Don Supon

Good advice so far. The riggers you decide upon should have high speed and auto-stop features. The ball weight is determined by the power of the rigger and motor. Buy the best. The heavier the ball, the better control you have. And heavier balls cost more. Dipsy rods require rod holders (strong) and a way to mount them to the boat. If you are to purchase riggers with dual rod holders, consider that the dipsy rod needs to be close to parallel to the water. That requires an easily adjustable rod holder. But maybe you don't want to put that much pressure on your boat's gunnell (rigger mounting) if both set-ups are combined. The pressure to the gunnell is a combination of the pressures from the downrigger (15-20 lb weight down 60-100 ft) and the dipsey setup and the fish's striking force. Consider seperating these forces to multiple anchor points and be sure to have backing under the gunnell in each circumstance. Losing an electric rigger, rod/reel, tackle etc. will easily cost you $1500. Don't take any chances.

Point the bow upstream at the beginning of your controlled drift. Turn on the constant speed setting and adjust the speed against the current until you get the slow downstream travel you desire. Auto-pilot will keep you on track and it's easy to change that by adjusting the trolling motor direction. More responsive if the main motor is tilted up out of the water.

I've had a lot of success with stickbaits for browns, but that occurs earlier than May 1st. Rapallas in 9&13- floating and jointed. Smithwick Rattlin Rogues are very good also. Best colors for me have had some orange in them. Firetiger patterns, brown trout, rainbow trout, basic black or gold all produce. Planer boards work well for presenting them in shallow waters near shore, especially when there is a mudline (run lures through the outer edge and close to it). You have inline planers and they will work as well. I like to run the boat in about 10 FOW and have the lures towards shore. 50 ft. drop-backs or more. With braided lines, add a 10 lb. flouro leader of at least 10 ft. to the lure. I use snaps to connect to the lure for easy changing, but make sure they have a rounded end-not pointed. I prefer to use a swivel to connect the braid to the fluoro to help with line twist. A snap swivel at the lure doesn't seem to work as well. The lures should run close to the bottom and those i mentioned run 3-7 ft. deep. When I don't touch bottom at all, I'll add split shot to the leader to get them where they need to be. I want to see weeds on the lures occasionally, or a rare hangup, to know I'm fishing them properly. This tactic begins in March and usually is done by May. You don't have to start at dawn. Let the sun warm the shoreline waters a little and target areas where water enters the lake. Browns are the target, but cohos can be had this way also. The kings are out deeper.

Bazookajoe is right on. Boat ride the same either lake, and tackle will work. Braid with fluoro leader. There are launch areas at Wilson and Fort Niagara as well. Any of the three are good in spring, but that time of year it's best closer to the Niagara River. Canadian waters are productive as well, if you have the license (don't forget to report by phone to Canadian customs 1-888-226-7277). The Red Can area should produce for you, all the way to Olcott and beyond. Follow the Instant Reports on this site to get current information for the time you will be here. You'll get a decent picture from those posting there. Watch it for a while, not just before you arrive. The spring LOC Derby will be then, so expect a lot of boats and not too much concrete information.

The Garmin auto-pilot wiring has a direct lead for your GPS. Just chect if your GPS has a lead to connect to. Garmin GHP10 model would steer the big motor which in turn would steer the attached kicker.

My past experience with Moor was very positive. Testing of the components was done until the problem was located. The broken component was replaced and the unit re-tested. When all components and the unit itself worked properly, I was charged for the replacement part. They appeared concerned that something did not work properly with their product, and wanted it to work as intended as much as I did. Highly recommend you have it repaired verses replaced. Call them.

Wouls someone out there please find a way to convert salt water to fresh water.

Tried it again this morning till noon. Moved the boat a lot. Only managed 6 keepers for the two of us. 4 males and 2 females. Lots of sunfish and small perch, many juvenile largemouth bass, and a keeper sized northern (released). Gave up on the redworms and nightcrawlers as they attractcd the only sunfish. Small golden shiners worked.

Flushing with fresh water after EACH use is mandatory to prevent internal corrosion you can't see. Suggest you check the sacrificial annodes for signs of deterioration/corrosion. If the're going bad, so is the inside of the engine. Suggest a test ride is in order, not running it in a tank or with pig-tails. Roll the dice.

I haven't been back yet, busy at farm work and hunting. Hopefully someone else has some info.

The TR1 autopilot will steer the kicker very well, but you will damage it if you forget to disconnect from the main motor during use. Garmin makes another model for motors over 15 HP. I'm not familiar with it's features, but it will steer the main motor for you (perhaps allowing you to steer the kicker through the main motor). If it has the same programming patterns as the TR1, that's what I would purchase if I had a do-over. I'm jealouse of your boat and wish you much success with it.

I also prefer the scotty 30 in. when running stacked rods. The long reach enables me to attach the stacked rod without leaning way out over the boat's side when the rigger is at 45 degrees. After clipping the top line to the release, I swing the rigger back out and lower the ball. I use a klincher release for the down rod. Best of both worlds.

Check out the selling classifieds, one listed today.

We fished from small boat in entire area near launch ramps. Best area was in the back bay, west of ramps. Tried again today. Basically we got skunked on perch, but managed bluegills and small largemouths. At least we got out.

They are in there now. Hitting red worms and golden shiner minnows. Water down 1-2 feet. Caught several meals today. Should only get better as fall kicks in.

Hope he is caught! Guy that stole mine is getting out of jail this November, three years later.

Most have put the boat away already. Those still fishing are staying shallow. The Fish Hawk works in any depth of water. Down speed and temp are what you get. I'd target the mouths of streams, creeks, whatever you have in your area for spawing. Browns are in close, as are the salmon. Steelhead might also be there, getting ready to enter after the salmon finish, to eat their eggs. You might try starting very shallow and troll out, looking for concentrations of fish. I'd stay in tight.

Call tony's reel and downrigger repair, he's an authorized warranty center and may have the part. 716-662-5692 He's in Orchard Park, NY (SE of Buffalo).

Wonderboy Auto-pilots are useful for fishermen. A 150 outboard could be outfitted with many different brands. I will not try to influence your choice. Examine why you want one. Will it's purpose mainly be to get you from point A to point B? Will it's main purpose be to control a fishing presentation? 150 HP is a lot for trolling. That's why many employ a small kicker. It runs better longer at trolling speeds and costs less in fuel to operate. It also will enable you to troll at slower speeds. Different fish species prefer/require different trolling speeds. In addition to an auto-pilot to steer your boat, you will also need a means to monitor your speed and a way to controll the engine RPMs to control that speed. A GPS and many fish-finders will give you surface speed only. That helps, but the fish only care at what speed the LURE is moving. That usually is very different from surface speed and requires a probe. An auto-pilot is only one piece to the puzzle. You will need to examine the type of steering your boat has, and make sure the selected auto-pilot can work with that system. Then you will need other equipment (as mentioned) to be able to use it effectively. Also, different lures work best at different speeds so you can't just run anything you want at the same time. This sight has a lot of discussion, over time, pertaining to the parts of the puzzle that I have mentioned. Recommendations and debate have occurred with most of them. Check them out after you have made a choice on the auto-pilot. None of the parts, nor all of them together, will influence your success unless you use them properly. Success will improve over time for the average person. There are many types of fishermen: Lucky/unlucky, occasional/avid/professional/tournament etc. Dedication, practice, knowledge, experience, equipment, and choices, all taken together are what matters most for success. Determine what level you seek, reach the level, there are no shortcuts.

Investigate a product named Lock-n-Haul. Mine cost me $70 to ship to me from Texas. I run a Honda 135 with a garmin AP on the 9.9 Honda kicker (Both motors are connected while trailering or running on water, disconnected to troll). Takes the place of a transom saver and locks the motors in place while trailering. No creeping. No torque to transom during trailering. Truely locks the motor in place when adjusted properly to fit your motor. Very impressed with mine.

Don't think it matters which you choose. I prefer stacking the rods, but fixed cheaters have also worked. Tangles would be avoided by seperating the two lures by a longer distance than the length of lead from ball to SD.

The tackle that works best for those species of fish can be located easily. Just review the daily or final results of the LOC Derby. Each prize winning fish had the brand of fishing line and the lure used listed in the results. It will also give hints as to what areas to fish for different species if you look at where they were weighed in. Technique to catch them is another question. My response is : lakers- 70 plus FOW, .7-1.2 MPH trolling, fish within 3 ft. of bottom in water temp in low 40s with short leads off cannonball. Pay constant attention to your rod tips as the hit is very subtle at times with the rod tip only twitching or maybe only loading up more than you set it for. The hit is usually non-violent, most I've caught doen't even trip the release. browns- 50 degree water at bottom, fish near bottom, lead length to lure from cannonball of at least 75 feet, trolling speed of 2-2.2 MPH.

ditto

There is no fix, just replacement. Cannon part will run about $50-$60. You might want to consider rewiring the plug end all the way to the battery and eliminating the whole plug set-up. Not a good option. Caused by wiggling the connectors while unplugging them. A straight pull is called for, but there is a lot of suction in the plug ends. I suspect a slight defect in the pin to wire connection could cause a properly removed plug to come apart also. I've replaced mine once already and am waiting for it to fail again. There are automotive quick disconnect plugs at NAPA, but I don't think the wiring is heavy enough to handle the load. Perhaps someone else knows of a suitable replacement plug system.

Jason Sometimes the thieves DO get caught. A fellow I know will be getting out of prison this November with 3 years of probation to follow. Wraping up his term of 3-6 years after getting caught with my stolen fishing gear. Keep the faith and give the police the smallest of details. For me, when I discovered days later that 1/2 of my mooring cover went missing, I told this to the detective. Bow cover must have been used to help him carry the cases of lures and the dective remembered the color of the part of the cover not stolen. Within 2 days he told me he had caught the guy. That was over 3 years ago. I hope you have a similar experience. For me the gear was all repaced with insurance money ($8800) and I even got $500 from the Crime Victims Board to help offset the deductible. Another factor in getting my claim settled was the photos i had of all the gear taken. I saw that someone was messing with the padlock on the door, so I photographed everything inside. Within 2 days he returned and cut the hasp with bolt cutters to get in. A uncutable/quality lock is not enough. Now I have a reinforced hasp as well. But nothing is foolproof. I feel for you and will say a prayer for your success. I know all the emotions and feeling you must be going through.