chowder

Oh well, I'll throw this out there anyway. I've had numerous HDS units and really like them. My present setup is 12"  HDS linked to a high end high watt transom mount transducer, with thru hull like performance. The 12" HDS is also linked to the Lowrance autopilot. A 2nd 9' HDS unit is linked to the Lowrance Broadband Radar. Pretty happy with the whole system and I would argue that you do want to think about where you want to end up when you get the first building blocks instead of reinventing the wheel a couple of times on your way

You make some interesting points. I myself have a 25' and a 16 1/2'. If the fish are hot the 2 rigger deal in a small boat isn't a bad way to go for sure. Problem is: You don't know that when you start. Personally when I'm fishing alone in my lil boat I like to run a rigger with a fixed or sliding cheater, a dipsy, and a junk line off the big boards right off the bat and vary depth as much as possible. This way I can get a read on fish mood and attempt to hone in on best approach. If all the lines take fish then I switch to what's easy to run and life is good. There are those days though when you all you can get to go and only once in a while is one setup with a specific spoon and although it's exasperating , if I start trying to figure out things right away I might manage a one man box and good eats by finding that one thing and working it to death from 7:00 am to Noon. Anyway that's my 2 cents.

Fishhawk is waterwheel (theoretically more accurate), fishfinder is usually gps unless you actually have a waterwheel for that too. Most important thing is relative consistency, you would be fine with either one as long as you monitor and troll at the speed the fish like.

If you are going to fish solo, proceed as if you are infective: 1. WEAR A MASK 2. Pay for gas at the pump wearing gloves that have been sanitized w/ approved product before using sanitized card or touching pump. Do not spit (it's disgusting and unnecessary anyway). Do not go in store. bring your own coffee and food. 3.If you have to tie up boat after launching or haul out use sanitized gloves. Do not use public bathrooms. Too much to deal with? -THEN YOU DONT WANT TO GO BAD ENOUGH or  YOU ARE OK WITH BEING PART OF A CRISIS

38 minutes ago, Brad Hoffee said:

Back to the dog. Would love to be able to take one of my Golden’s out but they are adults and I’m sure they would try swimming to Canada.


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I started taking my adult aussie out 2 years ago, lot of times she's lies down in an out of the way place and sleeps. Sometimes, especially if there is a 'stranger' to her she doesn't want to go, I just play it by ear. She loves to swim and often does so prior to and after a trip but the high sides on my boat seem to keep her from thinking about going in out on the water- I would think that would be true for most dogs

23 hours ago, Gill-T said:

I use a Weldon pad release with a dog clip. When a small fish is on, the heavy dog clip is easy to see hanging straight back. The heavy clip slides down the line easier in wind

I used the clippers on Saturday with a bolt stuck in the provided spot on the release- they move nicely this way. I also used them with the amish outfitters rubber bands cuz I was going into a choppy SE wind that would have otherwise pulled the line out of the releases. I like these things, have to experiment more

47 minutes ago, Reel Doc said:

Must be thats why mine caught the bigger fish....  Its all about Dem Dar UV rays......

A review of the taxonomy of this spoon seems to be required: 1st Doc's spoon, a scorpion size, is either called  mass confusion, or uv confusion depending on who you get it from. Now Bayrat also makes a very similar spoon , called copper confusion in both 2.5" and 3.5". I was using the 3.5" and it's my sense Doc did better with the smaller scorpion size but of course his was on a 2 color core and mine was on a snap weight flat line so....Oh, if you are not confused enough I will point out that Michigan Stinger also sells a confusion and a mass confusion spoon in the Regular size, but they are not copper , the difference being the color of the spots and one is smooth , the other hammered. Got it all or are you confused?

2 hours ago, Rtrucking40 said:

So is it frowned upon to pull the boat up for a day trip right now? Im 40 mins south of binghamton dying to get out for browns while work is slow

IMHO I don't think it's a big deal UNLESS YOU ARE OUT OF STATE. Personally, I've been towing a boat around once or twice a week to fish with zero issues and passed plenty of Troopers and local police as well. I will say that I make coffee, and lunch at home and get gas at the pump with a sanitized card and sanitize my hands after pumping fuel .

46 minutes ago, Gill-T said:

Not my best material. 

Actually, there is some legit confusion surrounding this spoon. The one in Doc's pic is a Stinger scorpion called "UV Confusion" and the spoon I was using is called "Copper Confusion"

On ‎3‎/‎23‎/‎2020 at 9:25 AM, wrinklestar said:

you must be hungry. 

I dont know anybody that eats those things.

You are really missing out then. Similar to what happened with BBQ when snobby whites finally realized that brisket and other 'Po people's meats' were absolutely incredible prepared properly, there is treasure trove of tasty delights that are awaiting those who aren't afraid to try something new when it comes to lakers. 17" fish are awesome fried or grilled, or broiled. 5lbers incredible baked, smothered with vegetables and tomato sauce. Larger lakers , like larger salmon, are usually better smoked, served cold with crackers and sour cream and a cold landshark or similar pilsner.

Between more boat traffic, distinctly clearer water, the variables of wind direction and perhaps just the passage of time, the Bear Creek to the Plant fishery was not as on fire as it was for the past 3 weeks for me anyway. I used the same approaches as past trips and certainly caught a nice mess of fish but not in the epic numbers I had been experiencing. Best sticks were again Bayrat Goby and Smithwick Orange rattling rogue. Base on a tip from 'Reel Doc' who was also out there, I deployed a 1/2 oz snap weight setup pulling a copper confusion stinger that took several fish- note: nothing on the shallow rigger w/ Jon's goby that had been good last week. Boat control going into a strengthening SE wind made things difficult and I packed it in early.

On 3/20/2020 at 4:08 PM, BillM said:

How much of a lead behind the boards do you usually run?

Sorry, I missed this . 100'

1 hour ago, orangediablo said:

trial and error.  They can get tricky for walleyes in a good chop

Seems like a 1 1/2 lb brown pulls a flat line out of a release easier than a 3 1/2 lb walleye does. I guess it's just the resistance of the speed differential.

3 hours ago, UNREEL said:

I remember reading here on the LOU awhile ago to use feeler gauges to set your clippers to the lb. test you use. I tried it and seemed to give a consistent tension

I'll have to see if I can track that down. It makes sense

Thought I could never run out of releases but last couple trips burned the through my stash of over 36 Pilgrims and didn't want to bring in the boards. I started into a bunch of clipper releases I have but have never used and began to see why guys seem to use rubber bands with them . I run 6 lb test on my planer board rods and the trick to adjusting the clippers to hold onto the 6 lb just right eluded me. Does anybody run the Clippers without bands and if so what's the secret to adjusting them? Thanks

Well done!

Nice looking fish!

There's no question that the Hewescraft is an exceptionally well designed and built boat. However it seems like the question for most of us  is how much money can a married person afford to spend on a fishing boat and what kind of bang for the buck you are getting back all the while continuing to be blissfully wed? 

You da man!

Non stop bite again today Bear Creak (No dock) to past the plant. Best water was 46-47 degrees. Took probably 30+ fish on stix off the boards and maybe 6 + on 5' and 7' riggers but 2 of the fish on the riggers were among the biggest fish of the day 10 lbs+. Best stix  were orange smithwick, and goby bayrat. Ran 2 spoons, each took fish: little Stinger in glow frog and a SS Jon's goby . Most productive speed seemed to be 2.3-2.5. 

.

6 hours ago, lrg355 said:

A few years ago I bought a few packs of the Storm WildEye live goby soft baits. Had intended to cast around from the boat when anchored. Never tried it but they look very lifelike. Maybe this year for something different on a flat day!

Sent from my SM-J737V using Lake Ontario United mobile app
 

This winter when were  jigging wild eyes or slick jigs for whitefish feeding primarily on gobys on Lake Michigan the key was short little hops- the goby doesn't really swim much.

I don't like any kind of hard box for anything except flashers. I have 1 bag w/ 5 pads for walleye depth diving stix, 1 bag w/5 pads for shallow stix, and 3 bags for spoons https://amishoutfitters.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=37

12 hours ago, john1947 said:

Take any kings yet?Might give it a try tomorrowthinking of putting in my smaller boatfor awhile.

No kings, looks like Thursday might be the next day to get out for me

On ‎3‎/‎11‎/‎2020 at 4:24 PM, Offshore IV said:

Nice! Do you have any pics of the hardtop / canvas for your boat, or where you bought it?

John Mann in Sodus did the Canvas about 9 years ago. It stays up on the boat all the time- I pretty much just use it in the fall/winter/early spring

Fall fish fo sho!