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TheToadHunter

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  1. Has anyone buying and using these lines checked the diameters and break strengths? I worked for a major line manufacturer and checked competitors diameters and break strengths often, and let’s just say that some (used to be MANY) are not honest. I could be wrong, but I believe the line lb test ratings are still not regulated, and diameters are still in fine print. So you’re labeled 30lb from brand X could actually be 40lb - which would fill up a reel more-so than brand Y that is honest about their 30lb product with a thinner diameter. Unless you check the diameters and complete break strength tests, you’ll never know the truth! But then you’d have to also check the line capacity ratings for lb test vs diameter on your reels as well.... [emoji846] You need to make sure they’re honest too. And you can’t 100% depend on line counter reels to measure distance unless they’re dialed into the correct diameter of the line you’re using. BUT even then, we all know that a full handle revolution with only a few wraps of line left on your spool has a much different retrieval distance than a full spool. Does your reel’s line counter factor that in? In closing, I don’t use any of the brands or line mentioned and don’t work in the fishing industry anymore, but I always recommend a thorough root cause analysis before possibly creating a negative impact on someone’s brand or business. Might be .05 cents worth. Thanks, Mike Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  2. I also don’t have a Fish Hawk, so GPS speed, diver rod bend, and Downrigger cable angles are all I rely on. My 150HP Yamaha also only gives me two somewhat OK trolling speeds, so I’m fairly limited. It’s between 1.75-3.25 mph depending on wind, waves and current. I’ll troll until I find fish and then change troll directions. If I don’t get hit between 4 directions I’ll change spoons and try again, speed up, or go find new fish. I’m no trolling expert, so take this as you will, but I will run different sized spoons and spoon brands on the riggers until I find out which ones are providing the best action/hits at the speeds I’m limited to for the day. Dreamweaver Standards generally give me the best action, Michigan Stingrays are next, mags/super slims/stingers/NK all have their place too. Good luck out there! Wish I could be out today. Mike Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  3. My wife’s cousin joined me for a day trip - also his first time fishing out of Pennsylvania. The lake was a little sporty in the morning, so I decided to stop in 120’ and work our way out because I wasn’t sure how much he enjoyed the bumpy ride out. Put him behind the wheel and after several zig zags while setting the riggers we got the first king in the boat. It was pretty quiet after that. Marked a few fish between 130’-175’, circled them, but no takes for us. I finally decided to go deeper and found him some willing kings between 220’-235’. Put 5 kings in the box and then headed into 120’ to start trolling shallower and try to finish with a brown for him. Before we could get past the first gps mark he missed one (presumably a king) and another king hit seconds after the Downrigger was set. Day over. Nothing to write home about. 8/8 and two drive bys. The 6 in the box were mostly 6-12lbs with a high teens topping it off. Green Jeans Spin Doctor and fly took the two largest and missed another. Dreamweaver standard NBK and Dirty White Boy took the other keepers. Fished several other color patterns and sizes but only caught the two dinks on a Dreamweaver A-Bomb. Riggers set at 110’. Standard Dipsy was out 250’ and 300’ on a #2 setting. Thanks, Mike Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  4. I’m no expert, but I’ve always found good numbers of mature kings in 150’ and less throughout summer in front of Sodus. Figuring out what they want to eat is the tricky part. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  5. Dreamweaver Standards in Dirty White Boy, NBK, Green Jeans and Get R Done. Nothing but small fish on Dreamweaver mags. Michigan Stinger Stingrays in UV Viagara and Purple (gator I believe) did well on browns. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  6. Just 4 pieces to make sure the knife was still sharp. Most of the kings we took had two on them, just not this big. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  7. Made it to town on Friday in time to fish for a few hours. 10 seconds after setting the first rigger down 50’ in 150’ we had the first (dink but legal) king and let him go. Every color spoon we put down hooked up fish, but the little guys seemed to prefer large and obnoxious and the bigger fish took more natural standard dreamweaver spoons. Biggest fish came on a dipsey with a spin doctor. The best part was NOBODY else was out on the lake. Most likely at the Captains meeting for the Pro-Am. Saturday Morning started slow, extremely slow. Started in 220’ and hit some spots from last weekend but couldn’t turn a bite in 3 hours. Marked a lot of fish, but no takes. A few groups of boats were in the 110’-150’ range but we decided to go deeper. Good choice. 9:15 - Noon was steady action. Only 3 under 20”. Best water was 350’, 400’, and 500’ - anywhere from 50’-110’ down took good kings. Saturday afternoon I flew solo from 2:30 PM to 8PM and decided to stay close and grind the water other boats pounded all day. 100’-135’ had sporadic groups of fish and good bait - most being between the 60’-70’ range. Took two nice kings in 110’ down 70’ fairly quickly (except the fight) on a standard Dreamweaver green jeans and an 8” white/pearl spin doctor. Around 6PM I switched to purple colored spoons and the browns were chewing good in the same water - with some small kings mixed in. Sunday Morning - My wife and I started in close at 110’ with a few good marks mixed with the browns. She landed a few browns and missed/lost a few, and then we headed out deeper. The fish in 250’ were still there but couldn’t get big bites (only little guys). After a couple hours with no big boys I decided it was time to start over. I brought in the lines, shut the boat off, took a swim, and then re-rigged. A few minutes after setting the first rigger down 55’ in 315’ it was “kind of” game on for 1 1/2 hours (11AM - 12:30PM) with mature kings. Most were lost. The kings we landed or saw were not hooked inside the mouth, but rather in the cheek or under the jaw. Dreamweaver Get R Done had 7 fish during that time, NBK had 2. 50’-55’ down was key for us. We also shortened the distance from the ball to 10’ and 15’. Thanks for reading, Mike Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  8. Thanks for the info. The town website says permits can be purchased at the Community Center as well, but I doubt anyone will be working this early [emoji16]. Maybe I’ll swing by Hughes and check it out! Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  9. Is there decent parking for a truck and trailer at Bear Creek? I usually fish out of Sodus but have a campsite near near Bear Creek and am trying to avoid the Sodus Pro Am. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  10. You’re welcome. Lost him as a net man but he’s still good for cranking up the riggers and pulling in dipsy divers. [emoji846] Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  11. Motored out yesterday afternoon to hopefully find a pod of fish for this morning but it never materialized. Random hits between 120’-250’ around 75’ down. 2/5 on kings, the biggest being broke off at the side of the boat by my ex-net man. The big king took a dd/ff out 235’ and the smaller fish grabbed a UV purple stinger. This morning we started in 120’ even though the sonar was terrible last night. Saw very little on the way out and didn’t take a good fish until the same spot as last night over 250’. We found an active pod of good fish and made several passes between 7:30-9AM before they shut off. Landed two doubles and several others. One steelhead in the mix. After beating a few other salmon pods with no luck we headed into 40’ and tortured some 4lb browns for half an hour before calling it a day. Dreamweaver UV Blue Jeans Spin Doctor did very well behind a DD out 200’ and a Dreamweaver Standard Dirty White Boy down 50’ on the rigger was hot as well. Mike Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  12. Ditto on Sodus for the previous stated reasons. I dry dock in Sodus and the bay along with Cayuga Lake have saved many weekends because Ontario was too rough. You’re also able to hit Cayuga and Ontario in the same day! Mike Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  13. Not super current, but the wife and I were out last Sunday. 7/7 on kings between 6-20. Inches that is, not pounds! Ha! Fished from 70’-175’. A few boats out but nothing crazy. We did manage to find an area that had lots of bait and big marks to match, but it was 10:30-11 by that time and couldn’t get anything big to hit. Don’t have a fish hawk but surface temps were 56 in the AM and rose to 62 by noon. Big marks were anywhere from 45’-120’. The little kings came from the same zones. Wanted to fish yesterday but the babysitter backed out! Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  14. Beautiful chromer. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app
  15. Just set up inside. Mag dipsy out 100’ took a screamer. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app
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