LongLine

I really like P-Line -CXX. Doesn't stretch as much as any of the other stuff. Use a fluoro leader. Tom B. (LongLine)

RM - 1. When pulllng plugs, make sure they're tuned properly. They should wobble just as must to the right as they do to the left. Bending the eyelet just a hair can make a big difference. Test them next to the boat with about 6-8 ft of line out. Check them on both sides of the boat for best view. 2. Also always tie on a flouro leader 8-12 Lb test, longer than 8 ft. 3. "When in doubt, let it out." Don't be afraid to let it back 100 ft or more. Copoly lines have less stretch than mono, if you can't keep them hooked. 4. (and probably should be first) Speed, Speed, Speed. Zig-zag - experiment with speed. 5. Stay clear of other boats & experiment with direction. Don't get caught up in the "frenzy" that the fish are only in 20 FOW. H.I.H. Tom B. (LongLine)

Well, got everything in the boat yesterday & picked up a season’s pass at the Rec Office yesterday so was all prep’d to get an early start today. Hit the launch solo at 5 am. Got a lot of pix but they didn’t turn out. ….oh, well…guess the camera wasn’t awake yet. Seems strange having all that open water there. Headed out & took a left. 63.5F in the main current but soon dropped to 54F then down to 45F. Slight East wind. Clear sky, looked like a little less than ½ moon. Engine purring like a kitten but wouldn’t tilt/trim. Anyways…Went out to 65 FOW & put them in. 2 rigg’rs and a port side board. Love it when you got everything in, 1st coffee poured and then see this: Headed North but not much on screen. Temp fairly uniform. Decided after an hour to speed it up a little & got a small bow on a pink Long-A off the board over about 110 FOW. Ran a few zig-zags/circles and had 2 more releases on the rigg’rs but asleep at the switch. Continued the trek North. About 145, Board fires again. Decided I’d better bring up the starboard rigg’r so I reach over, pop it loose & get it back in the holder. As soon as I start left handed cranking the rigg’r that rod fires. Yikes! Okay, concentrate on the first one. Get him in the net & it’s a Laker. I now remember why I don’t really like treble hooks, especially 3 of them on the same lure! 2 points in the fish, 7 points in the net! Got the 2nd fish to the boat but couldn’t shake the 1st out of the net. Talk about a cluster humper! Decided to take a chance & net the 2nd with the 1st still in net…. Heh, heh, heh. (2nd one hit a King of Stng, popped loose from a 30 ft rigg’r) All fish going at very close to 3 mph (down speed) So where was I fishing???? Here I am… (Just west of Russell station) Continued out to 220FOW then back in to 120. Only fish I marked were below 120 ft down, but they were huge. Maybe a dozen other boats out there. Was a beautiful day to be on the water. Off at 11 as that’s enough sunburn for the day. Luck to all, Tom B. (LongLine)

Thanx guys. I appreciate it. Tom B. (LongLine)

Got a friend going up to Black Lake. He asked me how to catch Crappie up there. I don't know, never been there. How do you catch Crappie up there? (PM if you want) Tom B. (LongLine)

If it's got a motor then yest it's supposed to be registered. Don't ask me how the ragboats get away with it though. Tom B. (LongLine)

Flyin solo, keep it simple. Work on your speed. Did the hit come on a turn? i.e did the board speed up or slow down? Good luck Tom B. (LongLine)

Sk8 has some good points. Here’s my history: I used to use 8 Lb herbies (fish) but found they were only good to about 50 ft down. (Molded my own) I then moved to 10 Lb balls with fins which worked pretty well to about 70-80 ft down. (Also molded my own) I then bought a 10 Lb herbie (too cheap to buy a mold) which is pretty good going a little deeper. Then I bought a Sub-T and needed a little more weight so I molded a 2 Lb weight in an aluminum measuring cup and screwed it to the bottom of the 10 Lb ball. I still had some blow back with the probe down 80-90 or so, especially with the heavier cable on the probe, so I had to put on the old thinking cap. What I came up with is the “LongLine Missile†which allows me to take the probe down 120 ft with no problem. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v502/LongLine/album%201/2010newestaddition_zps8b22b00c.jpg It weighs in at 14.4 Lb. That same year or so they came out with the torpedo. (Guess I just wasn’t fast enough – oh well) Obviously my vote is for the torpedo shaped weight. A word of caution about weights: Make sure your rigg’r is rated for that weight. You have to be careful in choppy water if your anywhere near the rating. Up & down motion of the boat will cause additional strain on the rigg’r arm. Tom B. (LongLine)

WTG Tom B. (LongLine)

3 3/4" Tom B. (LongLine)

When you open probe, make sure there's no water in it. If the o-ring wasn't lubed enough, water can get in. Also are sure it was a good battery? Been there, done that, with my Sub-T Tom B. (LongLine)

Educational Salmon video: http://greatlakesecho.org/2013/04/22/great-lakes-salmon-videos-can-help-students-anglers/ Kind'a neat. I'd like to see the next inthe series. Tom B. (LongLine)

Make sure you take out the right screws! Get yourself one of those quart bottle pumps that screws into the bottom one. Pump till oil comes out the top hole. Wait a few seconds then give it another slow pump. Put in the top screw with a new gasket/washer, unscrew pump hose from bottom hole & put in screw - also with new gasket/washer. Make sure you get the old gasket/washers off. (sometimes they stick to the hole) Tom B. (LongLine)

Tim - They weren't still-fishing. We passed by their boat a couple times out there. But you're right, I've never seen a salmon caught on a worm before. Tom B. (LongLine)

Welcome to the site & welcome back to Big-O. Muskybob has a thread pinned to the top of "Tackle & techniques" section with palns for double boards and mast. Very good setup & fairly easy to make. Tom B. (LongLine)

+1 on the Laurvicks Tom B. (LongLine)

Tim - Back in the 2nd or 3rd ESLO, I remember taking some fish in to be weighed & these 2 guys had a cooler with some beautiful Browns caught off Russell. As I had just spent a couple hundred on some fancy lures, I had to ask how they caught them. Their reply - Nightcrawlers. Tom B. (LongLine)

I think he's probably asking if it was a code or a printed date. Tom B. (LongLine)

People have I-phones etc now days & scammers know how to get into them. They're not immune to hacking. Tom B. (LongLine)

You're right I was thinking of a palomar ....ooops....my bad. Tom B. (LongLine)

The rapala knot is a very tight knot and as such can alter the action of any plug that doesn't have a split ring on it depending on whether it's dead center on the eyelet, towards the top or towards the bottom. Even with a spit ring observe the position of the "split" in relation to the plug eyelet. I prefer to use a snap swivel because currents can cause the plug to do some strange things, especially rotate & twist your line pretty bad. Tom B. (LongLine)

Good news for these three ports. Possible dredging next year. http://www.sandandgravel.com/news/article.asp?v1=17076 Tom B. (LongLine)