Sk8man

John is right....stay with good swivels ...it is one of the most important items...stay away from the chaepo split ring type no matter what....the depression in them can cut your line especially with good sized fish....speaking from experience

In the Finger LakesThe temps become more and more important as the lake sets up the thermocline (starting about now this year). In the winter and spring specific water column temps aren't as crucial as it is for DIFFERENCES in temp....finding the temp break near shore where the water is starting to warm and finding a "color line" in the water or in the case of power plant discharges or other potental "warmer" temps (which still may be outside of your temperature chart information). We have all encountered fish outside their optimum preferred temperature RANGE so the chart is a general guideline at best. Probably the most profitable thing is to look for bait "congregations" regardless of temp or depth and exploit it by trolling through and around it back and forth. In general fish will be located in or near the bait which can be boittom oriented or suspended. In the summer and especially for browns look for drop-offs where the preferred temp or the temp of the break in the thermocline intersects the bottom ( e.g. determined by your Fish Hawk data)...very often rainbows and landlocks locate above thethermocline in summer and the lakers either within, just below, or on bottom in deeper water. As with many "gizmos" we tend to spend copious amounts of time looking at screens and sometimes forget about the actual fishing tactics...Temperature meters, fish finders, and all the other"stuff" we use are only as good as the fishing person's ability to integrate the information and make effective use of it. Actual experience plays a huge role in using these "tools" effectively.

"Lakers can swim faster if they want too". :smile: Dave....

Nick you capped off a tough derby with great results and a show of "flair for description" as well. Again, congrats. Les

Thanks Just Fishin...it sounds much more plausible than the temperature change theory.

They are also great fertilizer for gardens and shrubs etc.

One of the best that I witnessed back in the eighties should have been a video commercial for JEEP. A guy was pulling about a 25-27 ft. boat out with an Astro van at Sodus Point. As he got the boat on the trailer and started pulling out his van lost traction on the ramp from the algae and moss on it and he lost control and spun the tires etc. all the while sliding down the ramp into the water. The whole back part of his vehicle was in the water and the boat stared to float off the trailer. A guy with a Jeep Laredo hooked up a chain to the front of the van and pulled both the van and the boat out of the water....pretty impressive!

Our last time out on Canandaigua we were part way out the channel heading for the lake and a guy we had talked with briefly before he left was coming full blast back in the channel toward the launch and his bow was way up in the air.....forgot to put the plug in....back of boat full of water Guess we have all had our moments with boating....

Or how about the folks that pull their boat out of the water to a few feet into the middle of the ramp and then start putting away their canvas, and unloading their equipment into their tow vehicle. putting on their tie-downs emptying their cooler water etc. all the while there is a long line of folks waiting to back their boats in and folks circling in the water waiting to get in to the docks....welcome to the Canandaigua launch ramp in the summer!

Not if it is the ultralight Gortex impregnated stuff.....but I haven't seen it for quite awhile so now I'm not sure if it is still manufactured...couldn't find it online just now. So either way not an effective solution if not available....I mainly use outriggers and inline boards now so it's been awhile since I've messed with the stuff....

You too pardner. Let me know how ya make out with it...

I can't get my engine looked at until tomorrow at the earliest so we basically had a 1/2 day derby with one 6- 6 1/2 lb laker and that's it. We never got to even try anything much other than throwing out a couple sets of cowbells and we were flying speed-wise. Derby 2013 was a total disaster for us. Hey at least you folks have some decent weather today to work with.... I guess everyone is pretty "beat up" from that past two days of "wind tunnel" experience.....good day to just sit back in the boat throw your lines out and relax I think that wind was pretty brutal this time around. Best of luck to you John. Les

Good going Andy...sure seems strange cheering from the sidelines this year

You should be able to do it without complicating things....sometimes simpler is better...I'd stay with the basics for a while before going to other attractors etc. First thing I would do is shorten the length of the fluoro leader on the leadcore to say 15 to 20 ft max. I'd try using the stickbaits in the AM early and then as you go a bit deeper when the sun getting up there use the flutter spoons (heavier than flutters...small floppy ones if possible on toplines)> The smaller (i.e. not magnums) stingers should be good for the landlocks especially off downriggers. Try shortening your main downrigger lead lengths to about 30-50 ft. and use a slider (cheater) with small light flutter spoon as well if you run into deeper water. Landlocks like steelies and rainbows sometimes come right into the prop wash for a slider. I'm a little surprised you hung up in 26 ft water with 4 colors but that may be related to the extra long leader you were using or you may have caught the belly of the leadcore or something if going at 1.8 at the time. Fish where the bait is and at the depths you are marking the fish....If using too long a lead from the downrigger it can kill the action of many lures as well as bring them up much higher in the water column than you think they are running especially when you speed up. Keep going through the bait and then turn around and go back through once in awhile pop your down rigger and let it stay in the holder and just let it "flutter" in the water bit by itself until it surfaces. Int he AM start out shallow and gradually go deeper with the depths and your presentations..remember too that when you mark suspended fish they may not all be trout of any type so if no response after several tries move out and down. Also try some bottom oriented strategies just in case they are "sitting it out" there especially near pronounced drop-offs and don't be afraid to go real deep and run lines about 20-60 ft. down over "whatever".

Not knowing more about the situation (e.g. how fast you are trolling, specifically how you are setting your lines up...how far back, what depths of water you are covering as well as WHERE you are fishing it's difficult to answer. however here are some general things: landlocks often are line shy....I'd run my lines way back and way out (outriggers, or planer boards, or inline boards) and as far off to the side of the boat as practical. The fluorocarbon leader is a good thing but 6 lb. could be light depending on where you are fishing. If it Lake O that is definitely the case. I'd make sure the fluoro leader is about 20 ft. long maybe 10 lb. test for general fishing. You are in a small boat and atlantics are arial artists so you want to be able to rein them in a bit and 6 lb. isn't the best idea for that. You didn't mention how many colors of leadcore but right now and up north I'd say 2 or 3 colors would be what I'd try.... You can always add weight too if needed if you go deeper. Troll moderately fast and do "s" patterns and lots of "turns". I'd try stickbaits in say the size of a J-7-9 Rapala and small spoons. It seems a little early for flies and streamers up north. When toplining way back is the rule and if a stickbait try putting on one or two splitshot about 2 ft. ahead of the stickbait. If using your downriggers they don't have to be limited to "deep water" use. Run lures 50 or 60ft back and with stickbaits as I mentioned to keep them down a bit with large splitshot or use a little heavier spoons or weight the light flutters to keep them below the surface. Small sized dipseys can also be used successfully in shallow water. Work any boards along the shoreline in the early AM hours and as the sun goes upward move out deeper. Hope this helps...pretty general but better than nothing I later saw WHERE you are fishing.....maybe I'd settle for 8 lb. test fluoro as it woud give a little more leverage if you hit a big fish. Not much give to fluoro...

Keep your fingers crossed John

I know Ed. They tore down the old Chamber of Commerce building so everything is totally screwed up now. They used to have their act together pretty good there but the setting is real "temporarily" set up at best right now with their little "circus tent". Good luck Ed....hopefully tomorrow will bring better weather than it has the past two days.