sherman brown

if I run divers I want nothing but braid for my main line at least 30# with 50# being a better choice. braid has no stretch which makes it much better for tripping your diver. on rough days the release tension has to be set on the tight side to prevent a bunch of false releases, so with anything that has stretch makes it almost impossible to trip the diver. braid doesn't have any stretch and will trip the diver much better. king salmon can make some long hard runs and put on a show above the water at times.

as for leaders for kings, I want something strong to prevent the leader from breaking. 20# fluro is the minimum to use. but it's all open water so you can run a lighter line and get away with it by backing the drag off enough the light line doesn't break. for me I don't like losing so much fishing time on the fight with a big king with a light line. it takes forever to land these big fish on a light line.

the bottom line for me when running divers is 50# power pro braid for my main line with a leader no more than a foot longer than my rod. the best fluro I have found is Seaguar preimier fluro leader line.  this line is the best I have ever used even for walleye fishing on Lake Erie where I use 20# leader line and love using it.

3 hours ago, 13owhunter said:

I need to get out to Erie this year.  I have never fished it.  Meant to make the trip last year but I am 15 minutes away from Sandy and we had great fishing last year so was hard to make a decision to drive an hour to fish unknown water.

this year is supposed to have the most legal walleye that Lake Erie has ever had. we have had several hatches in the last few years that were above average hatches. and a couple of them were the best hatches that was a lot above the best hatches since they started checking them. the biggest problem you should have is catching so many small fish that's not legal size.

On 3/26/2024 at 1:44 PM, Gator said:

FYI, I'm on the Scheels website and it looks like the Primos Double Bull Roughneck - not the see through fabric, but the regular super tough - is marked down from $399 to $199 with free shipping. That's a heck of a deal, and if you purchase with Active Junkie, you get 8% cash back too. Or sign up for a Scheels Card (which I will never use) and you'll get $75 to spend on your first purchase. Anyway, send you a pm too. 

 

https://www.scheels.com/p/primos-double-bull-roughneck-ground-blind-combo/01013500985.html?cgid=hunting#start=7

 

 

thank you for the site and info. those look pretty good but I'm thinking about getting the one that has the surround view. it is priced at 499.00 but I found them for 399.00. As soon as we get our checks on the 1st and 3rd of April I will be ordering one for my 17 year old granddaughter and I to use this fall. That is unless she learns to use my summit climbing stand, and I am still able to get up the tree with mine. 

back when I first started using divers I was using the Cabelas quick draw rod holders I had been using for trolling crankbaits. and they worked OK but had a twist in them that scared the crap out of me. I couldn't afford to go and buy all new holders at the time. 

the charter we went out on to learn how to fish the central basin with dipsies. we went out with him for 2 days. he was using steel clamp on holders on his rear rail. they worked great. but during our 2 days, a few of them had turned about an inch on the rail and had to be adjusted back up.

. so I decided to make the switch so I would be able to make fine adjustments. they cost a lot more money than the Cannon. after using them a couple of times I realized I had made a mistake for me. I liked the one-hand Cannon much better than the extra stops., so now I use my Cannon and love being able to set the holder with only one hand while I have a reel and rod in my other hand.

I like the single axis best myself. they only turn 35 degrees each way and the double axis turns 360 but the single turn is much more than I will ever need. She can make small adjustments left or right to fine tune the angle of the holder. the double uses pins to adjust them left or right. if the next pin is too far then the holder isn't just where you want it. you could go back to the other hole but it wasn't right either.

20 hours ago, tyler.woodard04 said:

new one was less than $100. know they are straight and true.  not opposed to buying used on some things.  just felt more comfortable with new for that price.  to each their own.  if and when i end up with another boat ill reach out to Ken again if it needs changed.  

I understand where you are coming from. but the props I've been buying are 600.00 to 700.00 new and when I can get a like new used one for 250.00 or less I choose used. when I get the prop from eBay I visually check it out then I do the on-water test. if the prop has anything wrong with it or if the description is off then you can get your money refunded. all you need to do is file a dispute for item not as described. I have bought many stainless props off eBay and never had a bad one.

I guess one of my best deals was on a 17p high five prop that I only paid 175.00 shipping included. the same prop new is around 600.00

11 hours ago, SmokeyNBandit90 said:

Anyone have an idea of what the lb pull a dipsy diver puts on a rod?

you might try Google or just a web search. why do you ask? if you run dipsies or any diver you want to start with 30# power pro braid at a minimum.

the Daiwa wilderness trolling rods in M/L 8.5' and 9.0' are so great for fishing walleye on Erie's central basin with lite bite slide divers. I never use the slide part. I tie to the front arm then I tie a 65# piece of braid about 12" to an O-RING then lace the line through the back and tie my snubber to that line then I use a 7' to 8' Seaguar premier fluro leader attached with a swivel then I use another swivel on spoons, harnesses, and on most of my cranks.

what I love about these rods is they are all glass that will stand up to the abuse for many years. the M/L is the only way to go as they flex when the boat rocks so I can set my releases a little lighter. and running more than one rod per side they flex together and if something small gets on my hook it's so easy to detect that rod isn't acting right. A few years ago we were catching a lot of larger fish. with the stiffer rods, the hook pulled out so many more times than with the lighter rods which would flex taking stress off the fish and hook.

for trolling you have no reason to spend the money for sensitive rods. the rods are all you will ever need. they are also great downrigger rods or anywhere else you want to use them.

On 3/20/2024 at 4:57 PM, tyler.woodard04 said:

when i was shopping i emailed Ken at propgods.  he recommended a prop that he did not even sell and told me amazon would be the best price.  his suggestion was perfect and did exactly what he said it would.  thought that was great of him to give a solution even if it did not benefit his business.  

it's good that you found the prop you needed. but for future reference, you should always check on eBay before you buy anything. I haven't bought a new prop in the last 20+ years. I have been buying used props off eBay. I have been paying less than half price for all the props I've bought. I am 72 now and probably won't ever buy another prop as long as I live. but what I've saved on props has helped pay on my fishing trips.

if the prop you have now is just what you want you really should think about getting another one for a spare. just start looking on eBay for what you want. if they don't have it you can save your search and get emails if they get one for sale.

I have used many different styles over my 40+ years using riggers and the 3rd one from the top is by far the best weight bi have ever used. I started using 8# dredge weights a few years ago when we forgot to load my 12# pancak weights but found the 8# dredge weights on the used boat we had just bought.

I like a 10' medium rod for running my lite bite slide divers on walleye on Erie's central basin. I want some give in my rod. I had some nice fish pull the hook even using my medium rods. I have been thinking about trying to find a med/light 10' rod on eBay but I haven't looked yet.

On 3/15/2024 at 7:49 AM, slow rollin said:

Looking for rod holders with tracks so I can easily remove the rod holders when not in use. I have cash or a bunch of trolling gear for trade as well. Thanks

if you can't find anything you want on here and decide to go new I recommend the Cisco tracks as they are high quality at a cheaper price than other name-brand tracks.

I do recommend getting the ratcheting rod holders. I use Cannon single axis so I can adjust them just a little or a lot. the dual axis are great holders but to adjust them left to right they have a pin and hole setup where you have to go all the way to the next hole which can be too much. the main reason I use the cannon is they can be set up and down using one hand. all the other brands doesn't have the one-hand feature on it.

but the Cannon only has 5 or 6 up-and-down and down settings. the traxstech is my next choice. They can't be set with one hand but they have 17 up-and-down settings starting below 90 degrees and then rising up at very close settings for the ultimate adjustability up or down.

it doesn't really matter on ours. I use a Panther electric tilt on our boat and when we installed our motor we tightened the clamps down as tight as we could get them with both the little handles facing inward then placed a lock through the opening on the handles. plus we drilled two of the mounting holes out on the tilt bracket and installed SS bolts. it would be a total pain to even manually remove our kicker.

can you tell me which model you have? summit makes several models like the Vipor, Goliath, plus more.

I ran mine off the second outlet on the F/W separator to my kicker. I'm not 100% positive on this but I read someplace that legally I had to have a manual shutoff valve on the line going to the kicker. I haven't installed it yet but before she goes back on the water it will have the manual shutoff valve installed.

I have been running 3 rods per side for many years for walleye on Erie. I started with a 24" track but they worked but were close together. I got another 24" and added it giving me 48" of track with a large enough gap to remove my rod holders giving me an extra 4". As far as I'm concerned all I want or need is enough space between them so I can get to one rod without another one interfering with it. just guessing i would say my reels are about 4" to 5" apart. I go more about the space between my reels as they are the widest part and need the most clearance.

I run Cannon Ratcheting Holders with the 1st track being Cannon. but the second section of the track is Cisco because the price is much less than Cannon tracks. and use the lite bite slide divers. my oldest son and I went together and bought a 1989 26' Sylvan glass boat that has a lot of space for tracks. I added another 24" Cisco track. now i have extra room for my used Traxstech 45-degree fixed holder we use for our nets. we have a net on both sides in case things get hectic. plus I have an extra rod holder just in case one fails.

On 3/9/2024 at 6:15 PM, REELDRAG2 said:

How do I check pm's?

when you click on new posts like i do up in the righthand corner there is a bell for notifications and to its right is an envelope for and messages you have not read. 

I will get them the next time I go down to my pole barn. but they are almost identical to the sg17lc3b. the color of the metal ring that goes around them are different.

I was down in my pole barn and came across my Daiwa sealine sg17lca reels I no longer use or need. these are small reels and older than the newer sg17lc3b reels. I have 5 working reels and 3 more for parts to repair these reels or repair any of the 5 that might have problems in the future. these reels served me very well for walleye on Erie. for the price I'm asking you could buy these and have them already set up for walleye fishing. I don't think they hold enough line for salmon but if you walleye fish or thinking about walleye fishing you should buy these. 

or if you know someone who wants to start walleye fishing this would be a great way to get started.      200.00 TAKES IT ALL AND I PAY SHIPPING.

I fish Erie for eyes and run 3 rigs per side. all 3 of mine are 90 degrees straight out the side and parallel to the water. I run my short diver in the back with lite bite slide divers with this one set on 1.5 the middle one on 3 and the front one on 4.5. I set them all on my front one. if I let out 200' of line then I only let out 15' or 20' less line on the middle one the 15' or 20' less than the middle one on the back rig. I have been running my rods this way ever since I started trolling the central basin with divers.

but one thing I like to do to give a little more space in the line close to the rod tips is my front rod is 9' my 2nd rod is 8' and my back rod is 7'. I don't know any reason for having them tilted up unless it makes it easier to remove the rod from the holder with a fish on. with the cannon ratcheting holders I use on walleye it's no problem getting it out. I just lift on the rod and the holder ratchets to the upright position and just lifts out of my holder.

I have never tried using the slide part of the diver. instead, I use a 7" fluro leader tied to my snubber that's attached in front of the lite bite arm.

14 hours ago, REELDRAG2 said:

Are you local here in Rochester? I have 2 bags that are pretty much brand new. You are welcome to them. I no longer use them.

you are a great person, KUDOS to you for being a great sportsman.

I had a 21' cobia glass open bow boat with a 5.7 Vortec motor and I had used plates for many years. then we found a set in the road near the marina. after trying to find the owner with no luck my son suggested we give them a try one day. it took us a few minutes to figure out how far back to run them and have them work like they should. these were 36" bags. We fish for walleye on Erie and troll with the wind which pushed us very fast but those 36" bags were great. with both bags out we had to bump the throttle up to get up to trolling speed. and some days we only used one bag then on very calm days with my motor idled down to 500 RPMs we didn't use any bags at all.

if at all possible it's better to have bags that are a little larger than what you need. it's always better to be able to go too slow than not slow enough. you can always bump the throttle up to get up to speed but there isn't any way to get slower if your bags are too small. another thing you can also use the wind to help control the speed when using bags,

11 hours ago, copperpin said:

I am.  Ill pm you

9 hours ago, Kevin J Legg said:

you can have the fish because I don't like the taste. but I'm sure they were fun to catch.

but on the other hand that is one great PIG that I would of been proud of. so thanks for posting and for the pictures.

if it bothers you go to Google or YouTube and search for wiring up the radio you have.

I haven't wired up a VHF radio for years but the best I remember I only used the plus and negative wires. I believe the other wires might be for external speakers or a PA system. but don't quote that as I'm not sure about any of this except just using the power and ground wires.

it's really hard to suggest one over the other. all of them will be good riggers. what I would do is look at what each one offers like speed, auto stop, and how they stop. I bought new Big Jon pro tournament riggers with auto-stop. the auto stop on them is a bead on the cable that trips a switch on the rigger boom. on our 3rd trip 1 rigger stop didn't work. the next day the other one stopped working. I believe with the speed they go when they start up using 12# weights the soft plastic beads holes were enlarged to a point they failed to keep working. no need to repair them as they wouldn't last. now we just watch the counters and stop them manually.

I would take one of the NMEA 2000 kits for 25.00. I can pay with PayPal and send you the money to cover their fee. just give me a total with shipping and fees.

1 hour ago, strik said:

Anyone know if a scotty and 3 holders would fit on a 3ft track?

I was running 3 Cannon ratcheting rod holders on 24" tracks but they were too close for me but they did work. A 36" trach should give you the extra room for your rigger mounted at the very back of the track and have extra space between your holders. you should be good.

where are you getting 30" tracks? and what brand are they? Usually track size goes 24" then they jump to 36" and so on. i have looked at Traxstech, Cannon, and Cisco tracks, and all of them jumps to 36" and Cisco has the best price of these brands.