Sk8man

I'm certainly not an experienced musky guy but if it were me I'd be using black Spro swivels (much stronger yet smaller in size) and the thimble I'd try to either get a black one or paint them black if you don't want to call attention to them as ANY shiny object will probably get their attention and maybe detract from the lure presentation as well. Maybe use a clear bead also as the red may attract attention to the connection and away from the lure? Something that this rig brings up in my mind is the issue of fluoro vs. mono as well. The primary touted value of fluoro is the supposed "invisibility" under water-especially shallow or extremely clear water. When this large a diameter of fluoro used is the "invisibility" factor still there? and would a little "stretch" using mono be beneficial in a hookup? Just some things that struck me looking at the rig and maybe my thinking is way off the mark but I thought I'd throw it out there for you to think about anyway Good luck with it either way

Thanks John

Nice work Jason....Theresa is a real "keeper" bud. In addition to being good at the fishing and conversation she is an excellent and attentive driver. I've witnessed it firsthand but Scout should also be mentioned as a good navigator as I don't want to incur his wrath before our next outing

I haven't noticed any difference in the UV flies I make but the materials flies are made from themselves are important and maybe the color as well and the action of the fly which depends on several things such as size, weight, design, and length of leader and the particular material the leader is made from. After experimenting with different colored heads I've settled on black as it it what most insects heads look like and is pretty "neutral" yet contrasts compared with the bright colors of the flies. For body material I prefer Kelly green and white , just green or just white or pearl because I've had the most success with them but I also have done OK with purple or purple/green combo. I use a variety of colored beads with green and purple being the most frequently used along with a red, green, or a clear bead at the front of the fly head. The ones I use on the Finger Lakes are somewhat shorter bodied than the Lake O flies with a little less material in them aimed at landlocks and rainbows. I also make mine with fuzzy heads and 3 D eyes mimicking some used in salt water on the west coast. I also use 50 lb Big Game mono instead of fluoro because I had some of the commercial fly leaders break. These flies are a little heavier than the commercial ones (on purpose) to slow the side to side action down after watching a lot of videos of salmon chasing flies and having difficulty actually grabbing them moving horizontally.

Nice going today Admiral and crew. With 6 rods out we couldn't buy a bite today not just a skunk but "no hits no runs no errors and all fish left on base" On the other hand it was a beautiful sunrise this morning

WTG Mike At least you didn't have to deal with any "rod hogs" today ...one of the benefits of going solo

Really nice looking fish..... sure was a nice way to end up your season

Videos like this never cease to amaze me in terms of being the reality we never know about.....the chases and misses that we never actually know about and just assume there must be nothing down there because we aren't connecting with fish. Great video footage....thanks.

You know me too well Bob

I went solo this morning on the spur of the moment and I'd first like to thank Redeye and his buddy for giving me a hand at the launch in that PIA SW wind. I initially arrived at Sampson launch at 6:30 AM but the wind was really cranking so after waiting to see if it was going calm I decided to visit the Lodi launch and check things out there with the thought also of possibly trailering to Watkins. It was very choppy at Lodi and only one double axle trailer was in the lot so I decided "screw it" and headed back home. When I reached Sampson again I thought I'd check it out again before heading home and it didn't look as bad now so I launched (with the above help) sometime after 9 AM and headed south. After running aways I kept going south but with the big motor against the waves which were pretty brutal anyway I got 2 downriggers with sliders out and a 250 copper but it was hectic solo and then I looked at the depth finder and was marking all kinds of bait and fish in 70-120 ft of water down 40-60 ft. then I discovered it was unfishable in there because the weeds floating were huge and terrible. After clearing my lines several times and resetting I gave up and moved out deeper but the weeds were at intervals out to 400 ft of water. I trolled all spoons out in the 400 -550 ft range all the way to Lodi and picked up three rainbows about 18-22 inches and a laker about 5-6 lbs (never marked any of them) all on the main spoons on the downriggers down 45 and 55 nothing on copper. I trolled back north with the wind which was picking up when I reached Lodi and trolled all the way to the chute at Sampson going in and out of the 300-500 ft range and never had a touch and when I turned at Lodi I substituted a 6 color leadcore for the copper and it too was dead the whole time despite changing spoons on everything multiple times. I marked about2 fish and two bait pods out deep and that was it. Everything (fish and bait) appears to be within 70- 120 ft range so for anyone going in that area don't waste your time out deep they aren't there. If the weeds somehow clear out of there with a wind change and the rest stays the same someone could have a field day in there on all that stuff but today it wasn't doable and was very frustrating. A few fleas were noted when I briefly ran 2 5 leader Seth Green rigs but not on the other stuff.

Slob time Nice work Mike!

Pap you have a PM

Yes Justin I was very lucky actually. I did buy a somewhat larger box to put the dried out lures back in but I am still stuck with multiple boxes as they number in the hundreds. The way the Great Lakes spoons have been working I may be as well off just carrying them with me Your system sounds like a real good one. I know what you mean about those idiots out there too. There were a bunch on Labor Day here on Canandaigua. They use their boats 2 or 3 times a year and "don't have a clue". A long time ago when I only had a couple trout rods (spinning rods/reels at that) and my little 13 ft Whaler I was on Sodus Bay when a big engine bass boat crossed my outrigger lines at full tilt and spooled both reels so I had to quit fishing and drive home as I didn't have extra line or the money to buy it . Talk about being pizzed....probably lucky I forgot about my flare gun

Tim makes some good points regarding weight compatibility of hook replacement on spoons. I look at it from a little different angle after many years of using the Mustad SS singles instead of standard trebles. Unless you go way outside the box say with a 5/0 hook on a 2 inch spoon my trolling speeds are constantly changing due to my motor cycling up and down periodically as well as my own manual speed adjustments which often are nearly continuous. This means that the speed of the lure is never long at the original speed or action I first tested and/or tuned it at so there is a very wide range of speeds experienced as well as things like wind and current interactions, I try to run compatible lures (as Tim mentioned) within a broad range but I accept the fact that there will be intermittent times when any one of the spoons may be out of the optimal speed and action range - but sometimes this is what triggers fish to bite also....when the lure looks "odd" or "vulnerable" in the water and is not "synchronized" with the others and this would apply whether singles or trebles are on the spoon. Just a different way of viewing the issue....

Tg8 I know exactly what you mean....and....ANYONE who thinks they have fishing all figured out all season long is delusional