Leaderboard

Thanks for replies, guys. ?

I have come to the point that trusting these weather and wind sites means crappola these days. So I just get up,rig the toon and venture on my merry way. With that said,the wind was to be light out of the N/E. With a continuing cold front that started yesterday. I get to my launch and the wind is more then just a bit light, but still do able on the toon. Temp was 8 deg which warranted the use of the hoodie this morning. It was a cool rolly ride to say the least. The sky was looking like it was full of lava. Another great sight to behold. Not really marking a bunch of fish, I was force to move a ton. Would mark, drop and they would be gone. The amount of bait was super crazy all morning. I could see the shinners on the surface. Would explain the terns diving all around me. Fish were tight to the bottom all morning. A cold front will do this here. Also the current was really whacked. I was still and my line was 45 deg going east. After being out there for 4 hours moving about, I hit my last spot I had locked on the map and has produced. I was going to sit til it was time to get off. The current seemed to have died and I knew this would be a good thing. Well that decision payed off. I really like using my swim baits for the chase game,but a buddy tells me he has been getting them on the vibrato. SO, I drop one down, 30 ft from bottom. Letting the rollers do all jigging motion, I just sat and watch the screen. It was only 5 minutes and this red line comes streaking from the depths. I didn't have to crank much as it was on the bait like stink. It was a good battle. At first I thought it was going to be that trophy laker. Dove right to the bottom an stayed there just thumping the rod down. He had my toon turning left,then right. I am pumped. Finally I start to gain a bit. Then the rod goes slack. No lost him. Reel and reel and the rod almost gets ripped out of my hands. Dives back down. These lakers are crazy crazy. I eventually get it top side, get the vibrado out of it,s yap,quick pic and back down he went. Not the size I thought for the fight he gave, still a respectable Simcoe greaser. As much as I like the big fight, it would be nice to hook up with some smaller ones for a change. Maybe Sunday morning. Oh it,s another Sunday morning.............. Long read for a single fish, but I am just sitting here doing nothing anyways.LOL

Nick Look at the Pflueger President reels. Great reels and price does not break the bank.

10+ addition in horsepower is a big increase in smaller motors, you would be 5hp from doubling your hp. Prices and resale value for what you have and want to get? On a bigger motor I wouldn't go crazy spending for 10 more hp.

Personally, if your boat is rated for 30hp, I’d hang on to your Yamaha until you decide to upgrade and then go to a 30hp. Wouldn’t be overly concerned or influenced by brand opinions.

Froggin is one my favourite techniques, and I've learned a ton over the last couple years. - Use a soft body frog like a Live Target. They compress really easily. I use these in slop and pads. I use Spro Bronze eye popping frogs in grass or more open water. The spro's are not as soft, so spend some time "working it in" with your hands when you take it out the package, kind of like working in a new baseball glove. - Trim the tails. I trim the length to about 2-2.5 inches in length. This creates a more compact profile, and a fish that only wants to "smack" the bait comes closer to the hooks this way. - Bend the hooks out. Flip the frog over the hooks and turn it around so the hooks are totally exposed. Take two pairs of pliers and put one one each hook, and bend each one away from the other at the same time. This will expose the hook points more (yes, a bit less weedless but will hook up far better) - Sharpen the hooks!! This never gets talked about. While you still have the hooks exposed, take a hook file and sharpen each hook until they are sticky sharp (if your thumbnail "sticks" to the hookpoint, rather than slides across it, you're good to go). Think about a bass hitting the frog, and maybe not grabbing it totally. Dull hooks will allow the fish to just slide right off if you don't get a solid hookset. The sticky hooks help to keep the bait just pinned enough to give you the time to react and set the hook. I've noticed my hook ups have gone way up since I've started doing these things.Another thing is to make sure the rod you are using is stout enough and has a fast enough tip to set the hook quickly. Yes, many times a frog will get "smacked" instead of eaten. I've found if a larger fish smacks the frog, the sticky hooks sometimes help to pin the frog to the fish and you can set the hook. A lot of smaller fish will smack the legs and may not hit again. Hope this helps