Sk8man

Good luck with the trailer and fishing if you go

Note the bolded change above I mistyped when it read 280 and didn't catch it but re-read after Rollie's post. You're very welcome Terry. Good luck out there.

Yes and depending on boat speed it can be better than 2:1. I have also banged bottom in 151 ft of water on a 1 setting 380 out at about 2.2mph GPS. I sometimes run my insides on zero too when I want to really get down there (just have to be careful on turns with riggers out etc). I don't usually use the 3 setting a lot if fishing deep just in shallower (may not run as deep as you speed up while the other setting stay down a little better) but the 2 setting frequently and it seems to give enough clearance for the way I run. Don't let the thing slip past the 3 mark as it will usually come right to the surface.

Nick is right... Sampson opens up the most options for you and depending on whether there can be fishing opportunities right close to port there (and right out front as well). Both ends of the lake are tougher fishing right now.

My hunch is that when salmon are that deep they are basically resting and inactive not necessarily looking for food. They are mainly suspended feeders not bottom feeders either which makes sense in their native ocean environment. If they are caught deep like that it may reflect their "opportunistic" nature or even aggressiveness more than anything else so color etc. may be "irrelevant".

You gained some sound advice above. It may also pay to go back to basics for a bit. First of all are you only going to be fishing Lake O? If you fish other lakes you may wish to consider that. If you fish solo will you be able to handle the boat by yourself? Bigger can be better but not in the wind against or behind you coming into the dock by yourself.Is it going to be used solely for fishing OR will you be doing family stuff recreationally as well? A deep Vee cuts through the water and waves nicely but it may not have as much stability as some other hull designs when multiple folks are standing in the back on one side for example and you can get wet feet on some boats this way. Will you be able to set the boat up in the way you wish for the type of equipment you have or the way you intend to fish? Basically in terms of fishing any boat you get should be considered a platform that allows you to get out away from shore and fish the way you want or need to. Does the boat (s) being considered do everything you wish or need to do? Probably not in every case because every design is usually a compromise so you have to make carefully weighed decisions about what is most important. A new boat is a huge investment and seldom do you get a good financial return on your investment with it but warantees are a consideration, and with used boats there is always the question of how it was used and maintained as well as the current integrity of the hull and engine etc. Just a few minor things to think about Good luck!

Mike brings up a great point about the swivel snaps. The smaller the better but ball bearing swivels and solid ring NOT split ring. The split rings can allow the knot to slip into the crevice which has a sharp edge and especially with big heavy fish and pressure put on them can sever the line whether mono or fluoro. I usually either replace the existing snaps with stronger duo lock snaps or buy ones without the snap part and add them. The duo locks have a nice rounded surface that gives good action to the lures whether sticks or spoons.

It double posted. I'll add that I believe the "invisibility" claims are mostly marketing ploys or hype but smaller line diameter may be a factor in whether seen well or not.

I'll bite on it Frisco I've used both for a long time and perhaps the most important thing for me has been the quality issues with some brands of fluoro. Ive tried nearly every common brand (but not the really high end stuff) and ended up using Seaguar red label 6-20 lb for most Finger lakes stuff and Blue label leader 12- 20 lb stuff (time of year) for the Lake O and it has performed fine for me with spoons and sticks. I tried Vanish and Vicious early on and like you I had break-offs mostly just before or on the knot despite cinching down tightly wet etc. I came to the conclusion that most of the the cheaper stuff is garbage especially Vanish. I have used Big Game mono for years as well as its predecessor back in the early eighties Hombre which was basically the salt water version having a tough coating for my wire dipsey stuff . I have never had a snap off with it. My downrigger main lines are SeaFlee 30 lb because of the fleas but I have separate setups with 12 lb Big Game for Pre and post Flea season and leader off of it with fluoro. I used to use the commercial flies tied with fluoro but switched a few years ago to 50 lb Big Game and tie my own flies because of big fish snap offs with the fluoro tied flies again usually right at the knot which looked like the fluoro cut into itself there. I use 10 and 12 lb test fluoro on my Seth Green rigs because the line is a little stiffer and seems to give a little better action to the spoons. In short both mono and fluoro have their place in the arsenal.

Whole lot of possibilities but keep in mind that some of the fish will be hitting out of aggression rather than a pure feeding response and sometimes they just don't get ahold of the hook itself or they may even hit the attractor rather than the fly or spoon. Additionally as time rolls on the mature kings mouths harden up so penetration of the hook may suffer so you can be doing everything right and still come away without a fish

Floyd there aren't any adequate words when it comes to situations such as this but you and your family have our deepest sympathy. Cancer is a devastating illness for both the person directly affected and also those to around them. Like many people I've lost a number of family members, father and friends to it over the years and a first cousin just last week and it never becomes any easier and especially so when a spouse or child. Our hearts go out to you and we sincerely hope that you find peace in your own way. Les

backonerie you have a PM

I stopped using snubbers back in the early 80's. The reason: lost fish from poor hookups. I gave things some thought and concluded that by leaving my drag fairly loose and with the stretch inherent in the mono along with the stretch of the snubber along with the forward momentum of the fish was leading to the poor hookups. That was before fluoro too I should note. I got rid of the snubbers and began setting my drag tighter to the point that it takes a fairly good tug to activate the clicker. Again, this was in the world of mono lines and leaders and my results improved dramatically. Wire fishing is a different "animal" in terms of the stretch issue but the same approach has worked well. The main thing to remember not only with salmon but fishing in general is that the line between you and the fish needs tension on it at all possible times and is pretty much the only thing between success and failure and any slack can lead to failure so the drag setting is critical.....not enough and slack can occur and too much can risk break offs (as well as poor knots and unseen line abrasions). If your drag is set properly (i.e. tight enough) the weight of the fish on the sharp hook should supply enough pressure for a good hookup providing the fish actually has the hook in his mouth keeping in mind that as the season rolls on the mature salmons mouth hardens so a little more pressure may be required for a good hookup and again sharp hooks are often assumed and not carefully examined and corrected. The combination of hook sharpness and proper drag setting are the most critical aspects and keeping firm pressure not allowing slack when bringing in will bring success. A factor not always considered in the so-called "poor hookups" is that the salmon (or other fish) may not actually have the hook itself in its mouth and instead has accidentally grabbed the line or spoon or front part of the fly or that on downriggers in particular the inherent slack created initially as the line releases the fish shortly drops whatever part he has in his mouth. I'm sure this isn't news for a lot of folks but thought it is worth mentioning for new folks to the scene