Sk8man

I use CLEAR hot glue (from a glue gun) on the wrap.that way it keeps it from unraveling but I can still see inside to inspect for breakage. Its better than the shrink wrap approach in my view.

I think the water temps are much behind last years at this point in the season all over the place and that could be a factor in the skimpy results folks are having right now...We need some nice warm days with plenty of sun to bring the fish out of hiding

Welcome to you and best of luck with your new venture (and boat).

The topic could fill a book ....here"s a previous discussion that should be of help http://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishing-hunting/index.php/topic/35181-peanutsspin-n-glo-for-lakers/?hl=cowbells

Cool! Nothing like it.....I used to get a lot of those jumbos in that area through he ice too.

Nice fish! That spoon looks almost like one of the old Acme Looters I never knew that the rainbows fed on hellgramites....I used to use them for bass (they love them) and as a kid sold them (adults) at my "bait stand"

Its great getting out though isn't it after that long winter? Nice pics too. Good luck getting those stripers....makes me wish I was closer to the salt water fishery....the terrain in the pics looks familiar though my daughter used to go to school at New Paltz

Man...those little guys look like bait for the ones we get on Cape Cod.....it is great to see they have made such a wonderful come back from the days when they had to be at least 40 inches to keep. They are great fish and the big ones fight similar to king salmon...and best of all they are great on the grill Sand eels are usually the ticket on the Cape fishing the rip tides

JB235 and I fished the area from Gibsons landing to the bluffs and then to the state park in his Grady and came up with 3 fish...lakers all cookie cutters of about 18 inches or so. A double came on the thermocline (Seth Green) rig we were just testing out and one from the downrigger set at 35 ft. with a slider...he came from 35 ft on a Sutton spoon. Nothing whatsoever on the dipsey or topline set way back. That was it... no other hits or errors or fish left on base Got a bit windy at the end but a fun day nevertheless....especially for a "shakedown" cruise.

Sounds likes little progress anyway. Good luck with it Alec. Thank heaven for buddies with boats right?...My buddy Admiral Byrd saved my butt (from going bonkers) this winter when I had the plastic still on my boat with good action at the south end of Seneca.

Definitely want at least 30's but Convectors is probably a better choice for the money and with the 30's they can be adapted to do most of the different setups and can handle some capacity for the various lines. They are good for running anything from standard downriggers to stranded wire or lead core with the right rods.....Although I have specific setups for the different lead cores and wire I also switch line from one of my rigs from braid to wire when the fleas start up so they are quite flexible reels too.

Could be a fungal infection they are very prone to that when an area of protective slime is removed from their skin for example (as in someone poorly handling it when released). Usually seen more often in the Summer and Fall when the temps are higher though but could have had it for a while I suppose.

I'm not sure what you are running for your main line....it sounds as though it is fluorocarbon. The fluoro is best used as leader material not the main line. The the length and line strength of the leader is dependent on what you intend to then use for your main line and also what particular set ups you intend to run, (wire, copper, lead core, mono etc.), and your terminal lures and/or attractors as well as the depth you are trying to achieve. The specific rod and reel that you are using is also important in determining what types of setups you can run from it (e.g. rod have a twilli tip or roller tip, standard tip and guides ,reel capacity etc. The main reasons for not using the fluoro for your main line is that a) it has little if any stretch and it is rather brittle and stiff and b) does not come off the reel well when there is a lot of it on there.

Sounds as though you guys had quite a time of it. Good report too. Is Al still waiting on his Yamaha parts to get back into business with his boat ? Hope to get out myself early next week (in- laws are here right now for another couple days....sure put a dent in my fishing plans)

Nice fish and very good report. I do have a question though.....are you sure your temp gauge is correct the 53 temp sounds way out of bounds for what everything else seems to have been running e.g. Canandaigua and Seneca north end barely low 40's last time out...and lately cold rain....

tt

Just a word of caution about the prop pitch. The pitch has to deliver rpms within the rated range of rpms for your engine. If not careful you could select a prop that will cause the engine to exceed the range it was designed to operate within and overheat and damage your motor.

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Just regular black barrel swivels small enough to go through the tip and eyes but I also encase the wound copper wire at the end (leader end) in clear hot glue so that it will not untwist or bend back and forth and with the clear glue I can see it inside to detect any possible breakage of strands. Yes it is possible that it will collect a flea or two or grass but it is well before the lure etc. and so far no problem.

It says at the top $18,500 or best offer

Hey Sean I think Finnlander's point is well taken. Sometimes it is safer to bite the bullet and have someone who has messed with the stuff before (probably many times) and also may have the necessary testing equipment etc. to sort it all out. You may have a compound problem there too. Good luck with it.