Fat Trout

On 10/24/2019 at 10:43 AM, Yankee Troller said:

 

 

I also read where the DSR on the Salmon river is making changes by only allowing fly fishing on certain days, and making people move drifts after a certain amount of time. I know the guy who runs the place. He's told me numerous times he has enough guys who would pay $20,000ea to hang out, smoke cigars, catch one or two fish and be content. They wouldn't have to allow the masses in who buy daily and yearly passes. With more land going from public to private up there I can see where this whole trib thing is going.

 

Yeah, that whole move is kind of comical, for now its just one spot for a month but its part of the inevitable movement toward country club.  I've played both sides (lake and river) for years. I had a DSR season pass for 23 years and this year was the first year I dumped it.  I've had enough of the politics, whining and country club direction.  I love the lake, clearing the inlet and trying to solve the day's puzzle in the lake knowing I'm generally left alone in open water. 

I realize this is a lot of discussion about inshore returns, piers etc but to give some East end perspective. I've fished this lake for over 30 years on the east end.   We don't see the bait that is seen out west and it is definitely down from years ago.  I troll over blank screens for hours.  Over the years typically we never saw the early king fishing in the lake that is seen out west and our only claim to fame was the fish came east to the SR in August.  It use to be you didn't see much in the way of kings until Mid july sometimes early July and in rare years May but only when bait happened to land in our area and those were still occasional fish here and there more than consistent    The last few years I've seen Kings in April and in numbers and more consistently and pretty damn good through the summer....still no consistent bait but hey, I'll take the early kings and I see some encouraging bait from time to time. I've also seen more color to the water.  Not always crystal clear.  I have no argument on the usefulness of Net pens for western ports.  However I'll only offer a box of tissues to those who think the west end is getting screwed over the east end.  We never had and still don't have the fishing the western ports have spring through summer.    To all who fish piers, yeah the clear water and whatever other factors is definitely a bummer.  I wish shore fishing is like it use to be but I have been encouraged about how the boat fishing has improved my way in recent years.   

30 minutes ago, HB2 said:

Went out late afternoon for a few hrs . Started in 15 ft . Let a #4 silver bullet red head out 125 down 5 ft  and before   I could set the other rigger I get a hit   

 

Landed  4 matures all told using small boat tactics from 15 to 30 ft . 

 

Nice amount of jumpers . 

 

Back at it first light . 

 

I will try the Gary D rig tommorow for the staggers . 

I'll admit, I was half way through reading this when my brain said what about the Gary D rig....so your final line set me up right.  Part sarcasm partly intrigued on my end.   Good luck either way, I should be out there tomorrow but am too burned from work to hit the road tonight.

For what its worth you can get 30# through the microlead sheath, granted a pain in the ass. Once you do and tie the willis you need a drop of superglue otherwise it might slip out.

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14 minutes ago, Reel Doc said:

I'll have to look into that as it looks like a good rigid option.   Hopefully can find a turnbuckle long enough to span that distance

Google "Turnbuckle on boat trailer" and you'll see some interesting examples including using chain to get extra length.  Needing to use a turnbuckle IMO just means the trailer setup isn't right but it seems like something that would work and keep  you....and the rest of us safe, hopefully.  There's always an electric winch with cable.  

The only downside with the Pacific Northwest boats is there are not many around the Great Lakes area to pick from, I found mine up in Michigan. I also agree that the older welded boats seem to hold up better, maybe the aluminum was thicker.

Im in love with your garage!

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18 hours ago, Hap said:

I have a Hewescraft, a Pacific Northwest boat and agree the welds and thicker aluminum are much more substantial. Funny thing is they cost less than the Starcraft and Lunds.

I looked at hewescraft and they were NOT cheap but I would have LOVED their welded thicker hull.  However the big thing I noticed with the NW boats at least in the 18-21' class is they didn't have the beam of my Starcraft FM196 until you go to the Ocean Pro series and at that point you were 22' and a pretty pricey boat.  I've come to find you definitely pay more for extra beam.  The Ocean Pro's were just out of my league for cost.    4-6" of beam might not seem like a lot but it was important to me.  As for Lund....no argument there.  I think they are overpriced for what they are and they are riding the name a little more than they should (IMO)

What model Hewescraft do you have?

3 hours ago, Todd in NY said:

 

Apparently, Crestliner is still making boats with all-welded construction today, and you don't hear any problems with the new Crestliners.

I fished a Starweld 18 Pro for 4 seasons....no problems.  Admittedly they are trying to hit a lower price point and that always comes with a catch.  I recall Crestliner back when my father and I were looking at boats before we ended up with a 88 Grumman 18'er.  Back then Crestliner was definitely a more expensive boat and looking at the commander series recently (before I bought my Fishmaster 196), they are still more costly than a Starweld and rightfully so it would seem as I see a few of the older ones around. 

 

 

I'll also just add that without any knowledge overall of what you have, the frame of the trailer just looks kinda light for a 24'er.  Is that existing winch and related trailer properly rated for the boat?  No judgement.....just trying to aid in your problem solving.  I have a 20' aluminum and I feel like the trailer and winch related area on my trailer looks a lot beefier than what I'm looking at in your photo.  

 

My winch pulls from the top....but i dont know if/ how it varies between winches.

If you are actually getting it tight then the problem is with the winch and I would suggest just replacing the winch as its not holding when locked in.  If you are not really getting it up tight it might be a matter of backing the trailer in a little more so you are getting it up good and tight against the roller.  You shouldn't need a secondary strap although the one thing I'm not seeing is a safety chain.  That isn't tight and wouldn't prevent the winch from slipping but it will prevent catastrophe in general.  

Not to pile on but to give a recent observation from someone else. I know someone with 27' CC. New boat and new trailer. Via some screw ups with the dealer and him not doing some of his own dilligence the trailer did not have a sufficient load rating. His initial symptom was blowing out a bearing and finding another ready to go. Keep in mind this was a new trailer and he was only going an hour each way and the trailer was only for winter storage as he had the boat in a rack at the marina. The trailer bearings went at the end of season 1. He had perhaps 3 hours of road travel.

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4 minutes ago, Low Baller said:

Good info for all. The whole purpose of this thread is not just a few bragging rights. It's geared to helping out the weekend warriors like myself. Cayuga is one of my favorites. Always looking for that bucket list Atlantic, and it's great practice for lowering the learning curve before trying to mix it up with the big dogs. An educated mariner make good allies, especially in the O when sh**t can get bad quick. Thanks

 

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I fished a big boat for years with my father, took a break and started back taking a 13'er out 7 miles (on select days) before getting an 18 and now a 20 (aluminum).  So I totally understand where your coming from.  Good luck!

3 minutes ago, Low Baller said:

You're right, last yr was great. I like to fish the gap between the inside combat and the fleet. Furthest I've gone is 180 out of Mexico. Guessing about 12 mls. Always making sure I maintain visual with other vessels in case of mechanical failure. Next weekend is anniversary so I'm trying get one run after that before archery. Hunting steel is my favorite.

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 If it helps.... earlier in the season the direction is usually more west (off the plant-ish) where the main lake current is and to get to 180 is def a lot less than 12 mi.  12 mi on a NW or WNW heading will get you to pretty darn deep (300+)  North while good Mid August and on is usually the dead sea earlier (for salmon).  Going north for mid August and later staging fish (ie North Dunes) is more like the 10 ish miles + from mexico.  but is usually more of a mid to late August thing....if that helps.   My early July to early august runs are max 7 miles, and at times 3-5 with a lot of that being a Northwest diagonal with a lot of protected south shore to duck toward if the predominant SW winds pick up.  Oh and if you like steelhead, I pick those up on my cheaters in July when I'm running a predominantly spoon pattern .   Take it for what its worth...just more data.  I fish with lots of space and like it.   Boats around but nobody pressing you terribly.  

1 hour ago, Low Baller said:

Keep at it Wallychaser, I'm just a Sept king chaser. Took alot of driving and disappointment. Learned a ton from a few guys willing to help the little guys. Some on this thread. Try dragging a pair of moonshine spoons on bottom marks. Worked well on the stagers last yr. Just thinking out loud, lol. Improvise, adapt, overcome.

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Hey, expand your horizons (past just September) .  Early July and on can have flat water, SW winds and kings that don't have to be that far.  Oh and when you find them the aren't fussy!   I actually don't like the late august early sept kings as much....granted I fish them.  I did kind of like fishing the even closer fish in late sept last year.  you just have to be good with the combat crowd and fishing really early and / or really late.  

While i agree with a lot if the adjustment comments generally, that trailer is not rated for that boat. If a tire were to go it would not end well. Always better to have more trailer than you need, but a potential big problem if you have too little trailer.

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I know here in Ohio, charter/tournament guys get to use a new boat for the whole year and sell it at the end of the season as a new untitled boat. The only cost is the difference of what they sell it for and what it cost new. Usually very little.

While there may be some deal where warranty is considered as new etc and a discount is involved. im sure no dealer is passing one of these off as "brand new" as that would be fraud.

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Looks like Starweld is one to avoid.

 

 

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I wouldnt go that far as my 2015 18 pro was a great problem free boat. They are trying to hit a lower price point though and some of the way they did some things coulda been better. For that matter i thought starcraft did some things the cheapo way on my fishmaster 196. If the OP had a 2012 leftover in 2018 i would wonder why it was around that long and i would hazard a guess that towne marine got a good deal on it from the factory. And it never sat around at towne marine for that long. Im stretching but it may have had rework for a QC issue and wasnt used so considered new once it was reworked. It may have sat around at the factory until it was fixed. Im definitely curious.

 

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water into fuel is interesting / concerning.   Aside from entry to tank and how that is happening I would be sure from now on (if you don't already) you have a water fuel separator.  Most boats have them these days it seems.  I replace mine annually out of paranoia.    I had a starweld with no problems and moved to something else.  

2 minutes ago, hookedupf7 said:

They are calling for west wind of 8 notts for Mexico for Saturday. What your guys thoughts for Saturday?

Personally I believe there is no such thing as a light W or NW wind when it switches around to that direction.   I see the current forecasts are North 5-10 or NW less than 10 depending on what you look at.  You have to go into that expecting it to be bumpy at best and getting blown off at worst.  At least you don't have to go really far this time of year.  

as of 2 weeks ago Dreams Come True (Mexico)  had openings posted on his facebook

I'm with @rolmops on the Oswego buoy but also someone recently told me about the 'fishweather" app.   Which I now also like.  It has ability to show you current and predicted winds but also a full lake wind-field view all for free.  The have a premium also but I have not tried that yet.  

Is an aluminum boat less risky than a fiber glass one ?

You are so he high point in the area regardless of hull material so i would say no. I left early today seeing a storm west. I saw it just slightly decrease in size but pick up anyway after fishing only half of the morning It kept getting smaller and ultimately dissipated but i dont regret coming in. I dont want to come in with the crowd, get soaked or get zapped. I have had the pants scared off of me a few times. I dont play around with this lake. I was on another where we had rods buzzing and the lines we were setting were picking up off the water and holding in the air (bait too). Granted light line and very small trolled baits for land locks but it was a moment i dont want to repeat. Bolt hit a tree on an island 1/4 mile from us. [emoji44]

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Blue bird sky here in Syracuse so far today.  How is the wind and weather by Fair Haven?  Planning to get up there by 1:30 if the storms stay away for a few hours.

Check the radar.storms should be in fairhaven around 1:30 or before

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I recommend you dont try to hit the bottom unless you really know what your doing. Ive had my rigger balls drag either trying to anticipate blowback while fishing clos e and or not realizing how fast the bottom came up. Fortunately I had no issues and think the bottom was sandy but it would scare the hell out of me to hang a rigger ball onnthe bottom. Ive heard of people who had their rigger ripped right off.

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42 minutes ago, greenhornet73 said:

Fat Trout it’s good to know combo trolling works.  I have heard from guys that exclusively fish meat that it’s taboo to throw spoons in the mix because of speed differences.  I’m guessing that you just put less bend in the bait to keep a slower “roll” at a faster speed?

Yeah you can tune the bait to roll how you like it, you can also make the hook extend a little further back and it has a similar effect.  Personally I want to fish my meat rigs at spoon speeds.  Some people fish them slow, different opinions I guess.