Sk8man

A lot of good advice here. Money is often an issue especially starting out. Take your time and ease into it. The first thing to think about is the question of is my boat setup OK for what i want to do? Each one of the things mentioned are good tactics but you have to have the boat setup to use them. For example rod holders....if running dipsy divers you will need very sturdy metal rod holders very securely attached to the gunwales of the boat (which can also double for toplining and other things as well). Dipsy divers exert a lot of torque and pressure at their bases so it is crucial to have them well secured to avoid flexing and weakening on your aluminum boat. They need to be beefed up underneath for best results. Some folks use tracks with the bases of the holders inset in them again...they need to be anchored properly to distribute the torque. Suggestion: if you haven't done much trolling start out simple; once the rod holders are set up topline in the shallows. On the Fingers you can even use the spinning rods trolling relatively shallow water in the Spring and fall as I did when I started out many years ago. For Lake Trout on Seneca and Cayuga a couple of dipsy diver wire rigs would be a real good idea. The wire instead of braid because of the water fleas in the summer months. A couple Okuma Magda 30's or 45's with 1000 ft of 7 strand stainless wire would be a good idea and not very expensive in comparison to other stuff you may gradually move up to in the future if you decide to fish Lake O, and the 45's can be used there anyway although the Kings can test them. Dipsy rods are highly variable in preference among fishermen but I have even used medium weight 8 1/2 ft downrigger rods with them and they work OK for the Fingers. If you decide on heavier (and perhaps shorter)rods they can also double for running cowbells with Gambler Rigs (killers for Lake Trout on the Fingers and Lake O) just attaching a three-way swivel to the existing swivel snap used for the divers and suspend a heavy sinker at the bottom. Depending n the season and related depths fished several dipsy sizes can be used to fish from shallower (smaller sizes) to deeper depths (larger sizes). Keep in mind the conventional rod tips weren't designed for stainless wire so you'll need something to modify the tip and the easiest solution is a twilli tip which preserves to wire without cutting through the tip. Another basic thing to consider with trolling is how well can you control your speed (e.g. with just your main motor)? You will need to be able to get your speed down in some cases to 1.3-1.8 for lakers especially early and late in the year when they are sluggish. You'll need something to measure your speed with as well and there are quite a few options and often some of the effective but perhaps outdated by more expensive or sophisticated equipment will often appear for sale here but the basic impeller driven older ones still work and are less money. You'll notice I have purposely left the downriggers for last. This is for multiple reasons; one this is your first boat they require proper setup on it so you need to get used to the boat first. Two - they require some experience seeing how they operate before investing in them regardless of whether manual or electric. There is a lot more to using them effectively than just lowering and raising them You can always add them as you go along. You need to learn how to troll to begin with to be successful and this involves getting a feel for your boat (e.g.handling) and the strengths and weaknesses of your system and they all have both. I was probably one of the first if not the first person to use downriggers on the Fingers (manual Riverias) in 1975 (the other people out on the Finger Lakes had never even seen or heard of them back then). It takes time to learn to use them effectively and experienced fishermen often forget about this fact.because they are used to them and take a lot for granted and you can add them as you go along. They are very useful to have in the arsenal but have their time and place in it. I hope these comments are useful to you in thinking about an approch to your quest. Best of luck. Les

Tim is right all the commercial big boys on the Atlantic use them.

Hachimo At least we'll be all set when things start up (just hope it isn't the fall season)

Looks like my kicker on the back too

I have tied new leaders on several dozen set-ups, put new line of all my perch rods, possibly wore off some of the finish by polishing up spoons too much, and I still am leaving my boat in storage as I am saving that for the last thing so that I can put all my stuff back in and leave rubber in the driveway when I take off for the lake

And the parking lot at the north end of Canandaigua Lake was full today with over 50 trailers with no docks but the one handicapped one with a metal railing all along it for folks to hang on to and bass boat with 4 guys.. I guess the potential results could help the gene pool maybe (ie. natural selection).

Now there is an enlightened approach. You can't fix that type of thinking.

You have every right to be proud of her Kevin and I salute her for being a wonderful caring person

I think (unfortunately) the only way some folks would get this is by going to NYC and helping load bodies of their fellow New Yorkers into body bags...the reality would become all too clear then. The health care workers are taking the hit for the rest of us and some do not seem to fathom the depth of that.

Why on Earth can't people get past selfish self interest and do what is right for everyone concerned? Is it really that difficult?

The only drawback is that the perch have probably become extinct