Sk8man

There are substantial differences in the quality and strength of trebles. Replace the "iffy" ones with hardened trebles which appear thicker and are often designated as "extra strength" or "triple x" etc. OR change trebles to hardened stainless singles again the "triple xx" designation. The beauty of the singles is they don't get caught in the net as often and are easier to get out of the fishes mouth without damage to either.

WTG John

Good going John and Happy Father's Day bud.

Plating is an art as well as a science. Yes, there are changes in government regulations requiring "adjustments" and some folks are more skillful than others in making those adjustments. Whoever does the plating for Hinckley is masterful at it.....that is all I can say. This is not to disparage Sutton (or anyone else for that matter) but it is a fact, and the proof is in a side by side comparison of the finishes which I'm not going to do on here... but give it a try for yourself! I am still a Sutton fan as well by the way

The Suttons are good spoons and I have used them for over 50 years and my grandfather used them just after they came out around 1900. I have hundreds of them in various sizes and weights and finishes. A problem with them is that there have been plating problems with them for the past few years and the finish on them doesn't hold up like the older versions. That is why I suggested you try the Elmer Hinckleys gold and silver finishes as they are superb.

If you like plated spoons try the Elmer Hinckleys https://elmerhinckley.com/the-spoon-drawer/ Exquisite plating on them.

Pretty cool... young Long Nosed Gar

Nice going Anthony and nice report video as well. Those Elmer Hinckely spoons are great aren't they? I haven't even bothered using my Suttons anymore I'll bet you're in seventh heaven with the bigger boat now too

They are quite deadly for lake trout on Seneca and Cayuga and Keuka. The double spoon gives them a clicking sound in the water.

Thanks Mike best to you as well. Pete mentioned the ones you've been having success with. I'm sure you will do well out there bud.

Best of luck to all fishing the Seneca Derby tomorrow. I received my new Elmer Hinckley spoons in today's mail and they are incredible. The finish blows away my former favorite spoons. I'm hoping for a good result this weekend. Hope the weather holds and the wind is right.

Great report John Good to see that you hung on to the boat for more of those family times. Life is short and it pays to make the most of those family outings.

Just as a reference point I was told that the 29 lb laker that won the Canandaigua derby a few years ago was evaluated by the DEC (scale sample was mentioned) and it was 24 years old. Nothing official though as it was another fisherman that told me that as it beat out my previous record fish.

WTG John. Too bad it wasn't during the tourney

DSM5578 you have heard from some of the most proficient sport fishermen out there. A lot of valuable information which if this were the old days you might not be privy to it.....something to be carefully mulled over taking time to digest. I'm sure everyone on here has been in the same boat as you at some time in their fishing adventures and that should give you a lot of hope. Fishing Lake O for about 50 years now I've seen the ups and downs of many different aspects and it is worth mentioning there will pretty much always be a time when you don't connect with your hopes or expectations out there, and some of the time it may have nothing to do with you, or doing something wrong, or not doing something you should be doing. When you think of the lake in terms of water VOLUME instead of just distance from shore etc. you realize that there is a seemingly infinite space in which to operate. Some things become readily apparent in that much if not most of the water lack, structure in much of Lake O to hold fish there. Most of the salmon, and steelhead are pelagic which means that they travel for great distances and they don't generally hang around long in one spot (unless maybe food is available there), and they are not generally or necessarily bottom oriented either. One of the above tips mentioned keeping a diary of things that work, the conditions fished etc. and attention to detail. It is just as important when looking at the data recorded over time to note what DOESN'T work. That can serve as the basis for experimentation which can be critical to success when reviewed after a few times out. A lot of times you will hear "fish the marks" which can be valuable too but sometimes it is forgotten in the excitement of locating fish that many of the marks may not be the targeted species....there are many species available out there and a lot of them don't feed on the usual offerings for salmonids. Another frustrating thing is when you do mark fish and they won't hit no matter what you put out there, or how fast or slow you go it can be a matter of target fish that are just not hungry (may have fed previous night) or the wrong species; but the often experienced thought is "Am I doing something wrong?" which can lead to becoming discouraged when in fact it may have nothing to do with your techniques or even anything you are doing. Take into serious consideration the tips given here and experiment with adjustments, record the changes and the results but most of all don't give up hope it is a series of successive approximations to the final result or solution and attention to detail that distinguishes the successful from unsuccessful fishing.

Nice going I have yet to get out....but soon