Sk8man

I think together all of us put together a "plan" for him Good info from all. You're under pressure to perform now jjfishes

Certainly not a "master" of the Fingers (I don't believe there is one we all have our days but that is about it ) I think you will be OK without the riggers right now as there are probably fish suspended in the 50 ft range over whatever (10 color lead core) and wire divers with Flashers or Spinneys and flies generally work well especially with white and or green flies. Of concern is the level of fleas and possible weed pods depending on where you go. I've had better luck with medium and small spoons rather than the magnum sizes but some folks claim they do Ok with them. If it is calm and you can locate the fish jigging is productive....white jigs and white super flukes or white tubes usually work well on the Fingers.

Keep in mind that the longer the leader the further upward the lure will go behind the copper when just running flutter spoons and light stuff like that by itself. Probably less action to the lure the further out you go as well. if you run longer leaders I'd adjust to heavier spoons (e.g. to a NK 28 vs. a Sutton 44 for example). Flasher's and Spinneys don't require an exceptionally long lead. In my view at least the copper wire going through the deep water may attract fish and when an attractor is used as well you're not as worried about "spooking" the fish and more concerned with action of the presentation than say on shallow clear water where the visibility may be more important.

Try here : http://www.fish307.com/cannon-downrigger-parts.aspx They list them for the Mag 10 at about $19

For two years in a row there has been a huge die off of many warm water species especially perch, rock bass, smallmouth and bullheads mainly but also some trout as well.My hunch is that is some of it anyway.

I guess my previous post on this got dumped when the server had problems but basically Pete I said you should be writing a fishing column for the newspaper or magazine fishing pieces ...very captivating description and incredible fish.... Les

Hey Dave sounds as though Sheila is as "hardcore" as you

The max on them is 10 lbs. recommended by Cannon.

You should be able to get some tension on your spool if the reel is working properly....it sounds as though the reel itself that is the problem and not the copper. In that case all the adjustments to the copper setup won't do much until it is corrected.

Mike makes a good point....I've known them both for years and used to live around the corner from them and they are wonderful people but the bait shop being open has always been erratic. They have a lot of "irons in the fire" They've had a variety of people working there over the years and Jadon is usually busy with the sight seeing boat etc. I also encourage folks to do business there but if you are counting on getting bait every day real early in the AM have a back up plan too.

Scrap the Stren it has always had very poor tensile and knot strength. Use Big Game cheaper and better than the Stren.

Are you sure it is actually copper on that reel (and not camo stainless or something)? Copper usually sort of takes the shape of the spool sometimes but I've never had it unravel like you are describing. Keep in mind ALL wire should be deployed under a certain amount of tension - not free spooled. The best way with wiire (as especially with dipseys) is to use your drag loosened with the clicker on so that the wire slowly goes out. Some folks don't leave the clicker engaged but I do as it is easier to remember the line going out when you are busy setting multiple lines.

The wire I was referring to is not copper it is stainless steel 7 strand or 19 strand wire (1000 ft) Bloodrun is good as is Accustrand and Malin. Torpedo or Mason brands. That is why a roller or twilli tip is essential copper won't cut through eyelets or tips because it is soft metal but stainless is hard and will.

X2 on wire as your first consideration but the braid will work. Braid seems to attract the fleas a little more in my experience and it doesn't sink as well as wire but hookups are superior to mono because of the lack of stretch. If you go with wire you'll need a twilli tip or roller tip though not so with braid. If you are talking lake O and using dipseys off boards I'd be using 50 lb Power Pro if you go with braid. In my opinion (and it is only that) the Fireline degrades quite quickly and flattens out and fades in color and feels kind of like an old bow string on a recurve bow that needs waxing.

No question on here should be considered "stupid" Spike. We 're all here to learn and figure stuff out. Although I primarily use roller tips for wire rigs and Seth Greens I have used the twillis in the past and I think you would be safe either way. The core shouldn't hang up on the end of the twilli wire if that is what you're thinking... my own preference would be to go with regular tips for core just because of personal preference and I think the tip eye may be a bit smoother on the sheath of the core.

Just a comment about the Merc Optimax. They did have a powerhead issue back in 2000 or so and in fact they gave an additional 2 years warrantee on the motors during the 2002 time frame. All in all they are great motors and aside from the old 2 stroke 50 hp Mercs probably one of the best motors Merc has ever turned out. Hard telling what kind of use yours had before you got it or how long it sat after use without servicing etc. Like any fine tuned tool they have to be religiously taken care of and should only be run with the Opti certified synthetic oil (expensive but so are engine repairs).