lake trout fishing

[Xxx]

Thanks, I'll get some more great lake # 4's from elmira. They catch fish. I do a haywire directly to the spoon and skip off the bottom. I usually thrust almost straight up with my stern finger from my belt to my collar and let it fall back to bottom. The thin hammered are as you described, longer than a pfluger, wider, inverted big hook. I looked, no maker, it's OK. Don't dig out all your gear. I'll wait till you announce your garage sale! I go painfully slow, that ='s hits. Just so relaxing and satisfying to fish that way now and then. Thank you for all your knowledge that you freely share to guys like me that have 1/10th of a clue on how fish without a hawk or dipsy.

Another way to hand line is, I saw this method being used and won the Detroit River walleye pro tournament. Need to get the biggest fly fishing reel with auto line pick up, mount it on a pole that the first eye is close to being just over the edge, once it's in the rod holder, the plastic rod holder with the reel holder is up work the best. The auto reel is nice to pick up the line that's spaghettied on the floor of the boat. Cut the pole off just a head of the first eye. A leather batters glove on your hand pulling the copper line in. I used a 3oz pyramid deep sea weight, tie on a 3 way swivel so it's 2-3ft off the bottom. Use fluro for all of this and a 10ft piece for the spoon. Should run a light flutter spoon, so your not on the bottom with the spoon. I have caught many eyes on a river system. You cover turf, banging the bottom and the spoon is in their face!!

[2lbperch]

Very interesting idea. Sounds like a good time. I will be looking at some garage sales for one. Thanks pap.

[Sk8man]

You are very welcome 2lbperch. always glad to help out if and wherever I can.

 

There are many methods of jerking copper. One of the earliest done by folks like my grandfather on Seneca in the early 1900's was done by having a wooden device that had two handles that were connected lengthwise and the wire was rolled up on the center part while a lot of old timers also just brought the wire in and piled it in careful coils in the bottom of their small often aluminum boats  while retrieving it or letting it out....nice, simple and effective ...until a big laker thrashed around in the boat and messed up the copper wire

 

There are many versions also of so-called "automatic" approaches and probably the best known is the "victrola" named that because the early versions used components (e.g. internal gears a strong coil spring and the wind up handle) to make the boxes used to reel in the copper wire as you were retrieving it. This saved space, kept the wire from kinking ( a major irritant with single strand copper), and freed up a hand.  Te original victrola rigs were pretty primitive with one main gear and spring and the spring after much use would weaken so two and 3 gear models with stronger springs were developed. Then someone got the bright idea of motorizing them with DC battery power. Every one of these methods had their own strengths and weaknesses but jerking copper wire for lakers  has been and still is one of the most deadly effective methods of fishing for them second only to "still" fishing with live bait. Some of these victrola rigs are actually fine art objects these days and the cases have been made out of beautiful tiger maple, burled wood or exotic wood of various types and are sought after by collectors.  Another lesser known "automatic" reel approach is the A and S automatic reel which was mainly used with monel (a soft silver colored wire also prone to kinking) and used in the same way as copper to either use the already mentioned spoons or also to pull what were formerly called "flashers" but now usually referred to as "cowbells". Here is a pic of both a primitive one gear victrola (with many years of use) with wind up "key" and an A and S automatic reel for folks to see and get a better idea of what these things looked like. The object on the left is the A and S reel (pictured with a Barracuda spoon on it ....another good spoon I forgot to mention above) .

Edited August 5, 2016 by Sk8man

[Sk8man]

I probably also should have mentioned that the learning curve for jerking copper effectively is probably the greatest in terms of time and practice of anything I have encountered in fishing fresh or salt water

[2lbperch]

With an auto reel, does it effect the method of pinching the wire in between your fingers when the fish takes a run? Or is the spring set to just enough strength to keep track of the wire? I've heard of them and seen pics, never have used one. I know I want one, a bad tangle and you are done for the day. Found a thread on here from a few years back that had a brand new one someone made. It was pricey, but very nice. Is that guy still around and able to make one? Scubalism had this one.

[2lbperch]

[Sea-IV]

I had one of the Victrolas also Known as a A&S Reel which can still be bought. The walleye guys are using them and I bought 2 for my boat but I use the Monel Stainless with Flashers on them. We tried copper but couldn't get enough on it for deeper water.

That reel that perch put up is what I use now, not bad and just I added a windshield wiper motor and switch for variable speed.

[Sk8man]

The A and S and the single spring type pictured above have just enough tension from the spring to take up the excess wire as you are retrieving it. The multi spring units have a little more zip but aren't a problem  really. I'm not sure on the multi gear motorized ones as I have never owned one. By far the biggest danger to your fingers is either hooking a big laker that decides to run for it, a big rainbow, or snagging up on an unforgiving bottom or structure. It is why I always have worn a thumb and forefinger cut out of a heavy leather glove to protect my fingers and have been glad plenty of times I did   A couple years ago I saw a guy at the Watkins tackle show that was selling victrolas but it was crowed there and I didn't get a chance to see exactly which type they were from a distance.

Edited August 5, 2016 by Sk8man

[2lbperch]

Got a pic of the mess on the boat floor you have to be careful of kinking for guys who've never seen it. That isn't even 1/2 pulled in yet. Lost that fish anyway, the bigger ones pull the wire out right through your hands on a shake run, so much fun though.