Sk8man

Slob time Nice work Mike!

Pap you have a PM

Yes Justin I was very lucky actually. I did buy a somewhat larger box to put the dried out lures back in but I am still stuck with multiple boxes as they number in the hundreds. The way the Great Lakes spoons have been working I may be as well off just carrying them with me Your system sounds like a real good one. I know what you mean about those idiots out there too. There were a bunch on Labor Day here on Canandaigua. They use their boats 2 or 3 times a year and "don't have a clue". A long time ago when I only had a couple trout rods (spinning rods/reels at that) and my little 13 ft Whaler I was on Sodus Bay when a big engine bass boat crossed my outrigger lines at full tilt and spooled both reels so I had to quit fishing and drive home as I didn't have extra line or the money to buy it . Talk about being pizzed....probably lucky I forgot about my flare gun

Tim makes some good points regarding weight compatibility of hook replacement on spoons. I look at it from a little different angle after many years of using the Mustad SS singles instead of standard trebles. Unless you go way outside the box say with a 5/0 hook on a 2 inch spoon my trolling speeds are constantly changing due to my motor cycling up and down periodically as well as my own manual speed adjustments which often are nearly continuous. This means that the speed of the lure is never long at the original speed or action I first tested and/or tuned it at so there is a very wide range of speeds experienced as well as things like wind and current interactions, I try to run compatible lures (as Tim mentioned) within a broad range but I accept the fact that there will be intermittent times when any one of the spoons may be out of the optimal speed and action range - but sometimes this is what triggers fish to bite also....when the lure looks "odd" or "vulnerable" in the water and is not "synchronized" with the others and this would apply whether singles or trebles are on the spoon. Just a different way of viewing the issue....

Tg8 I know exactly what you mean....and....ANYONE who thinks they have fishing all figured out all season long is delusional

Lively 1 -There you have it....great advice from some of the top jiggers around. If you follow that advice you'll hit the goldmine at some point in the near future. It once again points up and underscores the great value of this website...it would take (and did) folks years to figure this stuff out but everyone here is given that experience freely and generously

Like Tim I recommended Furuno yet I don't have one have a Lowrance....guess we have our reasons

Pap here is what my setup looks like....you can see how far down the kicker shaft goes and it is also out quite aways from the transom

Worth a try Pap it works fine on mine anyway.

A little tip when using these hooks as replacements - Make sure you compress the eyelet completely with pliers when you put it on the split ring otherwise it can hang upon your line or possibly come off if the opening is left large enough.

Get rid of the Stren I stopped using it years ago for the very same reason you mentioned it has lousy breaking and knot strength and the line deteriorates rapidly in the sunlight. Use 30 lb Big Game mono for a main line helps with fleas (unless they are real bad) for main line and a 20 lb Seaguar fluoro leader and you'll be in business. In Spring for brown action in close switch to a 10 or 12 lb fluoro leader. As far as the lb test issue we used 12 lb Hombre (the forerunner of Big Game and used in salt water) on Lake O for many years before the fleas showed up without breakage. If your drag is set properly and is in good condition (many aren't) you shouldn't be having line breaks if the line is good.

Thanks John and Ralph. It is kind of fun having them grab something you make so these are the only flies I use now. They are a little heavier with bigger heads than commercial fresh water flies and that is on purpose to slow things down a bit in the water because I noticed in videos of trout and salmon chasing flies behind flashers and Spinneys that even though the fish are fast swimmers they often seem to have some difficulty with lateral movement in catching the flies. John unfortunately I have no idea where to find green hooks. These red ones seem pretty sharp as I have stuck myself a couple times tying The Lake O ones are a little bigger yet As far as the pros and cons of using red hooks I guess the jury is still out. The whole color thing relating to fish is really a "mess" scientifically anyway. Much of what is in the literature is based on HUMAN vision and yet the eye structure of fish is quite different and how the heck are the fish going to report what THEY see anyway I pretty much use whatever I have on hand as far as trebles and I have a bunch of the reds so I use them...the hardness of the hooks is as important as the sharpness too. Mustad triple X's are actually the strongest and very sharp.

If you look at what the "big boys"use on the ocean it is mainly Furuno units (the high end ones especially) They are pricey but they are good and dependable. If you couple one with an Airmar transducer (exact one dependent on which unit and type of boat application you should be a "happy camper"

I've used the red ones on my home made flies and they work fine

On the Finger lakes I use 10 lb Power Pro braid with an 8 lb fluoro leader and jigs from 3/4 oz to 1.5 oz mostly but I do occasionally use some 2 oz. or more

I should also mention that for the past ten years or so I haven't even needed the EZ Steer as I have a long shaft trolling motor (25 inch shaft) which approximates my 135 Opti Max when in lowered position. All I do is point the small motor ever so slightly toward the big motor and steer with the big one (hydraulic steering) This works for most situations other than high wind or roughness and then I just use the big motor trolling into the wind (seldom need to use) and the small one with the wind.

As with most things you do need to experiment but for lakers I've had the best success doing what you first described "reeling up". It also may depend on what type of jig or spoon etc. you are using. Often letting it drop toward or to the bottom and with heavier jigs I let it free fall to the bottom and then hit hopefully stirring up things when it hits resembling some sort of commotion down there that may attract their attention. Something you didn't mention though is if you are using a fish finder (very important) On mine I can see the jig going down toward the fish and then them going after it and much like jigging in ice fishing when you see them "interested" on the flasher you mess with them to try to get them to hit and it may take some doing sometimes and their responses often tell you whether you need to try a different jig or setup. Much of the time the fish seem to want something a little "above" them if suspended. Hopefully some of the guys that are "expert jiggers" on here will offer their opinions like Pete Collin, Guff, Hermit. andTg8 and others.

Chris, Thanks for all the great posts and videos this season. No matter what the level of experience is here we all have stuff to learn about this incredible complex fishery and the sharing of quality information makes it just that much more interesting for all. For some of us the season is still in full swing and will be right until next Spring

WTG Paul Tough competitors too

There should have been a yellow sticker on the EZ steer indicating that the tension had been factory adjusted and not to mess with it. It was set so that it would hold tension yet telescope when the trolling motor is raised. I'm not sure about the Merc small motors but my OMC motor has a tension screw/bolt at the base of the motor head (top of lower unit shaft) which controls the lateral (side to side) movement of the motor head and lower unit shaft. It is normally adjusted such that it will freely swivel but under some tension so that you can steer properly with the motor if too tight it causes steering difficulties if too loose the motor won't hold position. Even with normal setting of the tension when you are underway full tilt you may see some lateral movement of the motor on the bracket especially when it is under rough conditions.

You've sure had the fish dialed in this season Dan WTG!