Steve.e

On the subject of being broken off. Some already may do this but for those who don't, I use a clamp release attached by wire to the boat or ring on the dipsey poles, and then clamp it directly to the wire just past the reel. This allows the drag to be set lighter incase of violent hits that can break off mono. The release holds onto the line so it won't creep out on the lighter drag, and usually pops off on a hit. Just set it not to deep in the jaws. Good luck to all .

yes. It's in the down position all the time, being on. The up is manual.

remove the water, clean with a degreaser then alcohol. A good epoxy will do just fine. I have a 3-way switch for mine,you do want to be able turn it on manually, my float turns on when water is about 2.5" deep.

They are tough to hunt in the east. trapping will produce better results if you want to go that route. Mainly rodent, small critter distress calls in the early season. The young ones are what usually come in easier, not educated yet. Have a shot gun with you also, the siblings will tend to hang together for awhile after leaving the "nest", and multiple opportunities can occur. Bait piles work well also, use your cameras to pattern them so you don't have to sit all night waiting. Mid season use coyote vocalizations. They are pairing up and setting boundaries. Female in heat howls, lonesome howls. Late season using single or small pack howls in a pairs occupied area can bring them in for a confrontation. A couple lone howls followed a few minutes later by a distree call can lure them in also. They will protect their food sources that's for the pups later. Electronic calls-Fox pro pretty much is the best call with a big sound library, but expensive. There are some good alternatives out there for less money now. Might as well get some mouth calls and practice with them . You can add more emotion to them ,not like a set recorded call. Also buy a couple DVD's by Randy Anderson,Verminators or many other sources that you can get info from. Be patient, they are not always easy to smack, and can get down right frustrating sometimes.

I tried some cortland 20lb fliea flicker ,130' spliced into the main line and 30' of fluorocarbon leader  and so far have had no fleas on my flicker lines. Did the same at Keuka lake where the fleas have been bad for a month now and still no problem. My wire dipsies are catching them also. I read about and tried at keuka before the flea flicker was installed, a way to help remove fleas from a line when fighting a fish in. Takes 2 people though. Get a 3 foot peice of smooth 1/8 stainless steel rod( so it won't eventually rust) and have someone slide it up and down on the line as the fleas come up towards the tip. It only takes a few swipes with moderate pressure and they pretty much fall off. Doesn't work as well when pulling rigger lines (unless flashers are involved) , not enough tension on the line.

Smokin all right. lol

There are a couple guys around who make torpedo weights, you may be able to swap your lead + a few extra bucks for a couple new10 or 12 lb  torpedo weights . Troutman 88 is one of them. There is a thread on here with his contact info. He lives in Watkins Glenn. There is one more local, some one here may be able to give you his info.

The eyes on your balls seem to be bent forward. In the picture of it hanging it appears to be not horizontal, but pointing upward more than usual. The ball could be spinning on it's tail when down deep with the water pressure being higher. I've never seen weights in that position, they are always close to level. Bend the eyes back toward the tail and see if they hang more level.

Not an 'expert" but sounds loke a good start . If you like to zig zag ,which gives the spoons more action, don't run further then 15 feet from ball on bottom sets when running same depth if that's where the action should be. Cheaters are normally around 4-8ft as to make netting easier . The cheaters will twist around main line when retrieving at quitting time unless you go to neutral and wind sloooowly. There's always a chance for tangles whether a fish is on or not,but that's just part of the deal. Have a blast.

May find some ideas in the This old boat forum.

I was trolling last weekend and got 4 60' down over 120-130 closer to west side between the two large points just north of the Olney place. Temp was about 48

install auto stops if you can, keep the riggers. Manuals get old in the summer when fish are usually deeper.

Bass point . There's a large tree on south end of point close to the water. Old Creek channel runs outward from there. Start in 50 ft work out . When myneighbor and I use to pull copper or Seth Green rigs we almost always got hit going past that tree. That whole point is good. The north end going around the bend into the cive is a good spot also.

Pounded them a few years ago trolling the west side of Sethgreen island and shore. There's a trough that gets to ~12ft deep . We used worm harnesses with split shot, trolled very slowly since current keeps the blades spinning. Let line out slow until ticking bottom, wind in a couple  turns. You will snag now and then, just drift back over snag and the line usually pops right off. Mostly rocks on bottom . We caught about 20 that morning and a couple channel cats. I kept a couple to eat but they tatsted like chemicals. Kind of like the river smells up by Kodak. Great fights though. Very strong fish.

Cowbells can be run off the weight and set fly,or spoon about 3-4 feet back. I do this on Keuka all the time and don't have the extra drag. Works just fine.

delete

Didn't realize they were fall spawners, makes sense they are in the char family. I've caught them in keuka lake in july -august and found eggs in them. They didn't look very absorbed either. I stand corrected.

Lakers won't be too deep, near spawn for them also. Waters cold all over. Landlocks browns and rainbows will be cruisin near the top not too far off shore once ice is off. Rapalas and green or blue spoons seem to work well on flat lines . Add slip sinkers untill you find their depth. Probably no more than 5-15ft down. Planers will increase chances.

Can I get troutmans phone number from anyone?

Kind of new to this sight. How do you PM someone you don't know. I have 75lbs of lead and want to work out a deal for 12 and 14lb shark or fish weights.

Vermont is a bit to far away, looking for someone local to avoid exp shipping costs.

I will be obtaining about 75 lbs of lead soon and was wondering if anyone has a 12 and/or 15lb shark weight mold or a fish mold that will procuce true tracking weights. Would like to work out a deal where I get a couple weights (15 lbs) or 3 weights(12 lbs) and the rest of the lead is yours. Anyone interested?

*Is there a local guy who is real good at troubleshooting and fixing Auto pilots? My King 2000 keeps blowing a 6amp fuse. It came with the boat not working and I have no clue regarding these . I live in Hilton, NY

Power belts are not good long range bullets. The bullet is .001 undersize and the gas cap is I believe .001 oversized. Bulley down loose comes out loose. Tried them and accurracy over 100 yrds went south. Hornaday SST in 300gr are real nice. Longer the bullet, better the stability. I shoot a T/C omega with 130 grn triple seven pelets and 300 sst. Out to 200 yrds, deadly accurate. 2in high at 100, aim 2in high at 150, 5 in high at 200. All 3 shots were on top of bullseye. No adj from last year. I was amazed too say the least.

I've used the launch dozens of times over the last 25 yrs and never had an issue. I've never seen it less than 3.5 feet deep. If you ding your prop it's probably because you wandered out of the markers. The channnel is marked with green and red bouys.I have a 18.5 I/o and just bring the prop up slightly just incase. An outboard is a non-issue. I've seen 24ft Weekenders using the launch in the middle of summer. 5 dollar fee now also.