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Tip-sea-tuna

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Posts posted by Tip-sea-tuna

  1. We set out at 7AM this morning, ended up 4 for 5. 3 skips: one on rigger, and 2 on diver with a mixed veggie. All in 85-120 fow. Fish seemed scattered later morning so we tried out to 220 and a nice mature takes a 450 copper run - grampa and grandson took turns reeling it in.  the wind picked up and it got a bit sporty/annoying, so pulled and scooted. 

     

  2. First trip in over 2 months after deciding to convert the old tattered soft top into a hard top, so it was a bit like a shakedown trip in a way.

    Pulled out of the creek around 7AM, started setting up in 75 fow heading NW.  5 minutes after getting the last rod of the spread set up we get an instant screamer run on a #4 green Chinook diver with a hammered mixed veggie out 140.   Screamer just wouldn't stop - dials flipped over 999 and finally slowed and stopped at 122!  Ran off all 1000ft of braid and we were into the mono backer.   After a very long fight, only able to gain any kind of line back with the walk backwards and crank forwards technique, we finally get the fish in sight.   3 more random darting runs around the boat and on the final approach (and the attempted net approach seeing the fish was tired out finally) it charged the rear of the boat, partially porpoised, and got the diver leader wrapped in the kicker motor prop (which is just under the surface at troll speeds).

    I only use 30lb big game mono for leaders and was really worried that it was going to get cut or rip the hook out of its lip.   Thankfully it was so tired,  it didn't really have enough energy to pull hard enough to make that happen.    After a good 5-7 minutes of me hanging off the back of the boat trying to somehow unwrap the leader, the whole time starring at a beautiful king, it was apparent it wasn't coming off without cutting an end.  

    Managed, after several attempts,  to hand line the fish back into the net and rip it in the boat.

     

    Very nice king, my son's and boat's biggest yet -Thankfully I had decided early in the morning we better enter the derby, just in case.   

     

    Had another rip on a mag gramma warrior spoon on 330 copper while we were in the middle of the prop mess, but we had only 2 of us so we had to stay focused and let it be. 

     

    Fished till 11:30 with only 2 rigger releases to show for it.  Went through a submerged debris field similar to other recent posts, fought fleas on everything, had several lines jumbled/caught unexpectedly,  and finally lost the same Chinook setup when trying to release it to pull in (must have damaged the braid in the prop struggle and didn't know it). To which my son said "Dad, we used up all of our luck on that salmon".   

     

    Pulled out, weighed in and he's on the leader board - another first! (25lbs)

     

    Very few marks, no noticeable congregations of fish at any particular depth.  Even pulled in and tried out in 400fow heading North.  Line of 5 boats at 7AM around 100-150fow had all dispersed and were assumingly hunting marks by 9AM.  Beautiful day to be out regardless of only boating one fish.

     

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  3. Crazy warm day for mid April!   

    In at 6:45, off at noon.   Went 6 for 7, 2 coho's, a large laker and 3 browns.  Lost a brown at the boat off a green Chinook diver with a glow frog.

    3 fish on a 3 color withablue glow frog, one coho on a rigger, one on black Chinook with a purple clown, other brown on a weighted line with a Gramma Warrior.

    Green water out to 45ft and as far as we could see North.  47F surface temp. Lots of small and medium marks.   Most fish on screen and hits were between 25 and 30 ft, westerly troll.  GPS speed at 2.2-2.3mph.  Tried faster/slower and arcs with no real improvement.

    After talking with 3 other boats, as we were taking out, we had the best luck.  Beautiful day to be out on the water!

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  4. Headed out with the family after scraping the boats windshield (inside and out).  Truck said 28 for air temp when we launched - cold enough to make a nice hole in my older canopy window on the drive up!

     

    Headed west to start, was muddy everywhere.  Setup in 15ft but took that out to 20+ and still had a blend of muddy but green water, darker than I would have preferred but it was hard to find that distinct brown/green line.  Loads of murky and green water all the way out to beyond 20Ft depth in areas.  Surface water temp basically everywhere was 40-41°F.

     

    Only went 1 for 2 - both fish on mixed veggies - one on weighted line, other on 2 color.  Made my annual spring mixed veggie donation to the lake when our 3 color got hooked up with the bottom (young drivers).  Daughter learning how to drive the boat, immediately after taking her boater coarse - hopefully some of that sinks in better having actually applied some of the learnings!  I'll happily donate tackle if they are learning something that sticks.

     

    Marked lots of fish but couldn't seem to get them interested in the bite.  Ran at many different speeds, 1.6-2.5mph GPS speeds both east and west, did alternating arcs, changed out spoons, and stick baits a few times.  Used lead core, 2 chinook divers, and split-shot weighted lines, some double weighted just to change things up a bit.   By 11AM the north breeze picked up a little and it was getting pretty cold to continue washing tackle.  

     

    All in all a successful trip - no skunk - all systems worked as expected and the family had fun - what more can you ask for!  

     

     

     

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  5. My 16ft tracker has a 5/16" T slot vertical track system,  which is great for DIY brackets.   Mine are just 2x2x1/4" angle aluminum with stainless steel 5/16" carriage bolts and stainless wing nuts.  They are real sturdy and very easy to move around where I want them or to quickly remove.  I mounted the dual axis cannons on them and have loads of options and flexibility.   The smaller bracket on the left of the picture is where my hand crank Penn fathom master downrigger attaches to, its just a thicker angle piece. I've got a setup like this for each side and use this boat for early season brown fishing in the lady O and for all other in shore trips on the finger lakes or the river.  They work great and if they're in the way or I need to change the setup to adjust to a different technique or method it's really easy to do so (or to store them so they don't walk away).

     

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  6. While making our way back to the Sandy creek launch - still about 100' from the small rock jetty on the west side and we had a fishing boat scream in at what had to be full throttle and only cut back when they got into the channel.  They were going so fast that they had kicked up a very noticeable and long mud line in their wake directly into the inlet.  WTF?  I thought maybe that there was an emergency - why else would someone scream into the small channel lined with massive rocks and concrete pads at such a high speed.  Nope, no emergency, not even in a hurry - we were out of the water and on our way before they were.

     

    If nothing else, It was a good opportunity to teach the kids that no matter what the rules are, there are always numskulls that do whatever they want and that they always have to watch out for that.

  7. Started around daybreak and fished till 10 or so.  Started around 90ft and headed North West to start.  Brand new fish finder and the transducer has --.- reading for depth - great.  No Fishhawk and no finder again - back to basics like last trip.  

    First fish was a decent Brown on a green Chinook diver 195 out over 130' with a Mixed veggie spoon.  Pulled in 2 skips, one on a rigger at 100' with a carbon 14 and one on a 325 copper with a gramma warrior mag spoon.  The smallest fish we brought in hit the largest spoon (14" king)!  Had the same Chinook setup hit again in 165' around 9AM and just screamed.  My son fought his first big diver shot salmon that made 3 big 100'+ runs, jumped and rolled on the surface at least 5 different times and nearly swam directly into the prop on its last burst of energy as it approached the boat.  He was rewarded with a nice 25 pounder - his biggest yet and our "new to us" boats biggest as well.  To say the least he was exhausted from the fight and adrenalin rush - I'm not sure who was more happy he landed it, me or him!

    Lots of boats out and everyone seemed to be hunting in all different depts.  Saw no one else fighting anything all morning and when we took out, we talked to several other boats that ended up getting skunked so I guess we were the lucky ones that day. 

    Oh and the Fleas were horrendous.  

     

     

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  8. Launched around daybreak and headed North to 450' to set up and headed north.  Fish finder was going wonky no matter what speed we were at, even idle. Thankfully the old chart plotter gave a good indication for general depth but we had no sonar to speak of till the very end of the trip when it decided to cooperate.  I also lack a Fish hawk so we were going off of GPS speed, rigger angle and diver arch to the best of our ability.

     

    Managed 5 for 8, all kings. 500, 600 coppers with gramma warrior mag and carbon 14 each took a fish.  5 hits off a rigger with Carbon 14, 2 shakers, 2 juveniles and one mature.  All at 100ft down.  Started getting pretty choppy by 11 so we pulled lines and headed south to 150 and started a South westerly troll with the wind.   Had a great diver shot and screamer that ended up shaking, 185 out over 145 depth. Got pretty sporty out there by the time we hit the launch but a good day overall!

     

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  9. Another important point is which way the wind is hitting your boat vs the direction you want to troll.  I've got a 22ft sea nymph GLS with a 4.3l and I need at least 1 24in trolling bag to get between 2 and 2.5, depending on what angle the wind is hitting the boat.  A big issue is that because it's an aluminum cuddy cabin, the boat will barely steer into a modest wind at all at trolling speeds unless the bag is attached on the wind side.  I have a line ready to use attached to the front central bow cleat for each side so i can choose or swap the side quickly if, for example, making a u turn.  The bags point or exhaust is about a foot or maybe 18in from the transom. 

  10. Had the day off and was hoping to get a little fun in before the forecasted weeks worth of east wind started really setting up.  Trolled from 6 to 9AM, mainly spoons.  Started in 20ft heading west and ended up turning around and bringing it shallow into about 7-8' to find some kind of green water.  Finally hooked up around 8AM with a small fat brown and then hit another about 20 minutes later.  Wind started picking up a bit more and we tried a little deeper out to about 40 or so just for fun and just after dropping a Chinook #2 down to the bottom a laker grabbed onto the purple clown it was attached to.   Browns were on a Wonderbread and a gramma warrior.

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  11. I've done about 20 fly-in fishing trips in northern Ontario and the best tackle has been jigging with live minnows in the honey holes and slow trolling with orange bellied stick baits.  Rice lake in particular was always hot for the orange belly - didn't matter what kind of lure be it a rapala or other, so long as the belly was orange.   We even had a friend try Spray painting his lure bottoms orange and it worked!   Typically the water color of the lakes is dark brown (looks like Coca-Cola) and for whatever reason the orange seemed to compliment it well.

     

    Most of their lakes also have northern pike, although some have smaller populations.  We've had good luck on the classic red and white spoons, Johnson's weedless silver spoons, and spinner baits.  Anything with that silver flash seemed to do well.  And don't be surprised if a big pike hits the small walleye you're reeling in.   I've seen this 3 different times and it's fun.  Best part is that they don't let go, even when the net comes out next to the boat.  

     

    Good luck. 

  12. Fished from 6:15 to 10:30 in the calmest water we've fished yet.  Headed west out of creek, salmon bite was ok from 7 till 9 in 17 to 20 ft of water.  3 for 6 in this time period and every fish jumped and screamed line off so we had a good visual to see they were all salmon hits.   1 made 6 different leaps until it finally shook the spoon free on the last one in mid air.   Another we thought was tired out but then decided to scramble from the boat as we were bringing it up the chute and darted 100 feet starboard right over 2 other lines off our planers and past the planer then came back to the chute but under the other lines.  Yes, nothing better than 3 lines all twisted up and ones a leadcore.  All for good salmon fun though!

    No pattern to what took hits -  6 different spoons hit - pickle seed, mixed veggie, our homemade gramma warrior, mongoose, clown and a ladderback that I don't remember the name of (in pic).   One diver hit, one 3 color leadcore, one 2 color, 2 rigger hits and 1 1/4oz weight line.  

    We made a 180 and headed back east and tried everything from 25 ft in to 10ft with nice green water outside a solid brown mudline with no other bites the last hour and a half.  Saw 3 other boats net fish in that same 7 to 9 window.  

     

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