Sk8man

Hey Kuba....sure looks like you were sitting on top of the whole"herd" The question now becomes what kind of fish were they? (e.g. smallmouth vs walleyes vs trout for example?....pretty good sized marks though)

I'm not a boat expert or mechanic but I have been around both environments for a long time (saltwater and freshwater). A few things come to mind. The first major thing is in the salt water environment corrosion is a major player in nearly every contact with metal of nearly any type (brass may be the exception). That is one reason they place "sacrificial" anodes on marine engine lower units so that the corrosive water eats up the anode instead of the engine parts. The salt water in addition to being corrosive also forms deposits (minerals etc.) and corrosion inside engines. Most engine manufacturers strongly suggest flushing out the engines with FRESH water after use to help prolong their life and help negate some of the harsh adverse effects. many people do not heed these warnings and continue to use their boats without regard to this. often this is damage that is unseen until the results rear their ugly head in the form of failures of various types or premature aging of parts. I've actually been with boat owners at Cape Cod who trailered their boats home and said "I've never worried about flushing the engine". Most marine hulls of boats in the saltwater environment are painted with special paint that helps keep marine life (e.g. barnacles etc.), various fungi moss, and molds from attaching and sometimes damaging the integrity of the finish or actual structure in some cases (fiberglass, wood, and aluminum hulls can be affected) Marine electronics, battery connections and wiring itself can be extremely adversely affected by the salt water ((e.g constant spray etc) and engine electronics can be greatly compromised by the salt and corrosion. Many of the places near salt water are very hot climates and severe heat and high water temps can effect the cooling of engines and again may fatigue them before they should. These are just general things off the top of my head that come to mind ...other folks may have more specific information or concerns.

I've used the Blood Run Sea Flea 30 lb mono for a couple weeks on two downrigger rods on both Canandaigua Lake and Lake Ontario. It works very well as an anti flea line...much better than wire for sure and I believe even better than 30 lb. Big Game mono. On the downside (at least with downrigger use) it has enormous stretch to it. I have to keep tightening up my lines a lot. At first I thought it was the release slipping or something but it is definitely significant line stretch ...more than I've ever seen in any other line. It's great for keeping the fleas off but the stretch is something to be aware of.

He was on Seneca

Hey Gill T order power handles from Tunastroubles they are pretty sturdy and you gain a bit in cranking ability. They are about $20 but I think worth it.

Congratulations Chad and Katherine. She is a beauty! Funny ....I was wondering last night if anything had happened and was going to send you a note because I thought maybe I missed the news or something. Your whole life (and lifestyle) will be changed but in a wonderful way. Les

I do not believe the salmon prefer colors of hooks., but you want sharp ones.I use 2/0 stainess steel 3-5 x Mustad Siwash salmon hooks on the #28 size lures and 3/0's on magnum sizes. Feel the points and sharpen as needed....they should catch on your thumb skin or thumbnail (carefully done). The Mustads are very sharp out of the box so you shouldn't need to mess with them. They do not bend like other non -staineless hooks.

Might want to try downsriggers and dipseys with just small/medium spoons set from 35 to 65 ft. over 75-160ft. to start (middle portions of the lake). Crank up the speed and do a lot of turns with brief slowdowns and speedups. If that doesn't do it try gradually working out deeper in diagonals toward the middle with higher speeds....look for bait along the way. If you find it work that area hard around and round and through. This time of the season the fish are often suspended out over deep water but this year has been strange all along so things may be different. Historically, August on Seneca has been difficult to locate the rainbows and browns because the thermocline can be all over the place with the strong currents on Seneca.