Sk8man

I've run both fixed and sliding cheaters since the late seventies and when I first started using them I tried them about 15 ft long as I was thinking about staying away from the back of the boat. After a couple times I realized that when you get a decent sized fish on them (e.g. kings :>) there is a big problem getting to the net once you reach the swivel of the main lure. If you keep them just slightly shorter than the length of your rod it eliminates that problem ( e.g rigger rod 8 1/2 ft slider 7 1/2 or 8ft). I also try to run spoons that run at compatible speeds to avoid twisting at higher speeds. It also can help to run light flutter spoons on the slider and regular or heavier spoons on the main line as the lighter spoon will pretty much stay in the bow of the main line. Using ball bearing swivels can also help reduce line twisting. I've known people that use 2 ft. sliders successfully as well so having a long length may not be as crucial as some may assume.

JJ I have seen folks at that spot keep ones under 9 inches and out on the pier they keep stuff that I wouldn't even put in a fishbowl....I don't know if they feed their cats or what not enough meat to even fillet

Bob the spot mentioned is not even 50 feet from one side to the other, right out in the open directly next to a main highway within clear sight of anyone passing in cars. It already has way too much pressure on it. We didn't even fish it this year for that reason. Crappies like perch are very vulnerable in the Spring and there aren't all that many in there anyway anymore. The ones we have caught there in the past have been released for that reason.

I have no idea what folks are thinking when they give out small spots than can be fished out in a hour or so if the fish happen to be there. I like giving out useful info as the next guy but the Internet is a double edged sword and can be very destructive of small limited fishing spots. In these cases people need to get off their butts and physically explore areas for potential spots . This type of fishing is not anything like lake trolling etc. and places can easily be ruined by too much fishing pressure on them sometimes in a single day.

John gave an excellent summary of the issues surrounding the selection of line for dipseys as well as rod concerns and "expert" advice is always great to see on here and helpful to all.

If you have a breaker box try resetting it. If you have inline fuses (should) check them and replace if look burned. It is usually that but if not maybe a bad switch. Screwwy Louies near Fairhaven used to fix them and may still. If not try Fish307 in Lake George.

Me too first time in ONE year

Even with the carbon fiber drags those reels slipped and were hard to reel with any significant weight one them

Best of luck out there this season. Les

I guess my take may be a bit different. When fishing live bait e.g. still fishing you do set the hook after you are confident that the fish has the bait. e.g. lake trout usually turn the bait around in their mouth after grabbing then swallowing so you wait for the fish to stop the initial run then set the hook when they begin the run again. Browns sometimes carry the bait around a bit before getting it down their throat (e.g. bobber fishing) and rainbows often hook themselves by viciously attacking the bait and sometimes even jumping out of the water in the process. When trolling I seldom if ever set the hook on trout or salmon and it applies to stripers and tuna as well in the salt water environment. One of the key aspects to this is to maintain very sharp hook points which I constantly monitor and sharpen as needed. Some require it right out of the package. As Fisherman 21 mentioned the initial drag setting is adjusted so that it maintains the line on the reel so that it doesn't play out with the clicker always on. I then increase the drag setting so that it requires a slight tug on the line to play out so there is some drag but not enough to impair the line if a hard hit. When the fish hits, the drag setting should be strong enough to exert some pressure on the fish so the hook penetrates; the rest is done by the rod tip when the rod is picked up and arched and the tip being maintained upward provides constant pressure on the fighting fish which in large part hooks itself. The constant pressure with no slack allowed is critical. A lot of folks don't further adjust the drag setting while fishing the fish but I carefully adjust it while fighting what I perceive larger fish according to to what is going on with the fight. I think a lot of folks that do an extreme hook set on fish lose a lot of them that way.

The extreme south dock is loaded with silt and sand and pretty much impossible to get trailer out far enough so might want to use the northern most ones. Parking has been VERY full to so may want to consider Union Springs

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