Sk8man

Sounds as though you have a plan Ifishy....it would be good to see you there.

Still have room on the other side of my window for one

Might want to contact John Mann at  Sodus Point (Sodus Bay Canvas). He  is a pretty incredible craftsman and probably has seen about every possible sscenario

11 hours ago, rolmops said:

I never really understood all the hoopla about the slimer derby

It is a multi-salmonid tournament first of all despite the National Lake Trout designation. In the past the derby brought in people (and revenue to localities) on a lower level but much as the Lake O tournaments. Some of us have fished it for over 50 years and have had our families and kids involved while they were growing up. For many years we camped at Sampson State Park and met a lot of like minded folks from all over the place so it was a neat social experience as well. At one point there were over 2500 participants and the prize money was much less than the $10,000 now possible for first place now. The fishing conditions have changed radically from the old days largely due to the clarity of the water and invasives problems making the fishing more challenging....but that is what it is all about for many of us....the challenge. It isn't about catching the MOST trout....it is about catching the largest trout and that is a real challenge. In short, the derby is challenging but FUN! (and there are a lot of side benefits to it)

Going to miss ya there Kev.....but on the other hand....one less dangerous competitor to worry about.....kinda cold I know but this is the derby bud

Hopefully that isn't a bad omen....

Trevor and his staff try hard to provide good service and they have a very good product, but the very nature of these things (e.g. probes and thermistors, seals etc.) is that they are relatively fragile items and it doesn't take much to screw them up. The fact that they are an American company  goes a long way in my view.....the Chinese crap sure wouldn't hold up as well.

Good luck

18 hours ago, GAMBLER said:

Speed also depends on the lures of choice.  Some spoons troll better on the slower side and some troll better with a little more speed.

That is exactly it. It pays to test out the spoon or stick at the side of the boat and observe the action prior to deployment for an "estimate" of how it may be running at the desired speed. When running multiple lures of diverse types some may run optimally while others may not and it is another reason to keep changing speeds and making "s" turns etc.

I suspect too many factors involved to know for sure. The copper will bow upward at that speed, amount and direction of current present, the trolling direction, type of lure at the end, diameter of copper etc.

You can get an estimate by running a Fishhawk TD though.

Some of it may be just probabilities connected with the numbers/density of bait available. When I see this situation I try to get to the outer edge of the bait where the fish often locate and troll back and forth along the edge which may increase probabilities.

yep larger swivel snap at the back end and smaller one at lure

Nice going Steve...a real beauty. Still some hope for the derby

Great looking rig Mark. Best of luck with it and the fishing this season.

12 hours ago, Legacy said:

 

Awesome!

I will add that when I am King fishing that my releases are extremely tight. However depending on what I am doing I may do a few other things. Lake Trout fishing (with cowbells) I use tethered scottty releases. They work great 100+ down and allow me to see my bites better. Another thing I do is use half hitched rubber bands along with my blacks releases in skinny water.  The point is there isnt a one size fits all and different situations require different things.

Very true, and true in general about fishing...have to be flexible and open to changing circumstances.

There can be the problem of carrying around small fish when the release is too tight and often by the time you realize it (especially in rough water conditions etc.) it is too late for the fish if needed to release. If the release is set to about 3 lbs or so smaller fish can struggle and release it much of the time. Using the (about $10 digital luggage scale e.g. Walmart) can allow you to fine tune things to your preference rather than guessing. I tighten the release tighter than that when running attractors.

When you are having that kind of fun with family it is better than winning the grand prize in any tournament.

man....what a story! Congrats on the fish Chad and "surviving" the rodent issues

If using Blacks or similar get a digital luggage weighing scale attach it to the release and crank the release down to about 3 lbs.... that should help

Good advice

At this point just allowing hunting them wouldn't put much of a dent in things with flocks that size they would have to decimate a who;e rookery to make any progress

Gee I wonder where all the bait goes

They will work with recessed gunwale rod holders but the length of the metal tubes needs to match up with the length and orientation of the recessed holder tubes so that they remain above the gunwale in the right orientation. Might want to measure the length of metal tube downpipe on the riggers. Just a suggestion Some recessed holders are at an angle and not at 90 degrees too.

On 5/4/2023 at 3:55 PM, whaler1 said:

I would love to shoot them. Amazing how many there are. 

yeah talk about a "thrill kill" Bill