Sk8man

I've been using them since about 1979 on the Fingers....one of my "secret weapons" ...not so secret anymore

It is possible that motor noise is one (important) FACTOR in the situation. and a 4 cycle trolling motor would be quite a bit quieter as well as more economical. I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that it is the ONLY factor... First of all Seneca lake has changed drastically over the past decade in terms of water clarity and in terms of available fish despite what you may assume from the "success" reports here. Many fishermen get skunked but don't report it for a variety of reasons despite their skill level or fishing experience. There is a lot of water volumn out there (trillions of gallons) and a lot of surface area (many cubic miles). Much of it is unproductive in terms of fish availability. You could troll in some areas of the lake without ever seeing anything or catching anything. With that said it would be good to go back to square one with your thinking for a "new start". Map out where (the areas) you have been spending the maximum amount of time thus far and the approximate depths. Are these specific areas and depths matching up to where the fishing success reports are coming from? If not try those areas/depths with the setups they are reporting. This process is basically to "weed out" possible contributors to your problem while fostering the things that work. Next MEASURE your speed with something that is fairly accurate. You stated that your motor will troll to a crawl but appearances may be deceiving....do this with your equipment out in the water because there is a difference in terms of "drag". Try out different set ups with different speeds (e.g. 1-8-2.5) Later in the summer rainbows and landlocks may want 2.5-3.0. It helps to record down things on paper and when you have some data points it often clues you into patterns that either work or don't work ...both sets of info are important. Observe where (if at all downrigger and/or motor noise is most noticible to you...if you are hearing it as a "problem" (maybe at certain speeds mayb avoid that speed setting if possible) then look for solutions ranging from trying different lean/rich combinations on the motor, sound deadeners for the wire, placing downriggers at different angles, possibly change the wire to heavy duty braid, and/or change the weight/type and see what results from that. Maybe a prop change at a different pitch would allow the motor to run differently at different speeds allowing the motor to troll down without working so hard...Some folks place extra gasket material around the shroud to help cut back on engine noise as well as spraying sound deadener on the inside of the motor cover (I've never done it so not sure of feasibility). Go back over your equipment and compare how you are setup with what has been reported as successful here on the site. Much of the Lake O stuff will also work on the fingers too. Check to see how far away you are running your lures from the boat if for example you are out quite far with your boards or are way back with leadcore...I would suspect that motor noise may not be the main problem....possible more likely with the downriggers though. What patterns are you trolling ? Are you doing "s" curves and going across current (diagonals) and against the current most of time,varying your speeds up and down..you should be for maximum lure action. Try using smaller lures run way back from the boat at the speeds I mentioned. I think if you experiment carefully and pay close attention to detail you will figure out your problem...it also takes patience and experimentation so don't get discouraged either We are all learning but attention to details makes all the difference sometimes. Good luck.

I just heard back from Minority Leader Brian Kolb on my query about the three rod rule and request to support extending it. Dear Mr. B: Thank you for contacting me about your concerns regarding the extension of the three rods per person rule for sport fishing which expires December 31, 2013. You will be happy to know that Assembly Bill 6364 and the Senate Companion Bill 4195 have been introduced to continue the three rod rule. I will support this initiative should it be brought to the Assembly floor for a vote. If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I second what Dick said....can use them for everything. The Dot Lines are fine but the outrigger pole holders that come with them have very shallow (short) stems and for deeper gunwales with existing recessed (internal) rod holders they don't fit at the right angle or secure in the horizontal pin because they don't reach it so check carefully beforehand because the holders are usually the most expensive component of outriggers. As far as I know Cabelas now only carries the Tacos outriggers. Here are some sturdy outrigger holders (that double as heavy duty rod holders as well) that will work with many if not most setups though if you already have the poles: http://www.cabelas.com/product/Tigress-SeaTiger-Economy-Stainless-Steel-Rod-Rigger/737145.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Doutrigger%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=outrigger&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

Thanks Mortigan. I'll check Dobbs out. Tom's no longer sells any gas or has any pumps out front

Other than those minor things perfect conditions!

Good luck with it Pete.

I'm not familiar with that particular unit but I think usually on the Lowrance units you go to the MENU screen and use the PAGES/arrows screens to find the area that the contrast setting would be under . Look at pages 63 and 64 here: http://www.lowrance.com/Root/Lowrance-Documents/x136df_0151-171_112003.pdf If that doesn't do it reset it back to the factory defaults with that option

cool.....one of the most interesting things to me is the perseverance or persistence of the fish in attacking the bait repeatedly. Until these cameras started depicting the underwater scenario I think that most folks thought that having a fish take the bait is a one shot deal (all or nothing) but the cameras sure destroy that myth

Yes thanks.... I live in Canandaigua so Geneva is about 20 miles and Ovid is close to 40 something. Maybe I'll do it while over fishing Seneca though when in Geneva. There used to be a couple places here in town but I' don't think there are any now...hope some here proves me wrong

I wasn't attempting to talk you out of outriggers either because I run them myself and although I had run planer boards for years there are advantages to the outriggers and I actually prefer them over the boards. For one thing the outriggers require a lot less messing around (if they are set up right) but the most important thing is that they keep MOST alert people away from you and not running over your lines especially in good sized waves where they sometimes fail to see the boards because they can see them for a long distance. On the downside, you don't have as much control on turns (wider) and you can't get in nearly as close to the shoreline when the fish are in shallow (e.g. browns in the Spring). Depending on the type of releases used it is sometimes easier to adjust your line length closer and further away with outriggers...I use Black outrigger releases and just let the line slide through them (i.e. without looping it as on a downrigger). They (outriggers) are also in many cases easier to make "on the fly" adjustments in tension for changing water conditions or running more aggressive equipment or lures while leaving your equipment running. With all that said the boards probably impart more erratic action to the lures and thus may get more action on slow days.

If it were me I'd be going with the 6 hp if it is reliable....you didn't mention exactly what the low speed problem was....e.g. does it actually cut out? Think about being at the opposite end of the lake from where you launched when the storm ( with lightning) hits....it isn't much of a "toss up" decision wise is it? Either way you decide to go with it... Good Luck out there!

I'm not sure what type and size of boat you have (it makes a huge difference in how you set them up and what you need for holders and supports but if you are looking for something "economical" you may not end up using outriggers (planer boards are much more economical price-wise). New outriggers (good ones) will run you about $400-$500 or more just for the poles (e.g. Tacos) and again depending on how mounted ..holders can run up to $1700 (EACH) or more. If you have a smaller boat you may be able to get away with a less expensive (fiberglass or light weight aluminum) set but even there you will be looking at about $400 rigged and with the conventional fixed placement holders that go into existing internal holders in the gunnels and sometimes they won't fit either because of the angle or they are too short on the stem. The most crucial aspect is the mounting and holders and again depending on your specific boat requirements there are a lot of options -some much better than others. The main concern should be thinking in terms of being out on Lake O in 5 or 6 foot waves with the outriggers extended....think about the torque on the outriggers themselves and the holders and supports (and gunnels) not necessarily what they are like out in your yard when setting them up or on a calm day. That might help guide your decision making.

Think about it this way....you wouldn't want to be bothered by someone on the phone while you were having fun in bed with the wife or girlfriend.. let ole Mr. and Mrs. Pike have some privacy

You're really lucky Kuba I have a 350 V-8 Triton (Ford Expedition) to pull the boat.....when I'm pulling it I get about 9 or 10 mpg (and that's probably downhill I have looked up the gas stations near me and most that were indicated on the Internet...no longer have it (or are out of the gas business). Luckily on the 135 Optimax outboard I can go all day on about 3-5 gals. of gas (using my 9.9 for most of the trolling).

Great job Paul....looks as though it just came out of the water....