sherman brown

That's the reason I added using a micro barrel swivel. I used both when I was using 15# wire for walleye on the central basin on Lake Erie, and after using shrink tubing over the connection, I had very little trouble when it was going through the top eye of the rod. But the micro barrel swivel does work better!! And I do understand that 15# is much easier to work with than heavier wire. But I was just giving you a suggestion that you might want to try.

Have you thought about using the haywire twist and adding 200 more feet to the 400? You could even use a micro swivel to connect them. And I would use a short piece of shrink tubing to have a smoother connection going through the rod eyes. Just a thought I had!!

The first charter I was on did the same thing, and I hated it. The feel of the fish on its first run and setting the hook is the best part of fishing. Anyone can reel fish in, but the adrenaline rush when you first feel the fish after setting the hook and then the first run cant be matched. That was my first salmon charter and my last one.

I'm not in this dogfight, but it sounds like you two guys would love fishing together and swapping great big lies, LOL. Trouthunter, it's wonderful that you're offering to go fishing with him and use your boat and equipment, and I'm sending you a big o'l KUDOS! I started fishing Lake Michigan for salmon back in 77, and then started fishing it and Erie for walleye in 80, but stopped salmon fishing Lake Michigan a couple of years later. I still love fishing Erie, but I only get to go once a year if my oldest son wants to go. I have fishing in my blood, and my wife keeps telling me when I die, I'm coming back as a fish, LOL. I wish you guys many fun filled trips on the water!

I don't mean to browbeat you, but for future reference, on a purchase like that, always have a survey done. It's well worth the money for the peace of mind and to prevent something like this from happening to you.

Now that you mention it i have had the same thing happen many years ago with some fish shaped weights I was using when I first got into rigger fishing back in the late 70s after I was released from the Marine Corps.

At one time, I was using 12# pancake weights, and just to give me piece of mind, I bent the back fin to one side and the other weight to the other side, and I could see the difference in how far to the side the cable was running and never had them cross. Check and see if a fin has gotten bent, as that would cause your problem, and like others have recommended, switch sides with your weights.