Trolling Without Downrigger)
Sk8man replied to Kabar's topic in Questions About Trout & Salmon Trolling?
Good thinking bud.....I guess I was too focused on the equipment side of it to think it through -
Rod For Lake Trout (Trolling Without Downrigger)
Sk8man replied to Kabar's topic in Questions About Trout & Salmon Trolling?
Pap pointed up something I overlooked the 7 ft Ugly Stik is a one piece rod. I either transport my rods in the boat or in the back of my Expedition so I didn't think about that (if it is a factor for you). -
The blades on the Hammerheads are made of much lighter material than the steel blades of the traditional Luhr Jensen type willow leaf blades which equates with less drag in the water. Rather than shiny metal they use a reflective coating
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Rod For Lake Trout (Trolling Without Downrigger)
Sk8man replied to Kabar's topic in Questions About Trout & Salmon Trolling?
As long as you aren't dealing with chinooks in Lake O and you want to do a variety of things without breaking the bank (e.g. around $200 total). I'd get a 7 ft Ugly Stick medium action rod (roughly $40-$50) and THREE reels (either Diawa 47H's frequently sold second hand on here often in bunches or some new Okuma Magda Pro 45's (higher capacity) at about $50 each. Load one up with 10 or12 lb mono and an 8 lb fluoro leader, one with 27 lb leadcore (your choice of number of colors according to how deep you wish to go and how much backing you wish to put on) within the top 50 ft or so and as much mono backing as will fit) and a fluoro leader, and one with a 250 ft 30 lb copper with 30 lb Power Pro Mono backing. Maybe get a set of snap on weights for deeper presentations or get either a large Chinook Diver or a Deeper Diver in the largest 124 mm size (another $15 or $20). This way you can do just about everything from top lining to deeper presentations by just switching reels on the same rod because the Ugly Stik is pretty stiff and will handle the diver OK...the Chinook diver has less drag by the way. Normally if using a long copper you'd be looking at a high retrieve rate reel but for the 200-250 or so these reels will be fine. -
Is Hank "the man" or what? You sure got your question to the right guy Sean
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If you were at the south end anywhere near the pressure ridge today a couple weeks ago I was just south of it when it formed by "blowing up" throwing ice in the air about 6-8 ft in the air near a cottage with a bubbler going on the west side and the huge pressure ridge was created right while we watched....sounded like dynamite going off and shook like an earthquake and ripped up the ice all the way across the lake in a line. Glad I wasn't standing on the crack some of the huts came down within milliseconds and folks started leaving pretty quick . From now on extreme caution is needed and day by day evaluation of the conditions with these warmer temperatures because once the creeks start running full blast things can change within hours sometimes.
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Last I heard Harvey had lead and was waiting to make up more weights until the weather improved because he makes them outside. Might want to give him a call Jeff phone number is 607 535 2390
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Ah...probably the folks at the Sutton store don't even have a computer or Internet service because many companies would be launching a "brand name infringement" legal case over the use of their name for "similar" products which can be quite misleading but Ebay would have enough dough to fend it off anyway probably. I'm not being critical either of you or your product by the way.
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Yeah guess I'm kinda like the monkey scratching his head at the slot machine looking at the lever
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Great description...felt as though I was right there. It is also nice that you were able to give Gerry a "plug" as he is a heck of a guy and has a lot of good fishing knowledge to share. If folks are out that way I'd encourage them to visit his place..even just for the experience....he has a lot of neat tackle and is able to get things for you if he doesn't have it on hand at that moment ....very refreshing in this day of the "Walmart's" Dicks" and Gander Mountains" where the salespeople don't know what they are doing or just don't care. Gerry has always taken the time from what he is doing to interact with me whenever I have been there. It's good to see an "old school" tackle shop still in operation.
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Many people frequent this site and some are new to fishing in general, boating, or fishing in Winter or early Spring conditions.These comments are directed mainly to them but also apply to the rest of us as well. The early season fishery can be very exciting and many posts recently have accentuated this coupled with the brutal long winter we have had this year. It is understandable that everyone is poised like race horses waiting to get out of the starting gate and go after the browns and early kings and whatever else can be caught in the shallows of Lake O and the Finger Lakes. Ice out and the days and weeks following it as the ice cold water is warming up are indeed exciting times but they are also the most potentially dangerous of the season. Each year folks drown, need to be rescued or have so called "lucky" scrapes with danger on the water. Some folks go out there in the excitement either totally unprepared or ill prepared for the conditions they are entering (e.g. not wearing life jackets, or not even having them aboard, outdated or absent flares and signaling devices, no back up means of propulsion should their engine give out or run out of fuel, not properly dressed for conditions possibly leading to hypothermia especially with unexpected rain etc. Those folks most eager often take chances and over ride their common sense and good judgment by going out there as if it were summer and launch full tilt out of the chute wide open headed to their intended spots. They fail to perceive or else over ride their survival concerns in he excitement and fail to notice big ice floes in the channel behind them or out on the lakes proper feeling that they can navigate around them, they don't think about the fact that ice can be one of the most destructive forces on Earth and it routinely takes out metal boat hoists, and docks and strews the remnants around like straw in the wind. The rivers that empty into the lakes during melting and overflow situations empty their contents into the lakes which can be anything from small sticks or boards with nails in them to floating logs, railroad ties and telephone poles (often from break walls that have disassembled) some of which are vertical in the water with only the tips showing. This mess sets the stage for potential disaster especially with people going at high speeds and preoccupied with various preparations in the boat. The bottom line advice is this : Be alert, be prepared, be cautious, go slowly and enjoy yourselves so that you can return home safely to your family. Good luck!
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Braid and dipsy divers
Sk8man replied to fish-on's topic in Questions About Trout & Salmon Trolling?
In reading this thread it is interesting that it resembles the "Ford vs. Chevy" argument despite the two line versions being composed of entirely different substances and maybe an "apples vs. oranges" issue Each of these lines catch fish and most of it depends on the skills and "habits" of the fishermen more than the line itself and each has its place in the arsenal. I've fished wire of various types: monel, single strand stainless, copper single strand and braided, and 7 strand stainless long before it became "popular" (1975?), dacron, and and the current type of braid (e.g. Powerpro etc) for the past 10 years or so along with wire. Each of these types of wire have their strengths and weaknesses (kinking being a major one and the occasional "tangle" requiring wire cutters during an accidental "free spool") and the advent of fleas and floating grass pods have aggravated the weakness part of the equation for both types of line. Braid has its issues as well (color fading, vulnerability to weakening by UV sunlight, tendency to tangle on itself without being able to sort out (e.g.backlash) and tendency to "float". Some of the issue revolves around specifically how you intend to run the dipseys...if from boards braid may be the easiest and least problematic to use but for straight down situations wire is (side rigs or chute situations) my "go to" for sure. It is really mainly a "preference" issue though like many other things we discuss on here -
The Scotty's are good downriggers and the only complaint I have is they are a difficult shift for us dinosaur (vertical) Cannon users to get used to (the horizontal layout) when all hell breaks loose on the boat and you're trying to figure out how to get them back down to the action but I guess that doesn't have much to do with the product though does it?
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I wouldn't be too quick to blame the tip up fishermen....not all of the mono out there comes from fishermen although it is a definite possibility/probability. Many kids and adults "helping" kids use mono to fly kites around the lake and some of the stuff gets tangled in the near ground branches of trees near sheltered areas where the ducks gather in large groups.I have found a couple over the years while shore fishing with remnants of the kite still attached. It is more likely it came from the shoreline than out on the ice and we all do have to be very careful in our habits when it comes to discarding used line or old lead based small split shot as well which is still not quite "extinct".
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Something to think about - A way of determining whether you should do it or not is to develop a full business plan including all your expenses, and overhead, get quotes on liability insurance, etc. and be sure to figure in your hours not only of actual fishing,but traveling time, time spent rigging stuff, cleaning the boat, re-rigging or replacing things that clients screw upetc. Quite some time back I considered chartering and I went to the local community college evening business school that offered classes in business development. The primary requirement was to develop a thorough 5 year business plan of our intended ventures and then compute the profit margin as an hourly wage for your intended activity and present the findings to the class. I presented my findings after weeks of researching things and formulating the plan. When I presented my findings I first indicated that I wasn't about to give up my "day job" and folks laughed....my potential hourly wage profit was $2.73 after all the expenses (including buying a larger boat) that would be incurred. It might have been different in someplace like Florida where you have nearly the entire year as your season but here you have winters such as this one, days when it is too rough to get out and many other unpredictable factors to contend with. I became instantaneously content to remain the sport fisherman that I am today
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I know they have had a few in the range of 10 -12 lbs in recent times but when I was in high school (in the Stone Age) I remember an 18 lb rainbow trout displayed in front of Harmans Sport Shop in Geneva in an ice chest that had been caught I believe at Naples Creek. Most of the rainbow trout I've seen shocked were small to medium sized the times I have watched (mostly at Naples or Cold Brook). The streams are quite different now too with seemingly less structure and shrubery etc. One of the common things that has happened too is the total disregard by a lot of people who trample the redds during the April run. They either have no knowledge of what they are doing and the consequences or they just don't care. Add to that the "lifting" of fish by nearby locals at night and it doesn't leave much to the imagination as to why things have changed to the way they are today. Didn't mean to get on the soapbox but the situation is quite disturbing.