Sk8man

Nautitroller made good points....don't be afraid to go deeper and deeper after them (or shallow with bobber/jig setups) and as far as bait Oak leaf grubs, live fatheads, and sometimes spikes or left over waxies,or plastics sprayed with scent in deeper water are the ticket.

John - Seneca is notoriously difficult to locate the perch unless you fish it VERY frequently and over a long stretch so that you have a good understanding of their possible migration patterns. This is somewhat because of the size of the lake and for the northern half especially there is a lot of terrain to cover (as contrasted with the south end where the water deepens much more quickly). The guys that are highly successful on Seneca are either out there all the time and/or have spent a lot of time on the lake (or are with people that have been). It is basically a matter of putting in your time and "paying your dues" because the perch guys are almost without exception "secretive" about their spots and for good reason. Don't give up.....stay with it and keep experimenting and when you do hit them take some notes because next year they will probably be there or near there around the same time. Once you find a bunch of these spots and times you will be into the Seneca gold

Best of luck to all of you fishing the tournament. I just finished getting all my stuff back in my boat so the perch better look out tomorrow. After being out of commission for a couple months I'm gonna be dangerous

Big Game 30 with a 10-12 lb fluoro leader. You'll be prepared for the fleas and have plenty to handle kings when the season starts and the light leader will help with the early browns.

Nice going Sean! It sure was a nice day for it. I drove by the north end on the way to Barrett marine to pick my boat up from an engine tune up and it was dead calm and a half dozen trailers in the Chamber lot....I still have to load all my stuff back in the boat or I think I would have "soloed" at the north end on the way home . It sure must have been refreshing to be out there after that crazy long winter....best of luck this season. Les

You might want to try Attwood Premium Cleaner Wax which restores/rejuvenates color and waxes too. You only do small areas at a time but it does a good job of removing oxidation and black marks and minor scratches without damaging the gel coat and is not nearly as abrasive as rubbing compound. It can be found in department stores with boating sections (e.g. Walmart) and is only about $10 or so. Once I have a good coat on I maintain it by using the manual car wash downtown after every time out.

Did KInger get any points for the take down or just the pin?

Was that also with Boris and Natasha Ed?

As mentioned above the Blood Run Sea Flea mono or Berkley Big Game line helps a lot to discourage fleas both on Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes where they occur. The primary reason for using 30 lb test in either of those lines is the larger diameter of the line discourages the fleas from "hooking on" and then bunching up creating a "wad" on the line preventing it from being reeled in and when you have a good fish on the other end this is a real concern. For those of us that have spent many of our years using 10 or 12 lb test mono for just about everything including King Salmon using 30 lb line is like using "rope" but is really necessary for the reasons I have given. The use of a fluorocarbon leader at the end is because it largely gets away from the visibility issue of "line shy" fish (especially browns) and they probably would be laughing out loud if we went with just the 30 lb mono itself because they could see it at a distance and the lure action can also also compromised by the "drag" of it in the water. The fluoro leader (say 8 or10 ft. usually and 8-12 lb test of leader quality fluoro which is a little more durable than most of the cheap stuff) gets away from this for the most part. I know this is a little long winded, basic and boring for the experienced guys but it is intended for the "newbies" for whom it may help to "fill in the blanks".

Good point Tim and that is for the stronger ones that you want (especially in the smaller sizes)...different manufacturers make the with different strength wire and some are quite "flimsy" (thinner and softer wire). I've had good luck with the ones from Cabelas too.

I tried them for about three times out years ago and thank God I had a safety line on my rods....I had a real good hit that lifted the spindle out of the retainer and the rod headed for the water. A pair of them sits in my garage unused since that day I take that all back....I had the 360 HT rod holders....sorry about that....

The size of the waves may not be the most critical factor it will probably be wind speed and direction especially. If the wind is blowing toward shore you will have a more difficult time controlling the boat in close than if coming from shore for example. You will be fishing the shoreline and pretty tight if for browns right now so boat control should be the main determinant. Two to four ft waves shouldn't a problem in your boat....just assess the wind situation and the particular shoreline you'll be fishing (e.g many boulders near shore, sunken obstructions such as pilings or old dock bases etc.). Good luck if you go!

Pap - Zack is right unless you are real partial to an extra long fluoro leader for some reason 8 or 10 ft is really sufficient for this purpose. I use a Spro #8 swivel connecting mainline to leader to prevent twisting.

If you go to mono you may be considering 200-500 pound test (depending on the boards might check with Amish Outfitters)). Mono stretches more than braid and you want something that is relatively abrasion resistant (mono with a hard coating rather than the soft stuff). Some boards have a tremendous pull to them so with waves etc you need something very strong. I think it may be more prone to weakening from UV exposure too. The problem of the releases not sliding easily may be due to other factors also such as the things you are using to hold them on the line, and possibly the boards themselves getting ahead of the boat speed and creating slack etc. Might want to check that out as well. I think this a may be one of those issues where stuff that is specifically designed for a particular purpose is the "best fit" (I.e. planer board line).

Check with Geordie Magee Canvas in Brewerton (near Oneida Lake) http://mageecanvas.com/ Just a suggestion if you have input into the construction of the top. See if you can have it made wider from front to back than the one in the pic and slanted down toward the back a little more than the pic you have. It will provide a little better shade in full sun and also shed the rain water better.