Copper pullers?

[Lake George Copper Puller]

Hey guys. New to the group. Hope its ok to join as I fish lake george upstate NY not the great lakes. Any copper pullers out there? Im 51 and learned from my dad. Never knew what it was called til last week. Been catching lakers my whole life this way on Miller lite spoons and braided copper. Still using the spoons my dad kept. Teaching my kids the skill and am hell bent on keeping the tradition in honor of my grandfather. Be well gents. 
Rob

[Frogger]

Hey Rob, there’s a bunch of the ole timers on here that still do it with style lol. Glad you keep that tradition alive. Still an awesome technique. Great bunch on here. Welcome!

[Sk8man]

Welcome to LOU Rob. There are still a bunch of us dinosaurs on the Finger Lakes interested inpulling copper or having done so for much of our lives. It is one of the most effective fishing techniques out there for Lakers despite the preoccupation with more modern techniques and equipment. Best of luck to you and your kids. It is a great tradition worthy of passing on.

[ac holmes]

I grew up on the shore of Seneca Lake 80 years ago (once considered the "Lake Trout Capitol of the World.") We learned to pull copper as young boys from the old guys who usually sold fresh Lake Trout after dark at the back door of the two hotels in Watkins Glen. I had a 14-foot Old Town rowboat, lapstrake cedar planked with a high bow (I wish I still had it), and no motor. A friend and I would take turns rowing while the other pulled copper. although I eventually bought a used 12 hp motor to fish alone. We used solid copper wire, no leader, and a Plugear #4 spoon with a bigger #5 hook, swapped out for the original. We caught lots of Lake Trout (big ones sometimes, 10-12 lbs. was common), never more than 3 or 4 miles from Watkins Glen, by bouncing that big spoon off the bottom and working it with a rhythmic pulling action. By July 1st, we switched to a black "twin minnow"  (manufactured locally and looked like a flat fish lure) and would use 15 feet of heavy mono leader to keep the plastic plug slightly off the bottom.  less or kinksWhen we had a fish hooked, we did not reel in the copper.  we just piled it up behind us in a big loose heap, and if you were careful the rig would go back out with no tangles or kinks.  I once hooked a fish I could not handle and the wire snapped...always thought it was a sturgeon.  I suspect we fished in 80 to 120 FOW but don't really know except it was bottom fishing for sure.

All true in the late 50 and early 60s...

Andrew Holmes

[Lake George Copper Puller]

Wow thats so cool. I really wish today’s kids could experience that kind of fishing. I’m trying to do it with my boys. I especially like the fact that you could pile up that much line and even get 30 feet out there without it kinking. I can barely do it from the rod and reel without it kinking. I too, would fish alone as a kid out of our boat with a trolling plate over the prop to go slow enough. I just had another trolling plate put on a newer boat we use to ski with the kids. I imagine all the little details that I’m sure you are aware of with having that line on or near bottom and the skill of knowing when you’re touching bottom or weeds, and those tiny sensations in your fingertips that differentiate normal from something other than normal.. I can’t tell you how many now quite pricey, Miller lures and lake clear wabblers are on the bottom of the lake that I lost. I would do anything to get them back now. The only real technology I use today is the depth gauge on the boat, no fishfinder, sonar, etc. I know where they are from years of being up there. 100 to 115 FOW in the summer.  Glad you have those memories to share. Probably worthy of a book someday. “Copper pullers of Seneca”. Be well

[dlarryjean]

I  grew up in New Hampshire close to 80 years ago and yes we pulled copper for Lakers . Record spoons #4 with a slice of sucker. What memories one guy rowing and one guy each side pulling copper Thanks for the memories

[Lake George Copper Puller]

 

[Lake George Copper Puller]

Im wondering what spoons guys use nowadays? Ive had so many relics but never really shopped for newer spoons to try that would “feel” the same 
 

[Sk8man]

Lake George you have a Personal Message

[ac holmes]

On 7/10/2023 at 9:11 AM, Lake George Copper Puller said:

Wow thats so cool. I really wish today’s kids could experience that kind of fishing. I’m trying to do it with my boys. I especially like the fact that you could pile up that much line and even get 30 feet out there without it kinking. I can barely do it from the rod and reel without it kinking. I too, would fish alone as a kid out of our boat with a trolling plate over the prop to go slow enough. I just had another trolling plate put on a newer boat we use to ski with the kids. I imagine all the little details that I’m o sure you are aware of with having that line on or near bottom and the skill of knowing when you’re touching bottom or weeds, and those tiny sensations in your fingertips that differentiate normal from something other than normal.. I can’t tell you how many now quite pricey, Miller lures and lake clear wabblers are on the bottom of the lake that I lost. I would do anything to get them back now. The only real technology I use today is the depth gauge on the boat, no fishfinder, sonar, etc. I know where they are from years of being up there. 100 to 115 FOW in the summer.  Glad you have those memories to share. Probably worthy of a book someday. “Copper pullers of Seneca”. Be well

We used solid cooper wire (not braided or stranded) and the tension of pulling a fish in left the wire a bit stiff and tended to pile up in a loose heap.  It always surprised me how easy it was to let the mess of wire back out without tangles or kinks.  Of course, with solid wire, the first lesson was to avoid kinks and when you got one the best thing to do was splice the wire were the kink was. 

[Frogger]

10 hours ago, ac holmes said:

It always surprised me how easy it was to let the mess of wire back out without tangles or kinks. 

The days I remember with my brother and I running two lines with a wooden electrical reel pulling in fish and laying it on the floor. When we had two fish in the boat the look on our faces……..

[Lake George Copper Puller]

Its hard enough now with heavy poles, I cant imagine a spool Of line. Did you use single hooks then???  
1992 32 lbs Lake George My dad on a Miller flutter light….

[Sk8man]

Lake George you have a PM

[ac holmes]

Some thoughts:

Like I mentioned, we learned to pull copper when we were kids.  There was a hardware store in Watkins Glen that sold the copper wire, Pflueger #4 "record" spoons, the traditional swap out of #5 hooks and also the black twin minnows we used mid summer.  Most of the copper wire was wound on two pie plates, back to back, with a spindle and turning handle.  The older guys had wooden frames with two handles or the famous Victrola set up which a few locals used to make for friends or for sale. The Pflueger was a heavy spoon meant to bounce the bottom.  This was a popular thing at the South end of Seneca and it was easy to catch Lake Trout.  Another technique was the "5 leader rig" with bead chain swivels and a heavy sinker (maybe 10 to 12 oz).  Typically, this rig was fished slow with "flutter spoons" such as Sutton 88s or other brands of very thin, mostly locally made spoons.  I still have some made in Naples, and some made in Geneva NY.  Before sonar, this rig helped to find the thermocline and the fish.  Also easy to catch Lakers but required finesse and petite motor skills, especially when you had two fish on at once.  Often this rig was used with the Victrola setup and the spoons and leaders were kept in a small wooden box with separate  compartments. Finally, there was night fishing with gas lights (homemade) extended over the edge of a small boat which attracted the Alewives bait fish.  The intrepid fishermen would use a dynamite cap  to gather some bait and fish for the Trout which came to the light on the water, for the bait. In the AM there would be lots of kitchen sinks with big Lake Trout.  There was an event that was always discussed and remembered where two locals guys sank their own boat with a misplaced dynamite cap.  This was always thought of as the competition of the tiny brain of a Lake Trout with the drunk brain of the intrepid fisherman involved. 

 

I have a theory, unproven, but tenable.  Big Lake Trout don't chase around trying to catch saw bellys.  They are too fat and and it takes too much energy to chase bait the way a Salmon or Rainbow might.  Low and slow on the bottom with copper wire  or heavy rig sinkers and flutter spoons is the way to fish for big Lake Trout.  Navy Divers have told me (30 years ago) that there are big fish in Seneca that lay on the bottom and wait for food to come to them.  Lake trout live a long time (several decades) and maybe they are still there.  I guess downriggers are an option but always a danger of snagging the 10 pound ball on the bottom and pulling your boat apart.

[ac holmes]

"Stop Lock" Jigging is another way of fishing for the big guys who are too fat to chase after spoons moving at 2 or 3 MPH.

I just installed a Minn Kota with Stop/Lock on my 16 footer.  I got it calibrated but have not had much opportunity to fish with it yet.