dremarquis

Hello all,

i just began trollling the flx a year ago and started lake O last month. I recently got a wire set up for dipseys and flasher flies and i also have one rod and reel for lead core which i have caught several on.

is copper basically a fancy version of lead core or is there a significant difference between how it functions/works.

i was thinking i would be "good to go" with 2 riggers, 2 wires, and 2 lead core. part of me is hoping i don't also "need" copper.

any info would be appreciated.

best,

dre

i agree with Lightning - let's support our local shops more - they're the ones taking the time and effort to stock what we actually need. Plus they know the difference between leadcore and wire!

dre

Thanks for all the input Tom, Ray and Jim - i appreciate your help.

dre

thanks for your input muskybob and ray; only problem now is that muskybob votes for the 25 watt fixed mount and ray says perhaps the 5 watt handheld is fine. d

Ray - were you using a 5 watt handheld when you were communicating 5-6 miles away?

Do any of ya'll know what the range differences are for 5 watt vs. 25 watt VHFs? Also, what kind of difference will the 8' antenna make>

thanks for your knowledge and advice,

dre

today was my first day to try my new hummingbird handheld VHF. I was out of sandy and i'm pretty sure i was talking to boats less than 1/2 a mile away and the static was so bad i could barely make out what they were saying. It was on high (5 watt). I guess i need to get a fixed-mount VHF.

i'm considering the Cobra MR F45, which has 25 watt/1 watt switchable. it's $100 at Overtons, and i can get it with an 8 fott antenna for $130.

Will that be a big upgrade from the handheld?

how important is the antenna or will i be good to go without the antenna. My hesitation about the antenna is i have an old 16' starcraft and an 8' antenna is gonna look hysterical on that little boat (not that looks are that important to me)

anyway - any advice on VHFs is greatly appreciated. I want to be safe, but it would also be nice to be able to communicate clearly with other fisherman - even those a few miles away.

thanks a bunch,

andre

I managed to get my girlfriend to join me today (because i had a bday this week and this was one of my "gifts") - so i got to run 4 rods for the first time on Lake O (she has a fishing license). Had all 4 rods set up by5:45 and by 6:00 my brand new wire diver set up fired. I handed it to erica and as she was struggling, there goes a rigger rod. Our first double!!! after about 5-6 minutes she lost hers and i ended up landing a 25 pound king - my best to date. after a few minutes of water through the gills, it swam away forcefully. green dipsey with green SD 170 back on 3 setting. rigger was down 65 - both over 75 fow. those were the only hits, but for me just getting one is worth the trip. man those kings put up a fight.

nice day out there for me. unfortunately, even though it seemed about as calm as it gets out there, erica was close to nauseous the entire time (even though i gave her a dramamene on the drive before we got to the ramp) so she won't be joining me on the "O" anymore.

best,

andre

I have seen the heartland downrigger rods at gander, but don't know where to buy a good diver rod.

any suggestions?

thanks,

dre

Billy V,

I think i understand your frustration about most people getting info but not sharing it. I'm a newbee to Lake O - i landed one King the first time i went out a month or so ago, and i haven't had a hit the last 3 times out! Believe me, i feel a moral obligation to reciprocate the help i have received from board members such as yourself - unfortunately, i haven't felt that i had anything useful to share the past few weeks.

I'm sure you're right that some peole will never give back, but there are also folks like me who want to be fair and give back but know so little compared to experienced fisherman such as yourself that we don't know how to meaningfully contribute to the board. Do you have any suggestions for how i can contribute to the board given how little experience/success i have out on lake O?

thanks for your input,

dre

hello all,

i'm in the process of getting set up with wire divers. I read that becaue of the no-stretch wire, i should run a snubber between the diver and the fly.

Are there certain brands you recommend of snubbers?

what's the best length? 12", 24" ?

thanks,

dre

thanks a bunch everyone! I'm gonna order the malin 7 strand 1000' now!

dre

thanks Bill.

I jsut went on the cabela's site and didn't see more than 450 feet of malin wire. I think i read mention on this forum of 1000 feet.

Will i be fine with 450 feet of wire plus about 500 feet of backing?

thanks,

dre

I am transitioning from finglerlake trollling to Lake O. I was using Okuma magda 20Dxs on the flx with no problem (and running size 0 divers)

the okumas aren't working well with the #1 divers and it looks like my "diver" rods are gonna break (i am not currently running wire).

i want to get properly set up with wire and a good reel.

I know some folks use the diawa sealine 47 series. what are your opinions about that reel or others? is that reel big enough to hold 1000' 30 lb. wire?

it sounds like the heartland or ugly sticks are used by many. any opinons/adivce on those.

thanks a bunch,

andre

Skunkaroo! I tried lots of spoons of riggers and atomik flies off of dipseys - from 30-100 down over 35-150 fow - not a hit. the only fish i marked was in 70-75 fow - and quite a bit of them, but no takers.

I got into a few nice ones my first trip out of the Oak, and now i haven't had a single hit for the last 3 trips!!! it took me nearly a year to get a handle on the fingerlakes, now i guess it's starting from scratch again. Fortunately, i'm persistent!

good luck out there,

dre

Hello All,

i haven't been able to fish for more than two weeks (i'm dying over here!)

fortunately, it looks like i can get out this evening for a 6-9pm troll.

i'm gonna fish out of sandy creek for the first time.

any recommendations in terms of heading east or west?

sounds like some have been doing well in 40-60 fow whereas others are fishing much deeper. I guess there's no consistent pattern right now so i'll experiment around.

any info (esp. regarding heading east or west) is greatly appreciated.

best,

andre

thanks very much for all the great info, experience, and advice.

i really appreciate your sharing,

andre

Hello All,

Now that i'm heading out on lake ontario, i need to get a VHF radio. Because i have a small (16') boat, i don't have good spot to mount one, so i was thinking about getting a handheld VHF.

Do ya'll recommend or caution against the handheld VHF radios?

Before i make my purchase, are there certain features, brands etc. that you recommend.

many thanks,

andre

Hello all,

I've been trollling for a year now and recently got some downriggers. I learned how to use a normal cheater - simply attaching a spoon with a 7-8' leader to my rod's line with a large swivel; i presume it goes down to the "apex" of the bow in the line - which is about half of the ball depth - correct?

i have seen reference to guys using several "fixed" sliders or cheaters on their rigger set up.

Will someone explain to me how to attach the additional cheaters so that they stay at the place/depth you want them?

how do you keep them from getting all tangled up when you have a fish on or merely re-setting up? (esp. with all the fleas out there now)

many thanks,

andre

Hi Ray,

thanks very much for the advice - I will definitely try it.

some of the posts last week mentioned catching salmon down as little sa 35 or 40, and the king i landed was only 35 down. did the recent weather turn the lake over or drastically change how the temps are laid out in the water column?

thanks,

andre

skunkaroo!!! man - after the huge one i lost and the nice king i caught the first time out (last tuesday), my second and third trips were hard and empty. Both days i fished from sunrise until 10 or 11 - from 80-180 fow and nothing - not even a strike!!! i hope that first day wasn't just beginner's luck. i ran riggers, lead core and dipseys, mostly spoons today, but also a spin doctor and fly for a while.

i'll be back... my perseverance will pay off eventually!

best of luck to the rest of ya'll,

dre

thanks so much everyone - much appreciated!!!

thanks everybody for your advice and suggestions.

and i want to emphasize what LTtroller said about being grateful that the mroe experienced fisherman share their reports so that newcomers like me have a much better chance of getting into some fish, although it didn't help today. i fished from 5:30 - 9:30 am and tried everything i know - riggers, dipseys, lead core with lots of different colors, at every 10 foot interval depth, changing up speeds and directions - not a hit!

oh well, can't get em everytime. still great to be out there.

tight lines everyone,

dre

Hi all,

i can't find many of the recommended spoons at Gander Mtn or Dick's (such as habanero, 42nd spoon, etc.)

Where's the best selection near Rochester?

or - where's a good place to order them from?

thanks,

andre

fosterm22 - thanks for the info about sandy. winds look like i might be able to make it out tomorrow morning, though i have a 10:30 meeting in rochester i need to attend. Sandy is a little closer for me than the Oak and the reports look good out of there also.

thanks,

dre

as another rookie, i'll join in and ask a question. Because i also have a small boat with small motors, i don't want to go too far from shore.

Someone told me that the gradient/drop off is steeper out of Oak Orchard than out of Rochester, which it certainly is.

Is the same true out of Sandy?

what other launches within an hour of Rochester have steeper gradients/drop offs so that i can get to deeper water faster in my boat?

last question - between now and when they head up the tribs, will the kings head to deeper water and then return, or will they stay in the 100-200 fow like ther are now?

thanks a bunch,

dre

Thanks to everyone for your shared enthusiasm, advice, etc.

And a special thanks to Tom - the tip about turning the boat makes a lot of sense but it may have taken me years to figure out on my own - MUCH APPRECIATED!!!

i have had doubles on the fingerlakes, but a double with kings - i can't imagine.

tight lines everyone,

dre