fished the north end of conesus all last weekend, 10 tip ups in with different baits for well over 20 hours and only 2 pike, 9.5 and 8.9 pounds and one other pulled bait to show for it.
I was given a bunch of swans 2 years ago from an older gentleman, They are phenomenal spoons, slightly heavier than suttons so they handle speed a bit better.
Just curious what they charged you for the work? I have a few cold waters that I already had "replaced" that still suffer from the same issue(sticky initial drag)
Look in the tackle and techniques section, recent posts regarding the same subject. Also use the search feature this issue has been discussed many times.
http://m.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Gander-Mountain-Advantage-Crank-Casting-Rod-711-GSC13-711CHT&i=711419
These rods are great for regular sized dipsys. Put a size 20 or 30 line counter reel on it and spool it up with 30# power pro super slick.
I"ve heard of a few smaller fish being caught recently which would lead me to believe that there is some spawning going on. I personally haven't caught or seen a fish under 27'' but I don't fish the weeds or shallows which is where I suspect the smaller fish likely hang out until they reach a size that they can venture out into open water without becoming trout food.