Sk8man

It is to your credit that you were honest about it and an important thing for the boy to see also. Sometimes "life lessons" canbe more valuable than derby prizes. Lets hope that later on he has absorbed your example. Good luck.

Out in the same area as Bob with jb235 (otherwise known as Jim) but got a later start. Worked the north end and went deep with 3 thermocline rigs and a 6 core leadcore but unlike Bob didn't have my grass detector with me picked up three lakers (all released unharmed) about 80-100 ft down over 148-190 on the rigs. Got into the grass big time and other "unmentionable" problems with one of the rigs creating a nice donation to the fish gods... so we switched it up to 2 downriggers with sliders, a wire dipsey with Spin Doc/fly,and 2 small dipseys off the outriggers all spoons. Picked up two landlocks one of which ( about 3 plus pounds) was hooked bad and bled all over the boat so he ended up at the end of my fillet knife. One other hit that didn't take on the downrigger (all three hits came on slider with the main lure at 55 ft.) and all on the same small unnamed black lure. All three lakers came on the same small home made lure. We packed it in just after Bob did as the fish were on a lunch break or something. Grass was bad fleas were there but tolerable on 20 lb Big Game. They also were a little different than usual as they were more translucent, and seemed to come off the line easier....

Always handy to have no matter how long you've been at it Thanks. Les

Good luck with everything Marty.

This post sure makes a good case for catch and release

Thanks Sean. I ordered it through Amazon. I notice it has a silicon coating and 80 % breaking strength so I hope it holds up over time but sure worth a try to have a little "peace" while fishing....the weed situation is bad enough to deal with out there. Les

Great!

30 lb 7 strand or 19 strand stainless steel (usually in the brownish/grey finish depending on manufacturer.

Way to go Andy! Have to start taking a camera with ya bud (while you're getting into them anyway)

I tried to order some of the line from Blood Run and their website isn't great....I went through the process and and it wasn't able to complete the order - kept sending me in a circle without completing....just a " heads up" for those interested.

Adk1 - What you can take from what John and I and others have said is this: If you are using your daughter's Zebco Barbie fishing outfit on Lake O for kings you might have a drag and rod problem

You shouldn't have many problems then as there is some stretch even in the 30 lb mono (little to none in the fluoro so take that into account). It is also personal preference to some degree so experiment to see what works for you I'd say just stay away from the extreme settings until you get your "feel" for it.

Many of the standard fresh water reel drags have a max setting of 12-20 pounds so some of it depends also on the pound test of the line you are using and knowing your reel. I leave the drag set so that there is a little tension on it so that the hook usually sets itself when I pull the rod upward out of the holder from the weight of the fish. Fish like rainbows have a delicate mouth structure (soft tissue) so yanking hard on the rod to "set" the hook will often lose a fish for you. The critical thing is to always maintain contact between the fish and your hook so I gradually tighten the drag as I'm fighting the fish making him work harder as he goes (assessing the "feel" of it as I go) and then loosening slightly as needed as you feel him "running" then tightening up gradually again. The boat is just as important as the drag and they should work together to wear the fish out. Many fish are lost because of "angler impatience". As long as you maintain contact with the line the fish will be pulling against the boat/drag combination...and no matter how big he is he will tire out from the pulling some take longer than others... so you make adjustments accordingly. If your drag is smooth and in good condition, your hooks are sharp and your line is uncompromised you'll be in good shape. Again though if you are using 8 lb test line you aren't going to be able to crank the drag down anywhere near the max of 15 pounds....