Sk8man

Thanks for the report

Your experience is very unfortunate. I don't however think it is typical. That might be the approach that might be used with a very young child, but is not appropriate for most adults ( perhaps someone with a specific disability (e.g. limited use of their hands etc.). I also think most captains would gauge experience level of the client by either verbal or observational indicators and adjust things accordingly. Sounds like some OCD going one there As Salty Nut indicated there are a variety of valid concerns a captain might have about equipment, but it sounds as though he sort of micromanaged too much. The captains I have fished with or have known over many years are sensitive to the customer and would do everything possible within realistic bounds to ensure that the trip made or exceeded the clients expectations within their span of control which usually includes trying to get a handle on the clients expectations and prior experience doing that type of fishing. If it were me I would communicate to him the exact problem privately from your perspective rather than some public response e.g. on his website etc. to give him the benefit of a response, but barring satisfactory resolution I would certainly not select him or recommend him to others in the future. There is obviously a great range of experience of charter captains as well as personality attributes, and communication skills. The large majority of charter captains male and female on Lake O are highly skilled, anxious to provide a satisfactory and pleasing experience for their customers, and will often go out of their way to make it happen. I wouldn't let this experience prevent you from selecting another experience with one of them. To aid in your next experience I would outline your expectations while setting up the charter and ask pertinent questions (e.g. such as "will I be able to handle the rod completely or to what extent" etc.) to enhance your experience. There is a good selection of captains right here on LOU

I too have had problems with it. It either rejected my Reliant VISA card or took what seemed very long to process it...so mixed results. Not sure what the problem is but the machine may not be a not a State machine and maybe from from Sessler I believe who have the rights to the launch itself.

Jacob - As you can see from these answers there is no single "correct" answer to the question; each of these answers apparently works for each of the people suggesting them. A few basic things to consider and perhaps help you to decide for your situation are these: 1. Are you just fishing the Great Lakes and/or other bodies of water? Fishing in other smaller lakes you can usually get away with lighter leaders where King salmon aren't present. If fishing both possibly select according to where you fish the most often in terms of pound test. 2. Monofilament and fluorocarbon have different characteristics which can suggest your selection. Mono has some stretch to it while fluoro doesn't have much - if any. Where this becomes important is in potential snap- offs under tension. I use both for different reasons. In shallow water where running smaller dipseys with spoons I run a little lighter diameter fluoro and run the drag on my reels lighter. When fishing deeper with attractors (e.g. flashers spin doctors or dodgers) I go to heavier mono or fluoro because of increased tension on the line and rod, and the reel tension is set higher and using wire main line there is no give or stretch. I mostly use 40-50 lb test mono on my hand tied flies because this is where savage strikes from Kings can occur. Some folks use snubbers with their divers but if a mono leader is used it is unnecessary because the mono provides some stretch. Fluoro leaders not so much. Fishing down deep the "stealth" factor ascribed to fluoro is probably irrelevant too.. 3. If you are using high quality reels with smooth drags with a good strength range you can often get away with lighter fluoro or mono too. 4. all the above options already mentioned will work just select for your own preference and the fishing conditions.

The primary reason for using the 30 lb Big Game mono is related to the thinking that the increased diameter of it is thought to shed fleas or make them lesss able to adhere to the linewhich are a considerable problem on the Great Lakes and Finger Lakes among others it has basically nothing to do with the breaking strength of the line. Prior to the advent of the fleas in Lake Ontario for example many of us used 12 lb mono for king salmon. I have used 30 lb Blood Run SeaFlee and Big Game 30 lb for years and although they both work somewhat when the fleas are really concentrated nothing repels them. The spiny fleas are much easier to get off line than the fishhook variety though. The SeaFlee has quite a bit of stretch to it and has a slick coating which helps repel the fleas.

Probably still in transition....give it a couple weeks and things may look improved.

Truly wonderful! job of educating!