What was your hot weapon for 2006

[caznik]

Hello Member's

So what was your hot fishing weapon for fishing salmon in the great lakes last year. I like to use four riggers with at least one SWR rod on my deepest rigger. I like to run two dipsie rods also and leave my dipies set at three. My first time last year I started to use full core rods also. I know it takes alot of work getting those fish in with that stuff. But I really think last year my hottest weapon was my full core. When I was fishing in my fishing league. Alot of times I was doing nothing at all with my other stuff. But my full core went off when the other was dead.

Full core is my choice of my #1 weapon in 2006. :D

[plumkrazy]

i think running 3 lead core per side except for the tournaments

[Priority1]

Dipsys by far. Most days we would limit before daybreak.
When we fished the evenings, when the sun touched the horizon, GET READY.

[Billy V]

Wire Dipsy's and downriggers were far and away my most productive deployment devices. We fish really deep out my way, and leadcore just doesn't get deep enough.

[CaptLevi]

How deep is really deep? Ifish down to 150' or 175'. It's amazing how ya can't get bit on riggers up in the top 70' sometimes but the lead core will light em up! Lead core is by far my most productive set ups we run 3 or 4 per side whenever conditions allow.

[Priority1]

My Dipsys were hot, but I haven't run leadcore yet. I have the gear, and will try leadcore this year. Does anyone run leadcore in the dark? It seems like it would be tough to do. I probably wouldn't even try it unless I was a mile away from everyone, and it was daylight. Thanks in advance.

[caznik]

My Dipsys were hot, but I haven't run leadcore yet. I have the gear, and will try leadcore this year. Does anyone run leadcore in the dark? It seems like it would be tough to do. I probably wouldn't even try it unless I was a mile away from everyone, and it was daylight. Thanks in advance.

Let me tell you something,
I run lead core at night..BUT there better not be any boats around you just in case they go to close behind you to cut you off. So don't be afraid to try it. You just have to be on the watch at all times.

Trust me you will like lead core for catching fish. But let the other guy real them in...:D


Cazzzz

[GLF]

Does anyone run leadcore in the dark?

You can drill a small hole in the inline boards and insert a glow stick in them. Then you can see where they are at after dark ;)

[Satisfaxion_Gauranteed]

Downriggers first, spider wire dipseys second, leadcores third, and finally the highlines/snapweights for me. The lyman lures off the downriggers and dipseys were hot for me in July and August.

[CaptLevi]

Also Offshore Tackle sells lighted strobes that can be attached to your flag on your inlines. They flash a real visible red and the batteries are replaceable watch type. I personally have not run lead core in the dark. Only time I run boards in the dark is stucture trolling for walleye. For salmon in the dark I try to cut back to three riggers and one dipsey per side. Safer and much less chance of tangles.

[caznik]

Also Offshore Tackle sells lighted strobes that can be attached to your flag on your inlines. They flash a real visible red and the batteries are replacable watch type. I personally have not run lead core in the dark. Only time I run boards in the dark is stucture fishing for walleye. For salmon in the dark I try to cut back to three riggers and one dipsey per side. Safer and much less chance of tangles.

Ya but that still don't stop other boats going close behind you....:D

[HitMan]

#1 Copper (225 feet-375 feet)
#2 Lead Cores (3 colors-20 colors)
#3 Wire Divers
#4 Downriggers

[Heavy Action]

Dipseys with meat!!!!! Can't leave home without the meat.

[caznik]

Wow I figure by now that core would be pretty much in the leed.

pretty close,

Cazzzzzz

[DIRTY DOG]

10 color core has hot till july then it was wire divers and riggers

[silver one]

full core out bolth sides . Stinger Jawbreaker on one side and Stinger bloodynose out the other. A close second would be the inside rigger with smoke opti and green ice fly 8' behind the ball with a 30" distance between the doger and fly and swr on the other inside rigger with blue green dolphin fishlander, with the doger and fly 10' above the swr. always my two deepest.

[Satisfaxion_Gauranteed]

Wow I figure by now that core would be pretty much in the leed.

pretty close,

Cazzzzzz

Ya, I'm kinda surprised to see how even everything is, too. It probably has as much to do with the techinique perfected by each fisherman as it does the presentation style.

I'm with Dirty Dog though, my cores were much slower in late July and August. I could keep the riggers and divers going better than cores in mid to late summer. Late April through May, it was the opposite and core was the ticket with an occaisonal rigger/dipsey hit.

[CaptLevi]

Hitman,
That is about the same lineup as me. I have just started to pull copper in the end of "05" and increased to 2 set-ups last season. Both 30#. I am planning on adding 2 45#rigs this spring. I have a question for you and all who are copper savvy: Have you ever noticed a lot of screaming rips on copper that just seem to come unbuttoned within the first minute or less? I have this occuring from time to time and am looking for an input for a fix.
Thanks

[HitMan]

We have had a lot of "bad eaters" on the copper rods over the last 3 years. Yes, we do get a lot of foul hooked fish on the copper and they do come unpinned within a minute or so, or we fight them and they come in side-ways and foul hooked, etc. Anyways, we do catch a lot of foul hooked fish on the copper or if we lose some of them initial line ripping fish, there are scales on the hooks; a good indicator the hook wasn't in it's mouth. :)

[monkeypuke]

Hi all,
my best rig for walleye is the meatball :D, it's not a good idea for salmon or trout but puts lots of fish in the box for walleye. Set up is a downrigger with a 5 foot leader tied to the ball, no fishing rod. I run it a lot, and customers love when they bring the downrigger up and theres a walleye hangin on. I know it sounds cruel, but very affective for walleye. I get outstanding results compared to having a rod hooked up to the rigger, no hum, and it produces. Although I have had trout jump right behind the boat and my first thought is there goes another spoon..

[Walleye Express]

Rattle Tot's 40 to 90 back with a piece of nightcrawler on the belly hook. Stinger Scorpion slider or Spoon Harness rig with Gulp or crawler if things got tough. Gotta love the 2 S's. Simplicity and Success. :grin:

[FreeTime]

We have been big on core for a few years now. We carry 6 core rods and often run them all. I guess alot of it is that we have alot confidence in it and I think we are pretty good at running it.

I actually removed 2 of my riggers this year and will focus more on other rods. Our rigger fish are down tremendously and there are plenty of other ways to catch them.

We have also been running alot of wire lines with 1# balls, this was actually our #1 rig for big fish last year. We run these off the rear corners where the outdown riggers would be. These rods seem to get going around mid morning and always pulled the bigger fish.

Dave

[CaptLevi]

Thanks Hitman for the input. Now I know it's not just something I'm doing wrong. Sure wish it would of been though........landing all those rips would be outstanding!

[Reel Turner]

Dave, what have you been running on your #1 ball rigs?

[FreeTime]

We mainly have them with a 8" dodger towing meat

Dave

[CaptLevi]

I'm not surprized there. Meat works.

Dave don't you feel a little shorthanded with only two riggers fishing the pierheads for Kings or Steel? We SSSMMAACCKK em on riggers then. Course we do on our divers, and high lines also.:D

[FreeTime]

For those few days when I really would like the 4 riggers I am willing to let them go. I can always accomplish the same thing with a dipsy on 0 right off the rear in place of those other 2 riggers.

Dave

[GUN]

one of the "top dog's" last year was 150' copper rig fished down the chute over the "chute" rigger-usually steelie stomper or shangster(stinger stingray size)

GUN

[special x]

Downrigger we are best all summer over here on the west side of Lake Superior . Mostly because of overly warm surface temps droped fish deep.Best spoons were pink floyd by fishlander & sour apple by creative touch. Dipsey were hot for the steeles.

[Salmon Slammer]

There was no spot to put Slide Divers or drop-weights in the poll.

It's a little difficult trying to run 10' to 15' leads to your FishCatcher/ Slammin' Fly rig with a Dipsy.

[Storm Warning II]

Offshore season, hands down Watermelon dipsy towing a NK 28 Watermelon/Holo. Wicked, wicked, wicked on big eyes and chrome!

[SkeinMachine]

Wire divers & wire pound balls were very consistent on the north shore of lady .O

[Toxic]

My mind is my weapon. The dipsys were just tools for me to kick the walleyes butt! LOL. Dipsys outweighed my downriggers by far!

[Storm Warning II]

Have you done much this spring with your wire divers Skeiner? We fished the lady O 4 days this spring and caught some coho and small kings on them with spoons so the last 2 days I went to flasher/flies and we got 1 hawg, but that was the only hit on them in 2 days! Most of the fish came off the riggers. I was running them on a "2" back 225 which was what the guys around us were catching them at. I was running same/similar flashers/flies, same GPS speed within a couple hundred yards of them and just couldn't get much to happen. Any thoughts????

[bags]

Do not like to use anything that interferes with the fight of the fish. That includes flashers. Thank you bags