Sk8man

I was there last Thursday and the docks still weren't in

The problem with bending the fins on the weights and sending them outward is that they will be tracking way out in the cone of your depth finder and you may frequently lose sight of them. Try running your center downrigger deeper than the side riggers and with a shorter lead say 10 ft back then use longer leads on the side riggers and while keeping the boat straight slowly lower each rigger if they are tangling on the way down you may see signs of it on the tips of the rod (e.g. vibrating). If your weights are tracking correctly you shouldn't be getting tangled under normal currents etc. I think your problem is related to the weights themselves possibly drifting sideways or perhaps turning back and forth.

You may want to consider the effects of wind on it and how that might affect your trolling. I have a friend that installed a t top on his Whaler and really regretted it on windy days

I doubt seriously if the Blacks are at fault. I have used them for more than 40 years without problems but if that weight is spinning somehow and perhaps in strong current it could introduce tangling. I mostly use the older Black releases that you thread right on the downrigger cable about 6 or 8 inches up from the weight but I have also used the more portable type as well without problems - even when pretty much "free-falling" the weights with sliders attached. Ifishy has given you a good tip too. I'd be experimenting with a different type weight such as the torpedo or shark type if it were me.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/l/lake-sturgeon/

Here is an example of the mounting plate to which I was referring: https://www.cabelas.com/product/MOUNTING-PLATE/3017920.uts?slotId=0 They sell them elsewhere as well.

Can't be too sure of that because browns for example have traversed the canal for years. I have seen pics of huge browns caught by kids fishing for other species near Waterloo with bobber rigs and worms (10 pounds plus).

Nice work Bob and great you got your dad into some real nice fish.

One potential problem with the king stocking is that Seneca is hooked up to Cayuga and you wouldn't want to upset that fishery by migration there..

That is correct. I was referring to the complete life cycle when I mentioned the 15 years... it actually should have read 14 Plus years as that is what the Cornell University article I was referencing mentioned. It should also be noted that there are actually 19 species of lamprey and only two of which are thought to be found in NYS:the Sea Lamprey and the Silver Lamprey with the Sea Lamprey being the most common. Thanks for locating that article and chart Stinger I had seen it but apparently lost track of it.

Wonderful tribute and great pics. Quality people tend to have quality friends and this is a good example

The problem is a compound one as there is also a huge amount of sawbellies in the lake right now and dead ones were frequently spotted on the serface. Perhaps the reason the landlocks are becoming prevalent while lakers and browns are declining has to do with their particular habits and the differences between them. Lakers and browns spend much of their time on or near bottom and are probably more vulnerable to lamprey attacks.When the water warms the landlocks are most prevalent in the upper layer of the water column which may lessen their contact with the lamprey population. Lakers, browns and some rainbows do not seem to be as not as nomadic as the landlocks which seem to be constantly on the move throughout the water column. A few years ago Cayuga Lake was in trouble big time with the lampreys and now the fishing is very good there and healthy populations of numerous species are noted so if the lampricide treatments take place repeatedly and are successful (weather and water conditions are critical when carried out) and they treat the multiple hatching and staging areas of the ammocoetes conditions could improve....but it will take time. These adult lampreys may live for 15 years or more and they are only vulnerable to treatment when in the larval stage. I suspect that in addition to the major spawning areas such as Catherines or Dresden some of the small intermittent streams of which there are many along the lake and some that don't totally dry up in the summer may also be adding to the problem and they are not treated to my knowledge.

Geez Dennis I thought that was some young kid's head who looking backward and was having a bad hair day

You have the right idea Clark. Good luck

Just a suggestion: get a transducer mounting plate (e..g. Cabelas?) and use one of the existing holes in the transom and seal the other ( Only two holes necessary for the mounting plate). Seal around the inner edges of the mounting plate with marine silicone. Then you can play with the transducer locations to find the "sweet spot" and you can then mount future stuff on it too.

Hope all works out well for you Andy. I know how much you like getting after those perch and trout