tlr426

I have had 3 kings over 20 this spring. But I have also had 3 skunks which is strange.

I started in a small 16 foot boat and fished in close all season for many years. Some times in the summer it is very hard to get salmon in close but a few tips would be start as early as you can. Some times the near shore bite will be extinct by 8 am in the summer. Also look for structure more as the fish seem to gravitate towards it when under 150 feet of water. Last suggestion less is more and not all marks on the bottom are Lakers. You can still have productive days in tight but they can be tough when the lake sets up in summer mode.

I have mine mounted at the helm. This is where I am most of the time watching my electronics and driving the boat. I personally would not like to have to walk to the back to check my speed, but I believe this is preference. I fish alone a lot so having everything in one place makes it easier to monitor what's going on.

On my old boat I replaced the floor and did a durabak coating. I liked that there was options for colour and the application was relatively easy. It was durable and griped like crazy, you would not slip on it even when wet. The only two negatives I found was I went with a light colour and it was hard to keep clean. If you hit the surface with bare skin you were going to bleed... It was definitely a heavy duty product.

If you are bring a laker up from the deep it is a good idea to take your time so that they can burp out air to equalize their pressure. For all fish try to handle them as little as possible if you want to release them. I have a net with a large enough basket that I can keep the fiah in the water most of the time. If you can use barb less hooks it helps a lot for making lure removable easier. I use a lip grip on a rope that I tie off to the side of the boat to allow the fish to reviev. If you are trolling fast you will need to slow down a little till the fish is ready to go. With salmon, rainbows and Browns they are easier to tell when they are good to go. But lakers can be lazy and can be harder to tell if the are recovered. Can't release them all thought some times they just won't make it. But usually with care and patience you can release most fish. Good luck

I use saltist none line counters on my down riggers and they are great reels, smooth drag and are well built. On my dipseys I have tekota 600s for my smaller gear and upgraded to 700s for when I am pulling big paddles to get the extra power. Both reels are great and in the end I think it will come down to preference. I am now up to 5 tekotas on my boat and only 2 saltist so I think I prefer the Shimano. Both are excellent reels and the diawa none line centers on the riggers are very light and very smooth.

I attach my probe to my main line with a scotty snubber under to my 20 # Sharks. The snubber has a lighter breaking strength then the main cable. Works the same as the breakaway cable just more secure and a little stronger.

I have 4 with white numbers and they have been working fine for the last two seasons. Hopefully it is not something that happens as they age. But so far so good.

Guess the one I bought was a lemon because it's only seen a couple hundred fish and held up poorly. My back up net has seen more fish and looks new... and it was a lucky strike. Just didn't like the length of the handle and the depth of the basket. I agree that I have seen no corrosion even though it lives outside

Two seasons on my ranger net and it is beat to sh@#. The hoop is bent up and the netting is starting to break in a few spots. I did like the net but the durability seems suspect. I have landed quite a few large salmon in it but not enough to that I would think it should be in the shape it is in.

Depending on your boat I believe they are doing well with stagers at Bronte. This weekend in port Dalhousie might be busy with the tournament but some fish are moving in tight. Almost always lakers straight out in 80 to 120 on bottom.

They were getting a little dark last week but I don't think they are staging just yet... on the south Shore anyway

You just want your meat to have a nice roll to it. It doesn't have the action of a fly with a short lead. Depending on the head you use or how you cut the meat will determine how tight of a roll you get. Some times they like a lazier roll

I ran the copper lead core rods with a twilli tip for 2 seasons before I upgraded and they worked well enough. Although they were not the perfect rod for the job they worked. They did have some extra spring in them and they were a little heavy. I can't say they cost me any fish and I use #1 dipseys with the power ring. If you can afford roller rods they are very nice to use and are much lighter if you get a quality rod. I know of a few people who have been using the copper lead core rods and have no complaints.

The 20 pound sharks are nice. Little blow back but they are tougher to muscle around the boat. I use them when fishing deep, just make sure your riggers can handle them if you use scotty riggers go slow on the drop because they pick up speed quickly

They are still around. Just have too find them. Some days in tight other days out over 200.

I am still new in the salmon game. But two things that increased my production were my fish hawk (expensive)... and my wire dipsy rods. I used mono for a while and had success but wire has been an amazing addition. I do very well with the riggers but price to success a dipsy set up is much cheaper. Even for a really nice setup.