chowder

Cayuga's got bigger' n better fish anyway

FF line?????? I'm running 30# PowerPro and flourocarbon leaders. Can the weed mats be seen so that I can avoid them? Is there any reason to stay in 70' or less of water up there? I'm assuming the fish are oriented more around temperature than structure so that I can troll anywhere in the thermocline. Should I pay more attention to bottom structure and troll the thermocline where it intersects the bottom? Thx "FF" is flea flicker. I run 30lb Ande to the fc leader on my rigger rods, but the weeds will probably have you in & out of the water enough to keep the fleas cleaned off. I Don't know what you are running for dipsies but if you run braid , you might want to consider going to 65lb power pro for next year, it's the thickness of the line that inhibits the ability of the fleas to 'grab on'. The lakers will be anywhere from 60 fow to the middle of the lake, down 60-110, silvers will be scattered from the t-cline up, run cheaters for them & hope for the best- if you hit the LLs don't leave em, work the pod at the depth you found em. -Andy

Oops! Thought I saw South 15mph, but it's 5-10. Should be good to go! -Andy

Yes, many of us fish the fingers all winter, though only certain landings remain open and 'ice free'. Certain precautions and a healthy respect for cold water issues should be observed. Ontario fleas are actually easier to get off the line than the fleas on some of the fingers, not sure whats up w/ that! Seneca is probably gonna get bumpy tomorrow, especially by mid lake and on north. She can get nasty in a hurry!

Started archery practice on the 1st. Actually I'm pumped for the early goose season- only 25 days on that one! -Andy

http://www.fishdoctorcharters.com/videos/video8W.html

I got two thoughts; 1. If you are really gonna run the rod down the chute most of the time then you'll be better off w/ a longer rod b/c it will lift the line out of the fish landing zone behind the boat and minimze conflicts w/ a fish on the riggers.So, looking at it from that angle, the dipsy rod would probably be best. 2. On the other hand I would encourage you to run the 300' out to the side on either big boards (my preference) or a Church Walleye inline board. You will be happier overall w/ the wider spread and minimal conflicts that come w/ running cores and coppers out on boards as opposed to all the b.s. possibilities associated w/ chute lines. For running the 300' off boards, I'd go w/ the 6'6" MH. I use6'6" Ugly Stiks for rigger rods on Ontario and I really like them. Just to let you know you can get a 7' Okuma Classic leadcore/copper rod for about $29. P.S. I'm not familiar w/ the DM 45 reel, but I'm somewhat concerned that it won't hold the amount of line you are talking about & I also think you may experience problems getting the copper to mono leader junction thru the eye of the level wind.I use Penn reels for my copper setups, they are very rugged. Not trying to bum you out, just my 2 cents!

Sure looks like a lot of lasting memories & a great time w/ family! -Andy

Yo KGone, it is listed on the page you mention as a product on the web site, but I couldn't find it listed in the 'on line store' part of the site- only the 'salmon slayer' (something is 'phishy' about this spoon -Andy)

Gotta love a last minute Giant! Nice fish!

Super nice fish Glen! -Andy

Happy Berfday Rae! -Andy

I got some of these Salmon slayers last year, and they look like the Shiznit but I think the Shiznit might be a 'glow tip' version of it? Strange thing that the Shiznit is not listed in DW's own online store! What's up w/ that?

Nice fish, they aren't easy to come by right now- good job!

I went out to 600' the last time I was up & worked it pretty good, nothing on the screen & nuttin' in the box! -Andy

Just thought I'd mention I have a track system in my little 16' Alumacraft. I can run 4 riggers, 4 dipsies and up to 6 planer rods off big boards using this setup. I don't typically run this many rods on my little boat, but my point is that the tracks give you that kind of flexibility.Remember; think twice, measure twice, drill once!

I'm not familiar w/ these particular units but, I do have a word of advice to you & anybody else out there who is getting into trolling; - Although it seems difficult, it is highly advisable to try to look at all the things you may want to ask your boat to do in terms of downriggers,dipsy rod holders, planer rod holders, etc. Then look at the track systems available like http://www.teclausa.com/bert/ or http://www.traxstech.com/ there are others too but, these two are interchangeable. If you start out w/ enough track on either side of the boat, you will be able to make many changes over time that will allow you to accommodate different configurations of equipment as you change what you want. -Andy

Well, as it turned out I had to let the kid steer, when I was setting /resetting lines cuz the kid's dad spent the whole time 'chumming'(and I mean the whole time). Found a lot of weeds/fleas from Ross point to AES in 350-400, some of the weeds were in very large mats. We found some bands of weed free water here & there & managed some lakers and some 15-19" salmon. The kid was thrilled whenever we hooked up but he had a tough time working the dipsy rods by himself, so I had to keep stepping over the kid's dad, who alternately threw up over the port & starboard sides, to steer & then keep the kid from dropping the rod overboard. It was another gorgeous and relaxing day on Cayuga's sparkling waters...

Thanks for the report, I might be out Mon. too.-Andy

If you are going to run super braid instead of wire, I'd go with the 65lb power pro b/c it will help w/ reducing flea buildup (the fleas are subsiding now but they will be back next year). I think I would use a snubber on the Fingers as well as Ontario. Ditto what Ray & Tim said about 'not setting the hook' and just as important; when you want to trip the diver intentionally in order to change flashers or quit for the day it is very important to NOT give the rod a hook setting or snappy jerk! (ask Ray about this ) To trip the diver use a firm upwards sweeping motion w/ thumb on the spool - you will 'feel' the diver release, let the diver & flasher float up towards the surface for a little bit and then point the rod right at the back of the boat and reel it straight in.

I'll be out again on Cayuga tomorrow in the 16' w/ a 'non fisherman' buddy and his fish crazy kid. Should be interesting... I'll be on 68.

I get an occasional landlock when targeting lakers on Cayuga w/ my jigging setup. To get browns on Cayuga you really need to work specific stretchs of structured bottom in 50+-FOW. They are not as easy to nail down as the lakers and sometimes I use a casting approach to target suspended fish. For those of you who are just trying this technique out I have a couple words of advice; You really need a decent bait casting reel spooled w/ superbraid +12lb FC leader, and a rod w/ some backbone. Biggest mistake is to jig repeatedly! Don't do this. You need to make a drop, jig a couple times w/ out losing contact w/ the jig and then retrieve at a decent pace. Then repeat and repeat. A bow mount motor helps a great deal to keep your line vertical. -Andy

I realize it may seem a bit extravagant but I do have separate spoon rod/reel combos for FLX and Ontario. For flashers I use the same combo. On the FLX I use 7'6" ML Okuma Blue Diamond rods w/ the Daiwa 47 lc spooled w/ 30lb Ande (good flea line) and a 15' 12lb FC leader for spoons which I usually run at 60 down or less. I've never had a break off and I really like the feel of the Okuma ML rod for FLX fish! -Andy

20lbs+-, nice fish!

I would certainly not go w/ light action for Kings! These fish are brutal!