J.D.

Clear Trilene Big Game

10 hours ago, Pair of Jacks said:

is there a rule of thumb on setting planer board distance?

Nope.... everything depends on depth, water color, wind and waves. A crosswind "slides" the boat sideways even when we don't notice it.  One board will track away and pull well, the other side will lag behind and closer to the boat. Clear, flat conditions, long leads behind the boards and away from the boat, colored water and choppy, you can run closer. Each trip will be different, conditions will change constantly.  

Just for me,... I start with lures 100ft.  behind the board, then let the boards out as far as conditions permit, and make adjustments as needed.  Your results may vary... 

15 minutes ago, UNREEL said:

Not sure how deep you were trolling or the setting on the slide diver but it sounds like you were digging/dragging bottom over some zebra coated rocks which frayed and broke that 30lb Big game. 

First thing that came to mind.  During a boat turn, the rods on the inside of the turn slow down, outside speed up. A diver on the inside will drop like a rock if the turn is too sharp, and it doesn't take much. That's not a big deal in open water, but you don't have a lot of room for error fishing shallow. 

 I have performed many  "dry run simulations" with tackle components in the driveway looking for sharp spots, burrs, failures, weak knots, etc. before hitting the water. It's amazing what you can find.  I once found a bit of "flash" on the edge of a plastic molded bead hole that was bad enough to fray the line...

I don't use split rings on spoons unless the come with one.

A good rounded end duo lock snap allows for plenty of action..

https://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishing-hunting/topic/96286-braddocks-45/

How is the channel this year ?

This might help with your battery choice.

https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/tools/calculator-sizing-a-battery-to-a-load.html

I have removed the rod holders from the rigger and mount in the track. I can change angles as needed, and don't have to reach out as far in rough water to grab the rod.  I will stack 2 rods on 1 rigger when fishing deep also.

This the starboard side of my 17ft. tin boat. 

From left to right: diver rod, bottom rigger rod, top "stacked" rigger rod.

Jeff, another possible option is a move to Sodus Bay.  There is a bait shop and marina at the South end of the bay that has "fisherman's apartments" they rent out by the day or week. Docks available a few feet away. If the big lake acts up, there is plenty of fishing in the bay for a number of species. A few years back, a member of this site pulled his 17 footer up from Mass. and stayed at Catfish Creek. A great place for lake access, but they were blown off the big lake for 2 days. The next trip up they stayed at Sodus Bay and were able to fish every day regardless of wind.   Just something to think about...

https://baybridgesportshop.com/

I've been fishing out of a 17 foot tin boat since 1996.  Both wind speed and direction play into my decision to head out or not.  I assume approx. 1 foot wave per 5 mph. of wind, so a forecast for 5 to 15 mph. winds equals 1 to 3 foot waves.  Wind direction matters also. 5 to 15 mph. from the East is pushing against the natural lake current, so I expect more like 2 to 4 foot waves. Fishing close to shore in the spring, 5 to 15 winds from the South may only produce 1 footers near shore.... the farther out you go, the worse it gets. 

Consider what I believe is called "fetch",  the distance a wave travels before it gets to you. With a NE wind blowing out of Canada, a wave has approx. 60 miles to pick up speed and height before it hits the South shore.

A South wind doesn't have the time or distance to build like that, so wave heights are usually less.  

For me, as an old retired guy, once the waves start pushing 3 footers I'm back to the dock. The boat can handle the waves fine, but boat control becomes difficult and it's tough to keep your footing in a small tin boat bouncing around like a cork.  I have the luxury of picking my days so I don't have to lock in to just the weekends...... being old and retired does have some perks. 

Try this site out.

Drag the map with your mouse, and use your mouse wheel to zoom into the area you're going to fish, then pick the day and time from the bottom menu.. Next, click anywhere on the open water, the area of the lake you plan to fish. A wind forecast for that exact spot will pop up.

https://www.windfinder.com/#10/43.3761/-77.1556/2022-03-27T06:00Z

1 hour ago, troutman10 said:

The 115 hp doesn't have a primer bulb

Some outboards have an electric automotive style lift pump to pump fuel from tank to motor. Turn key, lift pump turns on and pressurizes the system like a primer bulb would. The line should be full of fuel when you transfer it over to the kicker, so it's fuel pump should continue pulling fuel. I don't see why you can't add a primer bulb inline and just use it to prime the kicker if needed.

I suggest you send a Private Message to  L&M on this site. Hank is an excellent marine mechanic and a moderator here. He will have the best answer for you. 

1 hour ago, troutman10 said:

The main motor is a 115 hp merc and the kicker is a merc. I'll have to check to make sure the connections are the same. Might have been thinking too much. 

Assuming the big Merc is either oil injected or 4 stroke. If the kicker is 4 stroke you're good to go.

 There is an inline fuel filter under the cowl of the 115, and most likely one on the kicker too.

Is the main motor an I/O or an outboard?  

On my last rig, I had a Merc outboard and a Tohatsu  kicker. I ran a short piece of fuel line from the kicker and added a Merc fitting.  I would disconnect the fuel line from the main motor and snap it on the kicker when trolling. 

Nice article on Niagara Bar spring shallow trolling

https://www.glangler.com/blogs/articles/lake-ontario-river-mouth-smack-down-mark-romanack

Clip a big bobber on your line and put the rest of the money back in your pocket....

Looking good so far.....

https://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/wlevels/data/ontarioLevelsFeet.png

Firefox has an add on for Duck Duck Go ( which I use )

It forces sites to use an encrypted (HTTPS) connection where available,  and one called "Ghostery Privacy Add blocker".

With both of them running,  Pretty much every tracker gets stopped.

Here's the link for the add on for Ghostery

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ghostery/?utm_source=addons.mozilla.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=search

I get 7 or 8 every login.  My add blocker in Firefox stops them all.

I use these....multiple sizes available. 

SOLD

SOLD

Check out the "Tangled Tackle Fishing" videos on You Tube. They have tutorials on making flys, teasers and meat rigs.

 The epic story of the 9/11 boatlift that evacuated half a million people from the stricken piers and seawalls of Lower Manhattan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18lsxFcDrjo

I told him to check out Gibbs next season..