Sk8man

First of all WELCOME to LOU Shea! I am sure you have realized by now from perusing the website it contains a rich storehouse of useful information and a lot of very knowledgeable people willing to share their experiences and "gems of wisdom" In terms of obtaining basic equipment for trout and salmon fishing this site often has some pretty good "bargains" in the way of used equipment especially stuff like lures and attractors etc. Trout and salmon fishing can (and is) be an expensive "hobby" (as he looks behind to see if his wife is nearby ) so it may pay to start out slowly. Searching this site and doing some basic research regarding some of your equipment needs can be productive although it will require a bit of patience and perseverance to sort out personal opinion from "fact". In general, if you start with high quality basic equipment you'll save money in the long run and also minimize headaches and frustration. Better to get good stuff and go slowly than to jump in with a whole bunch of "questionable quality = usually but not always cheaper" items. Getting reels with good drags is essential. Getting rods with some backbone to them is also important. Rod length is mainly a matter of preference but can be important considering the size of our boat and location of rod holders for separation to reduce tangles. You will need good sturdy rod holders as these rods and reels (especially with wire line and dipseys etc.) get a real workout even without a chinook on the other end but the torque from an aggressive salmon can rip a rod holder out and/or send a rod and reel flying so they need a solid anchor point on the boat. Having an auxillary trolling motor is very desirable for two reasons: speed control and serving as a"backup" if you experience main motor failure. Setting up your transducer properly on your boat is also important so that downrigger weights can be followed especially at depth....sometimes this requires a lot of playing around until you get it right for your particular situation but if you are going to use "riggers" it is critical. I know this information doesn't answer your specific equipment questions but hopefully it will serve as a general "backdrop" or "grounding" for you in thinking about the specific input of other folks.

And there you have it.....the secret to success...seasonal adjustments in both speed and distance and "to tease or not to tease". Thanks Tim. Great info as always. Les

To take off on what Pap said....this type of thread would be an interesting "puzzler" as there are thousands of vintage lures....but on the other hand....it could drive some of us nuts too trying to remember or figure them out....kinda like trying to remember somebody's name from the past

Pap- Thanks man...but I was pretty much guessing this time...I think #2 since they are thin may be just blanks that someone bought some already painted and they doctored up the rest. Even the smaller Williams are thicker spoons. I think Red Eye spoons became Evil Eye spoons and then were finally bought out by Daredevele. In the case of the Locos my hunch is that the Glen Evans were the original spoons and the Locos came afterward and are "look a likes" but the Loco name is what the shape is known by. I think all mine were stamped Loco and were from the late 70's to early 80's.

lure 1 - unfamilar look almost like pike lures lure 2 - possibly doctored up Williams Wobblers ? Hard to tell the exact shape and contour thickness from the pic they have an almost "Cleo" look to them in the pic True Cleos have their name on the underside and a pic of a dancing girls torso saying "wiggle lure" or something like that lure 3 - possibly large size Krockodile spoons? (I think they spelled them with a K :>) both casting and trolling but mostly casting off piers etc. for trout and salmon lure 4 - Definitely "Loco's" I think the company was sold a couple times.

Same here.....been tying home made (experimental) trolling flies all day

If it were me (not knowing anything about the lake and going there) I'd try to fish the spaces near any weed beds found or to the outside edges of them. Most lakes that shallow 7 ft medium depth and 20 ft max. the deepest part on bottom (eg. 20 ft area) usually have low oxygen levels after the ice forms so the fish are scattered in the shallower parts near where plants give off oxygen and contain possible food sources. I'd be jigging with small jigs with spikes or mousies (purchased before going) or small plastic tubes on 4 lb test line (maybe fluoro as well) for bluegills and crappies etc. and if things looked decent there I'd set up a few tip ups for pike (depending on what he finds nearby for bait e.g. live shiners etc.) and if not then set up for perch with light line using whatever bait he has available. If there is a bait store anywhere near there I'd pick the locals brain about it (even if just on the phone).

Sounds like Pearl Wobblers on the rig (made out of mother of pearl) nice rainbow lure but usually not used on Seth Green rig interesting....

Mike....yes....right between the second pier and the arterial bridge in those sand/ weed beds is where we were....

Here is some BASIC info about what fish are supposed to be there etc. http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/76433.html

It may relate to high contrast with the light above (sky etc.) and could resemble a "shadow" outline of bait from below it as contrasted with bright colors that "attract" the fishes attention from anywhere? Also colors specifically fade or darken (depending on the original color) at depth and the black would show up (coupled with movement) at a much greater range of depths increasing the probabilities of them perceiving the object. My theory anyway

I'm with you on that MT!

Although Seneca has only frozen over completely twice in the last hundred plus years it did so in about 1977 and we got into the pike big time at the north end. I have never seen so many BIG pike caught anywhere....there were 15 -20 pound pike lying all over the ice one Saturday....we limited out and even little kids were getting them on their tip ups.... there is nothing like a good pike at the other end of your tip up (without a wire leader and hoping the line was BETWEEN his teeth) and wondering if you'll land it or not A lot of folks dismiss eating Mr. Pike because of the bones but they are one of the best eating fishes of all.

Marty - I know but the $300 i paid tohave itdone didn't come out of my wallet that easy bud

Nice going.....great way to spend a couple of days on the pond. Great report....makes me even more sorry I had the boat shrink wrapped this year

http://www.glangler.com/ You can download the reel filler calculator chart which gives the line diameters and fill levels for a lot of the line we use. Just discovered it so haven't fully checked it out but thought it might be of interest to folks here. Les

Me too.....I still have to talk my wife out of using them for Xmas tree ornaments because they far out number them

Guess he was lucky he didn't catch his bag on the water as it was

A big WOW on the full collection....you are very lucky ....good spoons and wide selection of colors. 2nd pic - Luhr Jensen #44 flutter spoons - good for lakers, and rainbows, landlocks on Finger Lakes 3rd pic - Alpena Diamonds - Good all around lure for all trout species in Fingers and Lake O (originated on Lake Michigan ....hence the name Alpena) 4th pic - Magnum Pirate Spoons - Good for salmon and trout on Lake O never used the big ones on the Fingers but the one that looks like a NK 28 (next size down) took second for me in the Brown Trout division once in the National Lake Trout Derby on Seneca Lake 5th pic - Can't remember name sorry about that ....

Marty I think they are the fold up variety

An additional point.....over the years I have caught many many rainbows on the small evil eyes (smaller than the standard size) so if you have any of those hang on to them if you have any no matter which colors...

Just make sure you keep all the black ones.... Ditto on Gill T's comment

They are one of the best "go to" lures over the years when other things fail. The standards work real well in the Finger Lakes and the mags and standards work on the salmon on Lake O. They are one of the last lures I'd get rid of in my boxes.