TyeeTanic

Oh, I also found that too long of a lead (I tried using 20 ft once) tended to tangle a lot more, especially if I wasn't careful retrieving the downrigger weight (brought it up too fast) ... I found the 6 ft was more forgiving, and even if it did tangle ... it wasn't a big issue to untangle,

Depends on how well you put the wire on .... it should be tight as heck, otherwise you will have problems with misalignment of your wire guide and where it sits on the reel afterwards. Some guys put on the backing line and wire .... then go out with a big board on the line (no lure/hooks), let it all out, then reel it back in. Gets rid of line twist and also gets that wire back on tight. When I filled up a size 30 reel (or Oukuma 600) ... we had some braid backing, kind of enough to cover the entire base of the spool (maybe 1/8" deep), and after that, wire went on and filled it perfectly to the top.

SHORT leader ... it should only be 6 ft long ... and when you drop it out, literally throw the lure out so it gets behind the main line.

No issue at all. You're cheater line shouldn't be long ... 6 to 8 ft is more than enough.

Put braid on as the backing, you'll get WAY more on the reel than mono. Having 300 yards of backing is nothing ... a big king will take that all out, no problem ... you ideally want at least 600 to 700 yards of backing.

I heard they announced they will no longer be publishing those transects. It sucks, as that was good information to at least help devise a strategy.

I wish I had the money to buy the right stuff at the beginning, instead of the wrong stuff 3 x over, before I spend the money anyhow and buy the right stuff.

Sorry for your loss. No one can take away your good memories.

Whoa, 40+ day ... nice!

Haha, they did deliver a tetanus shot too!

OK good to know ... I was getting the (wrong) impression that there was something generally wrong with the overall fishery. Then river fishing hasn't been a blast ... so I was starting to freak that there is a problem, but in the end it just seems that the fish ran early due to the warmer weather and are all back in the lake ... which is perfectly okay for me.

Nice kings! So is there or isn't there a problem with the fishery? (Just noting the concern on the other thread you guys are posting on).

I got a hook deep in the palm of my hand once. We tried to push it through ... no go. Went to hospital, they did the string method ... no go. They tried to push it through ... no go. Somehow it was stuck in both directions ... so the only option was to make a small incision to get it out. It wasn't bad, they didn't even stitch the incision ... just a band aid.

That's definitely not a brown, so my vote is an atlantic. Looks more like a rainbow than a brown, so that is the give away in my mind.

Cool video! I guess that is "resting your case!" Check-mate.