steve-hamilton

blue silver ripplin redfin.

don't use spoons for browns.

mine happened right away, brand new.

but they weren't bought all at once...over two seasons...so not like one bad batch.

i generally fish in colder temps than most, but still had problems over the summer...

two biggest problems with the white number counters is the counter simply not starting when you start letting line out and the numbers don't line up....generally the "1"00 number....

would gladly trade my five tekotas with the white counters for older tekotas with the green counters....but still no better reel on the market...

white numbers and green numbers.

white numbers are the new ones.

and I don't want to jinx anything, but all my tekota's with white line counters seem to have problems with the counters ...

sometimes not starting, sometimes numbers not lining up....never ever had a single issue with the green number tekota counters.

i certainly can confirm there doesn't appear to be any difference in the reel itself, just the counter.

my guess is the white number counters were made cheaper for savings....

may I ask how a bass does after being brought up from 50' to 80' of water?

I'm guessing those are catch and keep fish?

try and find tekotas that don't have the white numbers on the line counter...

you want to find the ones with green numbers....

and yes, the 300's, 500's, and 600's, the drags are fine...i own 20+ of these reels....

700's and 800's...drags need to be replaced....

well, it is tough fishing.

the tournament last weekend, only 20% of the pro's got their limit.

I don't think there are any secrets that will guarantee you fish...

35lbs is basically where Lake O lakers currently max out at (unless you have a real fluke).

I see a high number of 20lbs+ lakers caught in Lake Ontario every year....and all get released.

These Michigan tournaments they keep a ton of small lakers.... I was just curious how their average size is holding up....

Last episode the one boat was freaking out over a 24lbs laker, claiming it was the boats biggest laker ever.

do the Michigan Lakers get 35lbs yet?

Yes, Lake Michigan has smaller fish than Lake Ontario....

BUT it wasn't always that way.

And Lake Ontario appears to be moving in that direction, at least based on the results over the last four years.

If we get another slow year (at least compared to 2000-2010), I would say five years in a row would certainly support a trend.

I was out three weekends in February.

The browns and bows we caught were in 5' to 8' of water....

Water temps in tight were 37 and 38 degrees while they were 33 and 34 degrees in 20' of water.

so browns are apex predators, and if your fishing coloured water, (ie, can't see your prop on your motor), you can catch browns just outside the prop wash.

i've caught browns 15' to 20' behind the ball, with the ball only down 3' to 4'....so 20' on the counter and big browns will smash....

if you have clear water (ie, see bottom in 20' or so), run your leads 100+ feet.

you guys sure love your spoons....

Tomorrow should be a good day on the water.

what are you looking to catch?

Browns and Bows are being caught along the south shore of lake ontario.

i very rarely use spoons for browns...at least until the water temps get into the 50's.

March/April and early May it's all sticks.

well, if you want to maker a laker, you shouldn't have any issues doing that down this end of the lake.

24.5 Lbs Brown Trout (released)

Best fish I've ever caught.

water temps this past Sunday were 36 degree's.

water temps on Superbowl Sunday were 39 degree's.

Splashdown for us was on Superbowl Sunday.

YT, I've been out of Pt D and Grimsby.

5 browns and 2 rainbows so far.

We don't get the numbers of cookie cutters you guys get on the south shore, so our tallies are a little lighter up here....but the average size is much better as there isn't the competition for food.

Not been as far as Welland yet....I'm in Hamilton so I don't generally go beyond Pt Dalhousie, at least until the Kings come around.

I love that sound!

It's the sound of coal and natural gas facilities shutting down.

Wish the solar panels made a similar sound

We made it out on Sunday...but Canadian side of south shore....

should have some launches available on your side.

Just make sure you focus on the best water to up your odds.

Keep it shallow early in the year.

Look for stained water....

If you can't find any coloured water (by that i mean you can't see your outboard motor prop), then do the opposite....go deeper...25' to 35'...use natural looking baits and smaller spoons...

Or if all else fails, follow Superdad around.

Although the fish are small, I enjoy watching the series.

Salmon Showdown is fun...and it is great watching captains running 200K rigs getting excited over 10lbs salmon.

i run 30lbs braid, but that's cause that is what is prespooled on all by inline board reels....

12lbs flouro lead until the kings start showing up....then I upsize to 16lbs flouro lead.

well, here ya go.

the "new" versions are ripplin redfins (extra "p"), the older versions were "riplin" redfins.....both work.

they are a little bigger than the lures it appears you guys run on the south shore, however, while we don't have the numbers of browns you guys have, our average size is slightly bigger.....

a 6lbs brown (which is our average size) inhales a ripplin redfin without issue.

I upsize the front and back treble to a #4 Gammy 2x rb, and remove the middle treble.

blue/silver, black/silver, or the older purple versions work best for my boat.