Ric66

Thanks. I've been trolling for many years on the Finger Lakes but Lake Ontario kings is a different ball game

Don't know if he'll ever take up the sport later, but at least I tried. Hard to get kids away for the computer screen these days.

Thanks. Great saying! I'll keep that in mind next time a fish takes my church board underwater with him!

Thanks. I need to teach my 11 year old son how to set lines and rearrange them when we have a fish on. Will get better at this.

Thanks Brian. Glad I'm not the only one who has done that. Anyone want to buy a net?

Thanks. Yeah, as long as I'm learning and getting better at this.

Looked at the weather for a few days and it seemed today would be the best day, though I was physically tired from building a new shed and other yard work, and my son had a friend stay over night so he went to bed late. Wife, me, and my son were going to start fishing around 4pm but wife wasn't feeling good so just me and my son. Started to set up in about 135 ft, got out one dipsy out 200ft on 3 setting with a flasher and fly, then set another dispy out 225 on 3 setting. Then, despite being told not to put a lead core out when just two people in the boat, guess what I did? Put a lead core out. I bought this torpedo weight and like any guy with a new toy, I wanted to play with it. So I put 3 colors of core out then the 12oz torpedo and let out about 200 feet of line and attached to a church board. I started to set up my first downrigger but broke the rubber band on the way down. Just starting to figure out how to use the Black releases with rubber bands. Before I can get the rigger set up the dipsy out 200ft gets hit and it immediately takes out line. I give the rod to my son and he thinks its going to be too hard for him so I take it back. Figure I'll tire the fish out a little and give it back to him. Well about 20minutes later I thought of giving it to him because I started to get tired! I could definitely feel this was going to be my biggest salmon ever. I think he took about 175ft of line out, I would get him in a little but he just kept pulling more line out. Still being a novice at this king salmon thing I didn't want to put too much pressure but when he slowed down I tried to put pressure on him and tightened the drag a little. Got him to about 150ft in back of boat and then he makes a run for the church board! Gets tangled up with it and the board disappears under water. I figure this fish is lost. Finally get him back of the boat but he is still not done. I give the rod to my son and he fights him for a while. He just wouldn't give up. The surface temp was 62 so that wasn't slowing him up. I think by now our boat has made almost a complete circle. I have my son back up and I grab the line and after what seemed an eternity finally got him in our under size net. We were both spent after that. Ended up being a very short trip but well worth it. And couldn't get my son to get in the photo. Thanks to everyone who shares info. It really helps with the learning curve. What I learned: 1. Don't go king salmon fishing after doing two days of hard yard work 2. When someone with more experience tells you don't run a leadcore line with two people in the boat- listen to him 3. Don't go king salmon fishing with an under size net So tomorrow, it being Father's Day, I think I will be buying a larger net. And then Monday being my 52 birthday (and I felt every day of it today) I think I will buy myself a new smoker. Happy Father's day everyone!

I'm just glad someone besides me knows the song I was referring to. As long as she's happy out there, that's the important part, as much as we'd like them to stay near us. I always remember what my uncle told me when I was a kid- "You gotta get out of (insert your home town here)" meaning you can't play it safe, that you have to go out an experience life. I'm amazed at the things I did when i was younger- went to school in Boston at Berklee College of Music, then to Japan on two occasions. Those words he said always echoed in my mind. Unfortunately I just learned he has Alzheimer's.

Thanks, Gambler. I hope it is one of many for him!

Thanks, Les. I guess we weren't any different when we were their age and "knew" everything. I have to cherish these moments too. Before I know it, he'll be off to college. Wait, do I hear Harry Chapin's Cats in a Cradle?

I'm definitely not running one down the chute anymore. I'm still gonna run 6 rods though so I can get an idea of what they're hitting. Rather have to untangle a few lines than not catch fish! This fish just kept going from one side to the other.

I have 16.6 Smokercraft and I do the same. Check and double check the wind. Great idea "1foote or less" tshirts:)

Thinking we got off the original topic which was Garry finding a way to keep the paddle wheel from spinning while trailering. I too, used rubber bands that I would forget to take off before launching. Fishhawk mentions to do this to keep gears from getting damaged. Great idea! Thanks, Garry

Yep. That core definitely got in the way. And what you wrote makes a lot of sense. I do like running downriggers when fish are way deep so I can use my temp/speed probe, and its easier netting a line from a downrigger. I had one of my dipseys on a longer leader as an "experiment" and while it did get hit, it was a pain to net the fish. May look into slide divers.

Thanks, Nymph. Now I know why guys spend so much on autopilots!

Took off work early and picked my son up from school getting him out early too, which he hated. Yeah, right! This is only my second year trolling Ontario so I was not brimming with confidence. My plan was to set up in 150ft and put out 6 rods with various delivery systems. Had two dipsy divers, one with clean spoon and one with flasher/fly set out at 200 and 250 on 2 setting. Two riggers, one with clean spoon and one with flasher/fly set at 110 and 130. One 7 color lead core down the middle and one rod with a torpedo, 3 colors of lead core with spoon and a church planner board. First hour had nothing. Not marking much either. Surfaces was low 60s and had to go down to the 100s to get mid 40s on the probe. Trolled west with the wind for about an hour without any action. Then, finally rigger with clean spoon (evil alewife) goes off, get the fish back to stern of boat and he throws the hook. Few expletives later, and the other rigger goes off and this time line breaks. I am ditching pinch pad releases and only using Blacks from now on. Lost too many fish to pinch pads. Right after that dipsy rod goes off and we get him to the back of the boat and he starts to tangle with the lead core rod. Able to net him so at least not going home empty handed. Not sure now whether to keep trolling with wind or go back through where we got all the hits. Decided to turn around with sun at our back. Trolled for another hour or so and I had replaced the rigger that had the flasher/fly with a spoon-Dream weaver lemon ice and that one goes off. Hand the rod to my son who says he thinks this is a big one. Starts to peel off line and goes from side to side, fearing he is going to tangle with other lines. Son gives the rod to me and I try to maneuver to clear other lines. Give the rod back to my son who brings him close to the stern then salmon runs and wraps around one of the dipsy rods. Have my son back up and able to net him. Whoops and hollers follow. Meanwhile the boat is running in a slow circle ending up tangling some of the other rods. Blood all over the boat to my son's great delight. No matter. Great day on the water. Perfect weather. And one of these days I'm going to get my son to smile for a photo! You would never know if from the photo but he had a great time.

I usually fish out of Deans then depending on the wind I'll follow it. Good fishing both north and south of Deans. Not sure if the salmon will be up that far because the water has been chilli but I have caught nice salmon north of deans this time of year. Good luck!

Thanks, Katy!

Thanks, Les. My father got me fishing when I was 2. It's hard these days to keep kids interested in a sport when it calls for patience in an era of immediate gratification. My son's friend's father now wants to go out with me so maybe he and his son can enjoy fishing together too.

Took my son (right) and his friend Adam (left) fishing on Friday hoping to get Adam into a large fish as he's only been out fishing once in his lifetime. Launched out of Deans. What started out promising with a number of marks on the fishfinder, though the fish seemed to be very deep, couldn't get anything to hit. Set up 5 rods- 2 riggers, 2 dipsy divers, and one planner board with mix of spoons and flasher/flies set from surface down to about 80ft. Fished in 200-250 foot range mostly and couldn't get a rod to move. With time running out, snacks running low, and it being very HOT with little wind, the kids still did not complain though I know it was getting to them. I decided to go towards shallower water and set one of the riggers down to 135 foot. Just when we decided to call it a day (hard for me because I've never been skunked on Cayuga) that rigger released. Gave the rod to Adam who started cranking on the reel but that laker didn't want to move. Finally got him to the surface and my son Ryan did a great job of netting the fish (he has more fun netting the fish then catching them). Anyway, it was a great way to end the day and these two kids never complained despite the heat and no electronics! Hats off to them! The fish hit a blue aqua spin doctor and fly. And a great thank you to a very nice gentleman at the launch(think his name was Tom) for taking that picture and sending it to us.

Has a four stroke engine, good shape. Seems like a reasonable price to me given that I paid over 20 grand for a brand new boat.

Thanks, guys!

Cayuga-Saturday Took my wife's friend's husband out with me on Saturday. Launched out of Dean's and set up going south. 2 dipsy rods with flasher/fly set at 200 and 175 on 2 setting. 3 rigger rods set from 50 to 80. Dipsy at 200 goes off, give rod to Jin (orange shirt), coach him on how to reel him in. Lose fish, bad coach. Same rod goes off again and I just keep reeling in, not giving any slack and able to land the salmon. I've been losing a number of fish on the dipsy/flasher rig this year. Have been trying to coax them in and I think it's been giving the fish too much slack with the extra drag of the flasher. Set the other dipsy rod at 200 and it goes off. Nice rainbow reeled in by Jin. We're learning. Then caught a dink salmon. Dispy rods go dead but rigger rod goes off. I figure with 12lb test I don't need to be too careful. Wrong again. Breaks my line at back of boat. Didn't get a look at it but must have been a salmon or rainbow. Getting rough now the more south we go. Started to take in lines to head up north but got into a nice tangle with one of the dipsy rods and a rigger. But as I'm trying to reel in both rods, rigger rod seems like something's on it. Nice laker. Didn't feel like untangling the mess in the rough water so decided to end the day after a couple productive hours of fishing. Will have my wife's Korean church friends over this weekend for a nice grilled fish dinner.