AnglingAddict

I know what it means - it’s just a dumb term in my opinion that doesn’t represent what’s really happening or the mechanics of it all….

First off the lake doesn't "flip" - that's a total misnomer.  What actually happens is warmer surface waters get pushed offshore and colder water fills in from underneath.  When this happens it can do one of two things - if it doesn't completely ice out it can bring salmon in closer or move them higher in the column where most people struggle to catch them  - if it gets too cold on the inside then moving out a little deeper  until you find more stable water is generally a better bet. 

What Rick said above - we run the Size 4 Deeper Divers most of the time - have been running them since they were Walker Deeper Divers - love the crisp release on them versus the mushy/sticky release on most other offerings.

After yesterdays west blow you can bet temps pushed way down.....

3 hours ago, HB2 said:

So I have to ask , not to be a dick, but if you say that has been a killer spoon for you , and they are impossible to find  , why would anyone give one up? 

 

 

I might have a few - will look.  I don't like the FLT spoons....

Caution with the torpedo divers and clipping them onto coppers if you are running coppers on planer boards.  You most likely will have trouble passing a copper over top of a size 1 dipsey.....If you are running the copper down the chute shouldn't have any issues deploying down the chute but caution on turns should be exercised.

30 minutes ago, ErieBuck said:

Im tempted to add a 400 copper for my trip….  Have 200/300.  Mid summer will need to get deep for the big boys I think.  Riggers and wire divers will reach but will nice to have some long lines get deep.  Worth it you think or too much hassle with that much line? 

Absolutely worth it.  A couple weeks ago we were running a 700 copper out of Oswego - was our best rod - takes forever to set and reel in but long coppers work.

What Brian said about leader length - most of my leads are in the 60-70" range but on occasion running clean meat on 8" attractors I have had success on shorter leads like 48-50" but nominally that's not the case....and at faster trolling speed definitely not the case. 

I fish the east end mostly and we do get temps that push very deep.  A few weeks ago I was running 145 and 160' of rigger cable to get to the fish.  When fishing deep I do like big attractors at least on the riggers.  Big paddles will affect depth achieved on divers and copper to an extent.

Like Brian also mentioned - when they want meat - they want meat.  When that happens I have it on every rod as well. 

Your meat leaders are too short in my opinion - 36" behind an attractor is way too short especially if you are running faster to generate spoon bites - we run meat and take bites up to 3 mph on the fish hawk - personally I like it slower but you shouldn't have any issues firing meat with spoons in the spread - my advice is to try and run spoons that have a wide speed tolerance so that you can dial speed back a bit so your meat works for you a little better - Michigan Stinger Stingrays are great across a large range of speeds so if I am mixing spoons into a meat program or vice versa I would probably run stingrays (everyone probably has a different opinion here).  Lengthen out your meat rigs, and fly leaders - 22-24" is a good place to start for your fly leaders - meat leaders anywhere from 50-70" swivel to hook. Longer leads on larger attractors typically but if you are crawling with respect to downspeed you might be able to get away with a shorter leader on a big paddle. 

Always running 300' of weighted steel doesn't make sense to me - tailor your junk lines to the most productive segment of the water column.  I never have a "typical" spread - create a spread each day that targets the depths where the fish are being seen.  You absolutely will need to make adjustments as the morning or afternoon progresses to keep up with the daily movements of salmon in the column - if you don't do that each presentation may only be fishing optimally for a short length of time each day.

Same comment on your riggers and dipseys - fishing higher maybe run 8" attractors - save the bigger attractors for deeper days and or later in the season.  

Finally - maybe consider splitting a charter with friends who might be in the same boat and talk to the captain and stress you are looking for an educational charter - there's a lot more to trolling than simply running this or that - a lot of very subtle things that can increase you catch 10 fold but you might not even realize the captain is doing it.   Good luck and keep at it.

I've fished out of both and for the last few years have kept a slip in both ports - Oswego has better facilities in general in my opinion (bathrooms, launch facilities, docks, fish cleaning stations).  Also Oswego is a bigger town so if you need 'something' you can probably get it.  Walmart, Auto Parts stores, Harbor Freight, and many more options for food and drink. As far as fishing goes it all depends - sometime Sodus fishes hotter and sometime the hot bite is farther east - speaking in generalities - the later in the season you go the more likely the better fishing will be farther to the east as kings migrate towards the east end (assuming you are talking about fishing for kings).  

Closer proximity to tackle stores in Oswego than Sodus as well.

Sodus gets the nod for traffic and pressure though - far less boats on any given day than the east end - trolling offshore almost never have much traffic to deal with in Sodus.  

Water based Createx Airbrush paints....no smell - need clear coating if painting more than just dots - lots of great water based clear coats out there too....

Thanks Jimmy - Can't get in it this year due to other commitments - next year we are in

They are legal in NY for specific applications.  Specifically on the Hudson River.  
 

https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/124974.html#Harvested

The coiled wire antennas that encapsulate the coated cable suck as well - I have to hang a rag over my antenna and spray it down with water to keep the antenna in contact with coated wire to get reliable readings….you can see the rag placement in the pic….

Since it started after you replaced the motor - look at the sealant around the bolts that penetrate the transom that mount the outboard to the hull.  Maybe even pull one at a time and re-bed with 4200 of those are under the water line. What about transducer screws?   Those are sometimes a good source of leaks as well.  

My thoughts on why the chinooks work better than say a #0 Dipsey in the same application....the Chinooks have far less mass per unit area than traditional dipsey and I think that contributes to them being more affected by turbulence around the hull more than a traditional #0 dipsey - this likely causes a lot of movement with the chinooks that may not be as prevalent in the smaller size dipseys and my guess is that movement at a given trolling speed translates to more erractic behavior at the spoon which might lead to more bites - just a hunch but in my experience the chinook on the side of my running motor (I have twin inboards) takes more fish typically than the other side.  Same situation with slides when fishing shallow - the more turbulent side often is a better rod for me as a general observation.

On 4/29/2022 at 9:05 AM, lamtec said:

We were mostly in 12 to 16 FOW and trying to troll at 8ft where we were marking fish. It is possible that I was dragging bottom sometimes with depth changes or while making turns. I don't know how accurate the dive charts are, I may have been trolling deeper than I thought. This would make sense, because the line was rough and jagged where it tore. This was my first-time trolling, so I have a lot to learn.

Next time out I will upgrade my slide diver leader to 40 or 50lb Big Game and also try to find some springs. I will need to use a Fish Hawk TD to check my actual trolling depth. Each trip will be a learning experience. But it will be fun.

 

I appreciate all the suggestions and the willingness to try and help with my question. Thanks again to everyone who responded with this post.

You don't need to use a fish hawk TD trolling in 12-15 feet of water nor would I recommend it.  If you are set 5 feet down fish on the bottom will move vertically that distance to hit an offering - no need to complicate it.

Right now the water temps are nearly homogenous - you can absolutely fish a diver for lakers and you don't need to be tight to the bottom either....fish the marks - a lot of times this time of year lakers could be anywhere although a lot of guys will target them with cowbells near bottom and that certainly is productive. Flasher with a fly can be a great option for lakers as mentioned above.  Double white glow e-chip or spin doc and an A-Tom-Mik ultra white glow fly with chartruese beads is a good place to start.

Bump - price drop.  

1 Gallon of Interlux Micron CSC Bottom paint - black.  This is new and unopened.  Looking to get $150 for the gallon - currently going for Approx. $250 per gallon plus a hazardous shipping surcharge.  Can also make me an offer - most I can say is No.  Local pickup in Baldwinsville NY or can deliver to Oswego or Sodus Point on weekend.

Interlux Micron CSC Antifouling Bottom Paint - Gallon | Defender Marine

Thanks 

About 500,000 feet

9 mile

July

I gorilla glued one of  mine after it got stepped on - broke in half.   Have been running it in that state for the better part of 5 seasons now....

I have heard of folks diluting ATF 10% with diesel fuel for use as a fluid used in marine applications.  I don't remember where I read that but I know I didn't make it up - seemed to be a pretty common practice on the forum that I read it on from what I recall....