Sk8man

Good point. I lost a buddy years back (who was also a charter captain) on Seneca because he wasn't wearing one in the summer time fishing by himself and when they found him in 8 ft of water his pants zipper was down so they thought he was just taking a wizz and slipped and hit his head when he went over....you never know....he was a very experienced fisherman...

If it were me I'd take it to a trust worthy marina where they do this stuff all the time and have it on a separate electrical block and fused. A lot of guys feel comfortable messing with electrical stuff but other than basic stuff I wouldn't take the chance especially with something that has already been previously jerry rigged. You may also want to make a close inspection of the electrical cables coming from the downrigger. I have replaced mine twice because of severe cracking from the UV rays.

In light of Tom's comments I should clarify something too. I never considered either coated cables or probes being attached as I don't use either...that would make a hell of a difference too. That homemade weight looks pretty neat by the way...maybe not too late ....NASA might be interested Tom

Sometimes its tough to take our wives advice but unfortunately they are usually right...about that kind of stuff anyway

I don't think it will be a factor as it will be underneath the wire (and hopefully it won't see daylight for a while) Good luck with it!

30 lb Mason or Malin, or Blood Run 30 lb 7 strand would be good. You'll need 1000 ft. (if your reel will hold it) not sure how easy to find it (1,000 ft rolls) in Mason now days. (I prefer the brownish color if you have a choice), You should also consider putting on a few hundred feet of 30 lb. Berkely Big Game mono as backing too especially with an aluminum spool reel)

Some of it may depend on how big your boat is too.....and how deep you usually fish riggers. If fishing from a small boat (say 18 ft.) and fishing almost exclusively within the top 100 ft. of the water column and you are primarily running lures and not stuff with a lot of "drag" (e.g. stealth rigs) you don't need a super heavy weight. The larger boats especially the charters etc. may have very different issues with "blow back" and they can afford to replace their equipment (e.g. downriggers) more frequently so running heavy weights may not be as much of an issue as it is with the average sport fisherman on a normal budget without "write-offs". I've run 8-10 lb weights for over 35 years with success. That being said I seldom use them below 100 ft. but my point is that common sense would dictate that the heavier the weight the more stress on the downrigger motor bringing it up even within the range they were designed for so if you plan to hang on to your electrics for awhile you may want to consider using only the amount of weight necessary to run the what you want to. There seems to be a lot of "overkill" in the way of equipment these days. Fishing salt water may necessitate it but on Lake O I think the minimum to get the job done is what you shoot for especially when you keep your equipment long term. I just put on my flack jacket and body armor just in case the responses to this get "dangerous"

Welcome aboard and glad to have another "old timer" here

Welcome and hope you get into them.....its been a bit slow in most places but the surface temps looked decent at the eastern part of the lake a couple days ago so I'd start out going east if it were me...

The twilli's are a good solution and if you are only fishing Lake O the twilli is probably the least expensive and a practical choice but the roller tips aren't bad either and although the line fatigue could hypothetically be a problem I have 4 thermocline rods that have had the same 7 strand wire on roller tip rods for over 30 years (Mason 7 strand) and many hundreds (or more) fish have been caught on each with a 2 pound weight also at the end of it and the wire looks like it was just put on.. For fresh water you'd want a light to medium roller tip rod (they usually have a roller guide for the first one as well as the roller tip) if you ever go in that direction.

I use CLEAR hot glue (from a glue gun) on the wrap.that way it keeps it from unraveling but I can still see inside to inspect for breakage. Its better than the shrink wrap approach in my view.

I think the water temps are much behind last years at this point in the season all over the place and that could be a factor in the skimpy results folks are having right now...We need some nice warm days with plenty of sun to bring the fish out of hiding

Welcome to you and best of luck with your new venture (and boat).

The topic could fill a book ....here"s a previous discussion that should be of help http://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishing-hunting/index.php/topic/35181-peanutsspin-n-glo-for-lakers/?hl=cowbells

Cool! Nothing like it.....I used to get a lot of those jumbos in that area through he ice too.

Nice fish! That spoon looks almost like one of the old Acme Looters I never knew that the rainbows fed on hellgramites....I used to use them for bass (they love them) and as a kid sold them (adults) at my "bait stand"

Its great getting out though isn't it after that long winter? Nice pics too. Good luck getting those stripers....makes me wish I was closer to the salt water fishery....the terrain in the pics looks familiar though my daughter used to go to school at New Paltz

Man...those little guys look like bait for the ones we get on Cape Cod.....it is great to see they have made such a wonderful come back from the days when they had to be at least 40 inches to keep. They are great fish and the big ones fight similar to king salmon...and best of all they are great on the grill Sand eels are usually the ticket on the Cape fishing the rip tides

JB235 and I fished the area from Gibsons landing to the bluffs and then to the state park in his Grady and came up with 3 fish...lakers all cookie cutters of about 18 inches or so. A double came on the thermocline (Seth Green) rig we were just testing out and one from the downrigger set at 35 ft. with a slider...he came from 35 ft on a Sutton spoon. Nothing whatsoever on the dipsey or topline set way back. That was it... no other hits or errors or fish left on base Got a bit windy at the end but a fun day nevertheless....especially for a "shakedown" cruise.

Sounds likes little progress anyway. Good luck with it Alec. Thank heaven for buddies with boats right?...My buddy Admiral Byrd saved my butt (from going bonkers) this winter when I had the plastic still on my boat with good action at the south end of Seneca.

Definitely want at least 30's but Convectors is probably a better choice for the money and with the 30's they can be adapted to do most of the different setups and can handle some capacity for the various lines. They are good for running anything from standard downriggers to stranded wire or lead core with the right rods.....Although I have specific setups for the different lead cores and wire I also switch line from one of my rigs from braid to wire when the fleas start up so they are quite flexible reels too.