triple on a 5 leader rig.

[sparkyice]

we've caught doubles before, but this is the first triple we ever heard of. a laker, a landlocked, and a steelie. not long after that we got a double LL which we were able to release. 10 fish total in the boat that day. 9/4 on Cayuga.

 

[fisherdude]

good old meat rakes , they get the job done . 

[Sea-IV]

The ole Seth Green stick hah we tried in Seneca and nothing but washed spoons

[Great Lakes Lure Maker]

Way to go! Gotta love them rigs. We run them all the time. During tournaments we run (4) 5 leader rigs. I have had several doubles( quite regular) and we often get triples. Back in the days of 10 leader rigs I once brought a 10 leader rig in with 9 fish and one broken leader. I've never, ever seen that before. Im not exaggerating, that story is the truth.

Nice job on the triple! Do you hand line your rigs in? Or remove the leaders? I love to see folks still using rigs. Glad to hear.

[alex1young]

good old meat rakes , they get the job done .

"Meat rake". Is my new favorite word.

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[TileMan Dan]

Are they like an umbrella rig they use in saltwater fishing?

Edited September 7, 2016 by TileMan Dan

[TileMan Dan]

[Sea-IV]

Are they like an umbrella rig they use in saltwaterImageUploadedByLake Ontario United1473247540.155005.jpg

Not quite the mainline is set up with Brad swivels every 10-15 feet to attach your leaders to. And then use use a heavy weight like 3# and a float attached to the top so it stays vertical

[Sk8man]

Dan - (Thermocline basics 101) The Seth Green or "thermocline" rig is a vertical presentation of multiple spoons on various length leaders Personal preference) rather than the horizontal one of an umbrella rig for starters so what you are trying to do is "stradle" the thermocline layer in the water column vertically as well as cover the area just above and below it with your lures so that you cover greater areas of the water column rather than  immitating a small school of baitfish as in the case of the umbrella rig.  There are various setups and methods of doing this and each has its strengths and weaknesses. The original setup was hand lined from a rowboat without the benefit of additional "gizmos" (e.g victrola units or boat rods etc.). A basic setup is a heavy duty fairly short rod with say a Penn 309 reel and either fairly heavy braid (e.g. 50 or 60 lb test) or stainless wire as a mainline and then a "rig line" is attached to it that is sectioned into say 12-25 foot intervals (depending on personal preference or what the target species may be) which may be composed of a different type of line usually mono (e.g.30 lb test Big Gamebut could be braid or even a section of main wire) and each of these intervals are attached to the main line using bead chains or barrel swivels one at a time until you have the desired length (in my case 120 ft total with 10 bead chains at 12 ft apart but they can also be setup as 6 bead chains for instance at 15, or20, or 25 ft etc.. The reason for 6 bead chains rather than the 5 for the maximum leaders allowed would be so that you can run it as a "jug" rig way behind the boat and the jug would be fastened on this last bead chain. I run mine with the 12 foot intervals (10 of them) because it allows me the flexibility of changing my setup to 24 ft intervals if I want to cover more of the water column and various  "prospecting" setups as well. At the very end of the rig line is a heavy duty three way swivel which you attach a 24- 48 oz sinker to on a short mono drop line (about 24 inches long). (I use 20 lb test on it so if it gets hung on bottom it breaks loose and all I lose is the sinker). You make up leaders (I use 12 lb test fluoro) commonly anywhere from 12 ft long to 20 ft (or more for special situations) with a spring clip (see p[ic) at one end and a solid ring ball bearing swivel at the other end. Typically you clip on your first leader on the available connection on the three way swivel near where the mainline and sinker drop line are connected and start lowering the setup in the water. As you come to a bead chain in the rig line you keep adding leaders with your spoons on them (up to a total of 5 now permitted.....used to be "15 points" so folks could run that many with single hooks and we did ). Once you reach the end of your rig line with the leaders on it you determine how deep you wish to go with the entire setup and let out more wire or braid and set your drag. Normally I run either three of these setups or 4 if I have others on board and water conditions permit. Two of them are run as "side rigs" in holders perpendicular to the gunwales in heavy duty rod holders and then two rods are run off the back with "jugs" (floats can be anything from duck decoys to empty milk jugs) attached to get them out in back of the boat and away from the other leaders. It takes a bit of practice and some careful thought to the setup to avoid  potential tangles but in the past I ran a total of 62 lures through the water at once (counting 2 lures on my outriggers or boards and 15 on each setup).  It can be a bit tricky "sliding" one rig by another with multiple fish on at the same time (e.g. especially large rainbows going in different directions ). I take my leaders off one at a time until I get to the fish and roll them up on styrofoam squares but there are many other ways of doing it and some you don't actually take your leaders off (such as Jason's method).

 

The pic: From left to right -

bead chains one with clevice one without, three-way swivel with heavy duty snap, wire connector and package of them and 32 oz sinker (with Plastidip coating to prevent boat mark up as well as preventing lead contact with skin)

Edited September 8, 2016 by Sk8man

[Gill-T]

good old meat rakes , they get the job done .

There was this girl with bad teeth in college that used to frequent our dorm floor freshman year.........I will stop now.

[fisherdude]

There was this girl with bad teeth in college that used to frequent our dorm floor freshman year.........I will stop now.

no ......... i think you are referring to a two tooth hose monster....not a meat rake lol 

[Hop]

Just don't give away too many of the really good secrets, Les.😉

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[Great Lakes Lure Maker]

Are they like an umbrella rig they use in saltwater fishing?ImageUploadedByLake Ontario United1473247618.327311.jpg

This time of year i often hook my sinker snap to my planerboard and stretch the rig out horizontally and attach the lead weight to the swivel closest to the boat. Normally running it down 25- 50ft. We refer to it as a wing rig. 5 spoons in a small water column. You can still run leadcore and coppers off the planer line as normal. One day I will post video of my rig setups. I run quite a bit different set up than most. I use 60oz lead weights on my boat rigs. Lesser weight on others. I also hand line my rigs, most Don't. ( bring them up by hand )

[Hop]

Would love to see how you run your rigs. Can't understand from the written description how you don't constantly get tangled.

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[Sk8man]

Hop I've been right there with him when he does it and I still haven't gotten it It is TOTALLY different than how we do it......but it works.

Edited September 7, 2016 by Sk8man

[Great Lakes Lure Maker]

Here are a few picks of my rig gear. First are the weights. 60 oz, 48 oz, and 36 oz.

Next is a rig all tied and stored. Leaders in tact. last spoon holds it all wrapped. I snap the lead swivel to the last leader and all other leaders are snapped to the main line and wound all together. They come off all together and I pull the leader back to me, attach a spoon and toss it out and go to the next. Last swivel gets attached to the rod. You will see how soon.

Next is rod choice. All my rig rods are for specific purpose. I will post 2. One is wire. This is custom made by me. Eyes are twisted for the way it should transfer the load to the rod. The second is a jug rod. Notice that its all roller and has a huge cranking handle. This is also custom made by me. Also notice that they all have a large snap on them. Once I reach that snap, its all done by hand from there.

This coming weekend is Owasco tournament for us. I will do my best to post some video of 4 different methods of running rigs. Fishing the tournament is first and foremost, but I will do my best to find time to get some video.

[Sk8man]

Just don't give away too many of the really good secrets, Les.

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  You notice I didn't show any lures etc. and it would take injection of truth serum to get the spots we fish   I'll try not to get captured Hop.

[Great Lakes Lure Maker]

  You notice I didn't show any lures etc. and it would take injection of truth serum to get the spots we fish   I'll try not to get captured Hop.

You also didn't give away what you have seen on my boat... I appreciate that! Im all for sharing advice and I love to see younger folks fish rigs, but what I have learned over 40 years of rig fishing is top secret to me and those I choose to share it with. I can explain things, but to actually figure it out is a whole different story. Thanks Les.

[Hop]

I'm all for giving"how to" and basic assistance to younger fisherman, but also believe that as they discover the stuff that works for them, they achieve more of an appreciation when they have success, however they may define that word themselves.

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[Great Lakes Lure Maker]

I'm all for giving"how to" and basic assistance to younger fisherman, but also believe that as they discover the stuff that works for them, they achieve more of an appreciation when they have success, however they may define that word themselves.

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Lo

I would certainly agree with that. I love to fish rigs. I love to fish with folks who have a broader understanding of techniques both old and new. Les and I have had a lot of fun fishing together and learning from each other. I look forward to fishing with him more in the future, and with others. I'm not giving all my secrets up and neither does he. Those who want to know will ask and come spend the time to see it for themselves. And friendships will be built.

[Sk8man]

  Best of luck in the Owasco tournament Jason. Great little lake but also some tough competition with those guys in your group....they are all "hardcore"

[GAMBLER]

no ......... i think you are referring to a two tooth hose monster....not a meat rake lol 

You are correct.  The meat rake had braces.

[Great Lakes Lure Maker]

  Best of luck in the Owasco tournament Jason. Great little lake but also some tough competition with those guys in your group....they are all "hardcore"

Thanks Les! I'm not even close in the points race this season, missing too many tournaments this year, but I always show up to win! And always will. On the topic of the Trollers Club tournaments, this is a great bunch of people to fish with and compete against! As you have seen. These folks love to fish and compete. Anyone interested should understand that these folks will help you become a better fisherman. Not so much because of the level of competition, but they are all willing to help folks get up to competition speed. I would encourage anyone who loves to fish competitively to look into this club and give it a try. You will see a wide range of fishing and approaches to fishing in the fingerlakes. You will experience a great group of guys with a great amount of experience and all willing to learn as well as teach others to be competitive and improve their skills.

[TileMan Dan]

What speed are u running these rigs? Is line twist a problem with weights like that? Blowback? Lot more questions on these things.

[magill270]

How do you join the Fingerlakes trolling club? Is there a tournament this weekend on Owasco? I know of the derby on Cayuga.

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