John E Powell

On my previous boat a 4' boom with twin sterndrives for 10+ years no problem what so ever. Downrigger had autostop at fixed depth (above top of sterndrive extending over prop), and weight retriever. I don't feel like I missed anything by not having a boom tip-up feature. Boat also had twin trolling plates and that didn't negatively affect the setup either.

While I don't have a set of the weights you mentioned, I do have a set of Torpedo Brand Weights in the 16lb size. They're good to about 140 ft or so of cable. Much more than that and the blowback on the cable starts to get a bit excessive. Much deeper than that and you probably need 20lb weights. Not sure if that is what you want to know or not, but if you have other questions feel free to contact me directly.

I know the original poster wrote that he wasn't looking for a feature-rich radio, but some of the new radios have a very desirable safety feature he may wish to consider, they have a built in GPS. Once properly set-up, if you find yourself in a distress situation, you activate the distress function and your position will be transmitted to other boats (including rescue craft and the Coast Guard) that are equipped to receive this signal. They will know exactly where you are. Older style radios, or new ones without a built in GPS can achieve the same functionality, but they must be compatibly wired and configured to receive the position information from an auxiliary GPS unit. Sometimes this is pretty easy, sometimes this will require a pro to make it work. The big advantage to a VHF with a built in GPS is that you avoid having to make this connection and configuring both units to talk to each other. Here's one example of a VHF with a built-in GPS: http://www.standardhorizon.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=83&encProdID=8E6B84CBCC75E5A9C52CA71AA33BA6F5&DivisionID=3&isArchived=0

I like how the back end is laid out on that with the cooler weight to offset the trolling motor weight. Looks like a nice rig.

Well, you could try a couple of things. I can't speak for Tom, but if the reel and packaging are in perfect condition, you might try contacting him and see if he will do a switch. Alternately, you could pick up a Solterra and a 300-400' spool of copper and transfer the 500' from the 553 to the Solterra and spool the 300-400' copper on the 553 (adjusting to get the proper amount of backing to correctly fill both reels). In this way you would have ample backing on each reel and run one off each side of the boat with a planer and cover the common depths pretty well. realistically, once you get the hang of running the copper and catch some fish with it, you'll probably want a second one anyway. Might just want to spend the money up front and be done with it.

500' of copper is right at the transition point where you may wish to consider moving up to a larger frame reel. It all comes down to how much backing you are comfortable with. If you are looking only for a chute rod you might get away with the small amount of backing on the Okuma 553LS. The high retrieve rate will be handy helping you to clear the rod quickly when you hook up on another line. But if you are planning to deploy this off a planer, I'd really recommend bumping up to the Okuma Solterra 50L which will have room for a lot of backing. You'll lose a little retrieve rate compared to the 553, but if it's out on the planer you won't need to clear it all the time. Keep in mind that the retrieve rate is rated at a full reel and as line is removed from the reel the retrieve rate per handle turn is lessened. So a nearly empty Clarion 553 is not going to have much (if any) of an advantage over a half-full Solterra 50L. You'll only begin to see the Clarion's high speed retrieve advantage when you compare it to similar sized reels with slower retrieve rates.

I agree with Tim on the open with drop curtains. I've fished a number of times on one of the Steigers that Tim is talking about, the 255 Miami. Real nice trolling boat, sides are not too low, but I wouldn't want them any lower... I'm 6'3". Boat has an optional bow thruster and a nice overboard pump for the livewell which is below the waterline. Pumps scales and slime no problem. I think it is a trash pump class of pump but am not sure. The boat has a single Suzuki 250 and both fuel efficiency and load capacity are very well balanced. Boat requires some bags to keep in the correct speed range.

The Shakespeare BWD113170 (7' 1 piece 6-17lb test) is a solid choice at a decent price point, so is the Shakespeare BWD110183 (8'3" 2-piece 6-20lb test). An excellent step up from these would be the Lamiglas CG 82 DR (8'2" 2-piece 8-20lb test). This rod is very close to the Fenwick Riggerstik in action and power, a very popular rod that is no longer available.

Copper is pretty basic stuff. For me it comes down to who most supports our fishery, derbies, tournaments, and our club events (LOTSA). With the exception of one 60lb Blood Run copper / Penn Senator 9/0 combo for fishing WAY deep, I run A-Tom-Mik on all my other combos. I don't find any advantage or disadvantage to the hardness, softness, coating (or lack thereof), or lay of the twist among brands. Since I fish with some cranky old-timers now and then, the only advantage the 60lb offers is achieving a desired deep depth with fewer cranks of the reel. However, some consider this a disadvantage because they want the further distance from the boat and don't care about the number of cranks of the reel handle to bring the line in. From a pure fishing standpoint not taking into consideration user preference, I'd have A-Tom-Mik across the board and just go with a 750-900' 45lb abyss rod over the 500-550' 60lb abyss rod.

The problem with the spreadsheets is they don't factor in how loosely or tightly the line is spooled onto the reel nor do they factor in how slowly or quickly the levelwind travels back and forth across the face of the spool. Each is a factor in how densely a reel gets packed when filled. Spooling a reel in reverse and transferring it to a second reel (or two spools if you only have one reel) is a little more work, but the best way to assure a perfect fill every time.

This is an example of a rod that has two problems, and the manufacturer is responsible for both. Problem #1 is the seat on this rod is of too light a duty for the designated capacity. The fact that it turns a small amount and not completely around is an indication that it has deformed with use. If the seat was sturdy enough to remain round, it would spin completely around the blank once the adhesive bond failed. Problem #2 is the manufacturer didn't take the time to properly prepare the inside of the reel seat to assure a strong adhesive bond in the first place. Big reels, heavy copper line, reel clamps if used, large salmon, continuing to troll while fighting fish should all be considered normal use on a rod specifically marketed as a copper trolling rod. Loose grips and reel seats is clearly shoddy quality control by the manufacturer. This is not just a problem with these Daiwa rods, I have seen these problems from just about every manufacturer of medium and in some cases even the high-priced trolling rods, Okuma and Shimano included. If you want better from your factory grade rod, take a look at Shakespeare at the mid range pricing, and Lamiglas and St. Croix at higher price points. They are not perfect, but their build quality and component selection is certainly better IMO.

Actually, with the Catalina, the tension spool control acts like a drag that works when the reel is in free spool. It allows you to let a diver creep out without having to adjust the reel's main drag. If a fish hits while it's in free spool, you can either engage the main gears and drag by flipping the free spool lever forward or you can actually just turn the handle and it accomplishes the same thing. In my opinion the features and build quality of the Catalina put it in a class by itself as the single best diver reel on the market. The best Shimano, Penn, Daiwa offerings are good reels, but feature for feature they all fall short of the Catalina. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

A line counter reel won't be accurate with copper because the copper is so much larger than the line the counters are calibrated to count. The amount of line per spool revolution lessens as the spooled line diameter decreases in size. 500' of mono or braided wire like you would use on a diver have similar diameters so the line counters work, but copper will be way off. It sounds like you want to use this as a chute rod and only deploy part of the copper at times. If you plan to do this, you can buy copper that is pre-marked. In that way you would deploy it in a similar way as you would lead core line by counting colors on a full core. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

Okuma Catalinas. Tension spool control is ideal for deploying divers. Counter on top where it should be, not on the left side as an afterthought. And as Vince noted above, no need to replace the drags right out of the box like with some other reels.

Try running a bobber on the line about 15-25' in front of the hot-n-tots. This will keep them from running too deep when you send them towards shore on a side planer.

I have one 60lb rig, a 500' setup on a Penn 9/0 senator. I'm considering a 600-650 for a second 60lb rig this year (I have another reel lying around unused) It's a tool like other rigs on the boat, it takes it's share of fish when they are deep. I don't really experience any problems with the 60 lb line compared to the lighter lines other than If you plan on using swivels at splice points, they will need to be a bit larger than with lighter copper. On the plus side, it takes a lot less cranking of the reel to bring in 500' of 60 lb. compared to 750' of 45lb line.

The 7' ugly stik is a good value and we'll made factory rod. I rarely ever get one in for repairs. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

Legacy I think you meant Catalina not Clarion on the diver reels. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

Diver rods are very hard to get right. What works for one person may or may not work for you. The reason why there are so many differing opinions on what a good diver rods consists of is because everyone's needs are different. ONLY YOU can decide what rod is right for you. I recommend finding some friends who possess a variety of rods and invite them out on your boat and try each one. In this way you can get an idea of the length, power, and action you need on your boat, not what works for someone else on their boat. As for reels, take a serious look at the Okuma Catalina Line Counters. This series of reels has a number of very nice features for diver fishing, namely the tension spool control and line counter properly mounted above the reel (not an afterthought added to the left side reel plate) Tension spool control, once set will allow you to set your divers under tension without adjusting your main drag - it's a very nice feature, basically a second independent drag when the reel is in freespool. Just flip the lever back into freespool set your diver out and it will start creeping out to the side; if a fish hits on the way out, you can either turn the handle or flip the lever, either way the freespool is disengaged and the main reel drag takes over. Once set up properly, I can't think of a better diver reel to fish with. And you don't need to replace the drags right out of the box like you do on the 700 and 800 series Shimanos.