Sk8man

Good info you guys are even influencing this dinosaur to reconsider my "old school" way of doing things

I probably sgould get a vacuum sealer but my old school habits don't die easily. Although it may not be as economical regarding space in the freezer. If you use ziplocks and fill with water all around the fish and slightly above them in the bag they will last a very long time without freezer burn or oxidation. I have eaten perch saved that way 3 years plus and they tasted just as though they were caught that day.

I know there are a lot of opinions about this and options but after using both custom canvas and some of the other premade options on the two boats I've had and given that you already have snaps installed the better option would be to bite the bullet and have one custom made to your particular boat. The acrylic canvas seems to hold up better than a lot of the other types in my experience. I have one set customized to fit the boat exactly and then a mooring cover to go over it and that fitted canvas has lasted15 seasons thus far while I'm on my third mooring cover on my present boat. I think a fitted canvas is a better option than the mooring cover which the wind can get underneath. The UV rays do raise hell with most types too and especially the thread used to sew them. The most important thing is to have someone do the work that is expert at it because the materials and workmanship differ greatly and matter greatly as well.

I would get a replacement net. I think the other option would be a mess and way too stiff. I use the stuff (Plasti-Dip) all the time on sinkers and downrigger weights and it is fine for that sort of thing.

Wow! Really sorry Kev. He's a great guy and hell of a fisherman and I know how much the derby means to you both. Lets hope the prayers do wonders for him. We look forward to seeing you both there this year bud. Les

The hourly wage is definitely not where its at I once did a small business plan before I retired from my long term job as I was thinking of chartering. As a requirement of the small business course we had to compute an hourly wage at the end of the process. When I added it all up (expenses) the total hourly wage was $2.76 per hour

It looks as though the Fingerlakestackle.com domain is registered under GoDaddy.com until August 10th 2018 and as long as the site remains open folks are going to get fleeced unless someone formally reports the issues to authorities and the site is taken down and there is still the Facebook site as well....

The orangish color in some lakers flesh occasionally caught in a number of the Finger Lakes (Cayuga, Seneca, Keuka and Canandaigua in my own experience) has been there long before the gobies arrived. I believe they are a different strain of laker possibly natives? One of the lakers favorite food has been the freshwater slimy sculpin which have been present in the lakes for eons. Lakers have even been observed turning over rocks on bottom in the shallows in search of them.

Are you sure they weren't Sculpins ....more likely (I hope)? They look a lot alike.

Looks very good Jason

Beautiful rig Jeremy. Good luck this season....I can tell it will be fun this time regardless of results

Sweet....WTG John!

and those pics are a good example of the variability in the looks of browns too.

Steve the Mag 10 recommended weight is listed at 10 lbs max. I don't think the problem is the board itself but rather the strain ofthe 14 lb weights on the motor that may be tripping the breaker. Cannon has upgraded the motors a few times since the Mag 10's and 10A's to heavier duty ones. The bottom line is probably that 14lbs is 14 lbs regardless of the weight or its travel through the water when the motor is at rest and the motors themselves weren't designed with that heavy a weight in mind. There is a very noticeable difference in torque when retrieving a 14 or 16 lb weight and it will be interesting to see what the life span of even these newer downriggers ends up as. My Mag 10A's are from 1985 era and still function as they should because I have never exceeded the max weights and I've taken care of them Hopefully these others will last folks as long I will say that the shark type weights that bikinibottom makes cut through the water much better than the ball type or the "herbie" fish weights. I haven't personally tried Harvey's torpedos but everyone I know that has them loves them too. Bout time is right about the wiring issue too if either the distance is long or the wiring is too thin gauge (should be or 8 or 10 gauge wire to the battery I believe) or you are using say less than a 30 Amp inline fuse or faulty fuse block connection it will trigger your breaker or toast an inline fuse.

Great pic Brian

Admittedly I am a roller rod guy at this point in the game and I've used them since 1979 or thereabouts so I'm somewhat "biased" but if you are talking for dipsey use on freshwater I guess yuou have to look at cost to benefit. To me the benefits seem to be they seem easer to reel in and may be easier on the wire but I'm not totally sure about the latter either. I have about a dozen of them altogether ranging from light/medium weight (wire dipsey use and Seth Greens) to heavy weight (tuna type all roller rods). I also have a couple of medium downrigger type rods that I took the twilli off and put roller tips on because I like the way they handle the wire. On the downside if you are using the 3o lb test 7 strand on them make sure to get a totally stainless steel rod tip as the cheaper ones with the aluminum side plates can cut through when the wire get a little sideways on them (like in rough water). Sixty pound test wire will not do that but better yet although I haven't used it to date I suspect that 19 strand wire wouldn't do it either and that is what is suggested if you go with other than an all stainless steel roller top. You don't really need all rollers on the rod for freshwater use just the first eyelet and the roller top. With all this said my feeling is that based on my own previous use of twillis and also the fact that most of my frends use them currently it is mainly a matter of preference for the dipsey wire application in freshwater. In saltwater tuna fishing for example I would say rollers offer more smoothness and less tension on the line so they would be a better choice. When you look at the cost to benefit ratio the twilli tip will do the job and is far less expensive for the dipsey use.. The Diawa DXT wire rod uses Aftco roller top and guides and most of the Aftco stuff is good quality.

The generous sharing of wisdom and information by the charter guys on this site is also much appreciated as it adds greatly to the experience of everyone here regardless of time fishing (or time on Earth). It is indeed unusual to have these resources so readily available and I think I can speak for all of us when I say "Thank you" and may you have great sucess in your fishing this season.

bobcat - here is another idea. I used this gizmo for a variety of wire things since the late seventies http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/wire-forming-tools/041571000006.aspx