killerbe20

we actually started with some cheaper white ones, not sure the brand but they were not daiwas, hated them. switched to the daiwas and have never gone back! the biggest problem i have with them is the cotton wood in the early summer. that can be a huge pain. all the advantages of inline rods definitely out weighs the few issues for me.

when we first though of trying it, the captain i was working with at the time called daiwa and they said they would back their product.

eight - ten years later they have held up incredibly! only the two line guide eyes and they have never shown any signs of wear. they are the only rods i have ever used for wire since i started chartering seven years ago. actually the only rods i use except for long core and copper.

http://www.daiwa.com/rod/detail.aspx?id=168

best wire diver rods i have ever used

approx. What's the cost for a new drag/rebuild for a reel from tuna? I have about twenty okuma reels I would like rebuilt. Trying to decide whether to send them to tuna or okuma.

Our biggest king was about 17 pounds, the worst year for big fish since I started fishing.

i hear ya! must have been our area! i didn't have any over twenty pounds that i can think of either

i'm actually using 30 series catalinas now. sweet reels but much pricier! convectors are great workhorse reels. either way, 30 series okuma size reel with 1000 feet and no backing, perfect.

I would use the cv30lc convector and 1000' of wire. Blood run tackle offers the wire at a great price. http://www.coppertrollingwire.com/?cat=14

I agree with the Sniffer , Convecter 30d, NO backer ,and 1000 ft of 30# Blood Run 7 strand stainless wire.This is what ive been running for a few years now and have never had any issues.

copy that!

i have been using daiwa inline rods for my wire for seven+ years. best rods for wire i have ever used. never any issues with the two line guides from the wire.

i personally do not like the larger weights of the 124 walkers, but do like the fact there is no ring. taking advice from a magazine article i once read, not sure when or who wrote it, i use the 124 walkers but replace the bottom side with 107 bottoms and weights. The only downside is buying two divers to make one but its worth it to me to not have to deal with rings.

i also prefer the walkers because they "click" and lock on each setting. seems like the LJ divers get sloppy over time no matter how tight you have the screw.

it makes scene but my budget is set pretty tight and don't want to lose any hardware on the bottom.

How often are you dragging on the bottom? I have heard of dragging balls or bouncing balls for Lakers, but not divers. Does this work and is you lure higher in the water column as not to catch the bottom.

i didn't mean intentionally bouncing the bottom. that is usually by accident, ha! but you figure out how deep your diver is though!

Wouldn't that be the same as using LJ dipseys in a #1 with the ring?

the 124 walker divers come stock with a bigger weight then the 107's or a #1 luhr jensen dipsy diver, it would be more comparable to a luhr jensen magnum dipsy diver.

once you start fishing wire divers, you will get a feel for them. the more you fish with them, and scrap the bottom with them , you can judge whether they are in the desired target zone.

another method, if you are marking fish, is to start them higher and periodically lower them deeper. once you find where your divers are getting hits you can try to correlate the amount of line out with where you believe the fish are coming from biased on your fish finder.

hope that makes sense....it does in my head!

i have never felt i was short on backing using 40lb mono with 300 feet of copper on a 55 series okuma.

use mono for your backer because copper has no strech and it acts as a shock asorber for the copper and you cun cut and retie at any time

ditto

I like my Big Jons' date=' and who doesn't want a BJ, common.[/quote']

that made me laugh

Don't forget about the craigslist killer

that made me laugh out loud!

fishing for rainbows can differ across the lake. in many places during the summer rainbow fishing can mean traveling 10-20 miles offshore.

here is an interesting link on "kamloops"

http://www.bcadventure.com/ronnewman/kamloops.phtml

i have heard that the broadband radar does not work well in rain(?). that seems odd to me but would be something to research.

i'm sure others will have some input

i love my vectors, no complaints at all. love everything about them. not available anymore but Traxstech may be coming out with something this year.

had cannon prior to vector. i personally did not care for the plastic parts and the higher overall profile. I broke numerous parts and rod holders on mine, but they did get more of a work out then you may be putting yours through.

have lots of experience with walkers, again i do not care for the plastic parts. did not have any issues with many parts braking but this may be due to the lower profile. the ones i have used were not very fast but very reliable, like a tank.

this is experience based off of my time spent running/working on charter boats not casual, personal use.

russ,

spin doctors were awesome for me last season. three times the length of the spin doctor, front hole and fin side and 2.6-2.9 mph on my depth raider. the green got was by far the best all year.

Up until last season i was in the same boat. had them but couldn't get them to work. i'm not really sure what changed....besides my boat!

last season i ran A LOT of super slims. towards the end of the summer and into fall i ran them almost exclusively for my spoons. the kings loved them! my absolute hottest bait of the year was a Cheap Sunglasses Super Slim with a piece of glow tape on it.

i would suggest contacting traxstech. from my experience, they may be able to work with you to modify an existing product or make something for you. they have always been great to talk to and more then willing to help.

on a a fun trip one time i tried 10 colors on a deep downrigger. had hits, but never caught a fish on it. I suspect the amount of slack in the line and/or the beer had something to do with it.

thats great! i actually just joined SU WI last spring. Wish I would have a long time ago. They really do great things for the lake, area and our fishery. Unfortunately, in the past there was a "wall" between charter boats and the SU club. Things have definitely changed for the better.

phil,

another outlet for you to share knowledge with others and extend your networking is to join a fishing club.

In Racine we have a great Salmon Unlimited chapter. The members ship ranges from charter captains, tournament guys, recreational to newbies. Meetings are every second weds of the month and open to the public. Usually there is some sort of guest speaker (not sure about tomorrow though) and they always have raffles for lures and other fishing equipment. If nothing else, its a good social activity.

Illinois also has a Salmon Unlimited chapter that meets in Elk Grove village the second tuesday of every month. I am not very familiar with their club, but can assume it is similar.

Just don't make the mistake of it becoming just another job and spoiling fishing for you. Not saying it will happen but i saw it with some friends of mine. Learn all you can from your Captain. Watch, listen, and ask questions.

absolutely! It can be easy to get burned out. I have seen many people come through and just got sick of it and the customers. it wasn't going fishing anymore, it was work. Others that tried it just for "easy money" never lasted long either.

I missed out on a lot growing up because working the boat was my passion. I was ok with that because i always dreamed of running my own boat. looking back now, the only thing i would change is paying more attention to what the captain was doing. The back deck is where the magic happens but it all starts at the helm.

you are correct, the red and orange are the go to colors for coho. I actually run a mix of the six inch and nine inch. taking a tip from another captain, i was running six inch on one side and nine's on the other all with coho flys. allows for a variety of action in turns.

the action is similar to what you get with any other attractor. but like the others, they have their own unique signature in the water. i would say it is more similar to a spin doctor then a dodger.