Yankee Troller

Not sure it's finalized yet, but this is what I heard was proposed. Friday May 20th - Full field Saturday May 21st - Full field Sunday May 22nd - Top 10 teams No second event this year.

Have been running these for 7 years. I've been on boats using all the other manufacturers, and you won't see anything else on my boat. If you have any specific questions ask away. FYI......If you want to read sonar on plane you need to go with a thru-hull transducer. I have a tutorial on here for settings we've found to work for us - http://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishing-hunting/topic/52046-humminbird-sonar-settings-for-models-7xx-8xx-9xx-11xx/?hl=11xx

The 798 has the same power as the 8xx, 9xx, and 11xx. I'm guessing it was more setting related unless they were glued to the bottom. When we fish Lake Trout, which hug bottom as you know, they show up as hooks right on the bottom. With the HELIX you're getting a larger screen, way better resolution, and a faster processor. If you can put a thru-hull in do it! If it's a glass boat, and you trailer it, look at the B60.

First off if you plan on fishing just Lake Ontario get the Lakemaster chart for your Humminbird. It's pretty good! If you expect to venture to Lake Erie, Oneida, Cayuga, and Champlain stick with the Navionics. Your clarity on plane will ultimately result in your transducer and it's placement. If you're running a thru-hull you'll have a much better picture on plane. I can mark bait as fast as my boat will go (which isn't that fast ). My tutorial on here will help you with settings for trolling. I usually run the unit in dual mode so I'm looking at both beams overlay, and I always run it in the fastest chart speed. I'm sure you'll love the unit. Let me know if you need anything else answered.

I wouldn't worry about braid and cores. They should last you a few seasons depending on how rough you are on your equipment (and that doesn't mean how often you use it necessarily). The mono rods should be swapped out each season. Although, my slide diver rods have had the same 25lb McCoy Mean Green on them for well over 5 years without any incident. Use your judgement. I'd say it's more important to keep the drags backed off your reels and keep them lubed up so they function properly.

They are fishing outside of structure on the West end. 300+ feet of water. Like I said it's a lot of water to cover and very lonely out there. However, good electronics can help narrow that down. Running around looking for the "food" could narrow some water down before dropping any lines.

The "walleye" guys would only be losing out on Friday and Saturday of the derby. I remember them losing a day before without any issues. I guess the good news is the LOC fisherman can benefit from WHI reports when they roll into town to help them catch more fish.

I know it's a big lake, and there are few to no reports out there, but you can go offshore and catch 2yr old Salmon. I know guys who have done it recently on the West end of Lake O.

No problem

I recently got a chance to see DI and SI while trolling Lake Ontario. It's a great tool, but it's not necessary. 2D sonar is still your bread and butter. However, the SI could be beneficial in the spring, or after a lake roll, when bait is high. Being able to see bait off to the side of the boat might be an advantage. The HELIX line-up is an improvement over Humminbird's "core" units that were around for many years. You get faster processors and better screen resolution. The HELIX 12 is a CHIRP model, and CHIRP will show you a crisper image in 2D. It also helps separate fish from bottom. From some of the testing I've seen done with this model it's impressive. Given all of this info these units aren't set it and forget it type fish finders. You need to learn how to use them. They will show you EVERYTHING under the boat, and you need to learn how to tweak it to show what you want it to.

Depends on what braid you're talking about. 250lb braid is the same diameter as 150lb cable (which comes on most riggers) if you compare 150lb braid to 150lb cable the braid is smaller. I only mention this because a poster above mentioned 250lb braid.

Good luck! Would love to see that blank resurrected. John (his son) was running it after Pat passed away. That's all I can help you with.

Thanks! You're welcome for no snow yet! LOL This is still for sale.

Yes

Fished with this set-up this weekend over on Bay of Quinte. Kicker motor pushed the boat and the Minn Kota Terrova IPilot was the "auto pilot" and acted as a way to adjust speed by the tenth. I have two other friends who are using this set-up as well. It works well! Get the longest shaft you can get away with to help with when it gets choppy.