Sk8man

Lake trout has it right....and about $600 for the seal on mine a couple years back

Best of luck to you out there. Hopefully this weather will cooperate and bring the water temps up a bit

Welcome aboard Tony! I think you'll enjoy this site and gain something from the content as well as the great social aspects of it.

or pollywogs (tadpoles)

Yes and especially so if you have a through hub exhaust opening where the water could sit while out in the air.

Nice well thought out setup.

What would anyone say if someone took the view that the color is irrelevant? and that it is the action that gets the fish...the color is happen stance (geared to catch the fisherman buyer) and the proximity to the fish is what really counts ?

The teleflex is great...kind of like going from standard steering on a car to power steering.

First of all it is not being a "bonehead' to ask questions here. Regardless of experience or skill level (charter captains included) we are all hopefully learning from each other here. bobpugh's info is a great starting point...especially while you are getting used to the new boat and your new equipment. There will always be a "learning curve" attached to the situation but I would suggest taking it slow in terms of your "spread" of equipment until you get a feel for the boat and your new equipment. The general strategy for Spring browns is to run the lines way back and troll slowly using "s" curves near shore. Use a combination of spoons and stickbaits to start out with and see what they seem to prefer. You might want to start out with smaller stuff at this time of the year. Once you get used to your boat and equipment you might consider lighter fluoro leaders (e.g. 10 lb test) with your drag set lighter accordingly. Just a word of caution regarding going close to shore. The water level has been low for some time and there are below surface obstructions in many areas of the lake and bays in close (boulders, concrete bases of former docks etc.) let your boards do the "exploratory" work close in near the shoreline. Good luck!

Strange April eh? I made sure I ran all the water out of my outboard at the launch ramp the other day "just in case"....glad I did now as I can't get my motor all the way down when it is parked here. I also covered the prop as it is in the "up" position so no water gets in. One night at that temp shouldn't do much damage but who's into taking chances with the cost of a lower unit "re-do"

Zimm you have a PM

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!