TyeeTanic

Yeah for sure. We often have 300 ft of wire out ... with mono, you'd never get to the same depth, even if you let out all 700 ft. You'd probably snap on a heavy torpedo weight to help with the depth, and have 400 ft of line out. Then when a nice fish takes out another 200' to 250' of line ... you'll start messing your underpants knowing you can see the bottom of the spool. Now, if you want to do shallow water fishing ... sure, you can put on a heavy torpedo and have say 150' to 200' out ... say target top 30' of water ... it might work ... still, I wouldn't want less than 400' to 500' of mono line on the reel. Everyway you look at it ... much better to have braid than mono, and even better to have wire, given the sink rate and smaller diameter (which allows you to put that much line on the reel, often 1000' is the go to length of wire on a reel).

What reel are you going to put a minimum of 700 ft of mono on? Not your old wire ones ... that's for sure. I'd much rather use braid then mono. You won't get good sink rate and you will have a heck of a time popping a dipsey when you have 200 ft or more of that mono line out. Anyhow, I think people use 20 lb mono, because there isn't a real around that could hold enough 30 or 40 lb mono ... at least not one that doesn't cost a fortune.

I wouldn't want to use a 16 ft boat on Lake Ontario. I've seen the weather turn quick enough.

Everything has it's challenges. Solar energy in the desert works, until the panels are coated in dust. Then you have to bring water into the desert to clean the panels ... plus no way to recycle solar panels, it is a major contaminant in landfills. Nuclear for now is the way to go ... minimal waste (although highly radioactive) ... but we can solve that with a deep geological repository ... or send capsules of waste to the moon.

Nuclear fission was not a "possibility" in the 1800's. Nuclear fusion will be possible in the near future. Sustainable fusion for 30 seconds long has been demonstrated just this past month. The event is held suspended by magnets, so the high temperature of the core is not in direct contact with any materials.

So, there's two suggestions I can offer: 1) we tie a boca grip to a rope. When you're finished removing the hook, you clip the fish onto the boca grip and drop it into the water behind the boat, attached to the rope (which is tied to your boat cleat). You carry on, while the fish is "dragged" through the water by your boat (at 2 mph or so). This has an amazing revival rate, as fresh water is sent over their gills. When fish looks like it is fully active (takes about 2 to 3 minutes) ... pull the line in, release the boca, and good bye to a healthy fish. 2) in terms of the net, and avoiding bad tangle ups, I think one thing is to tie up the net material. I don't have an imagine of it, but see in this photo, how the guy is holding the net back onto the pole, you can do the same, except with a clip ... the clip is worthwhile when your net has a very long (often telescopic) pole. It prevents the net from draggin back towards the fish as the boat is still moving, and getting a nasty tangle up. Makes for a clean fish netting excercise ... and once the fish is in the net, the clip releases and the fish easily enters the center of the net. I used a magnetic latch to do this, one end hooked into the net, and the other end quick-tied to the post. https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/Fly-Fishing-Magnetic-Net-Hanging-Buckle-Magnet-Net-Gear-Fishing-Tool/PRD0RQ764062OX4

That is a monster. Picture doesn't do it justice, I'm sure. Seeing these things in person, you gain a whole lot more respect for a fish this size.

Note in your cable picture ... don't want to repeat, but for sure for a 12 lb weight that is WAY too much angle, your downspeed is definitely way too high. I wouldn't expect to see more than 20 to 30 degrees from a 12 lb weight. But note this ... you may see 20 degree into the water, but the cable then actually curves out (tending towards flat horizontal) the deeper and deeper it is in the water, so the overall angle is more than what your eyes can see. A 15 lb weight is obviously better .... but you really need to make sure your downrigger and gunwale can handle it ... over 12 lbs is getting into risky business. I've even seen gunwales flex with 12 lb weights ... wouldn't dare put 15 lbs on those boats. Doing the charter is a GREAT way to learn ... you will zero in on a lot, saving you lots of time and MONEY. I'm assuming you got yourself a good charter that can produce?