Raf

i don't know how much of a drain you put on your batteries but we typically drain a batt in two-three days.. running a graph and electric trolling motor. we mostly cast. and if it's windy, the trolling motor gets cranked.

ohh man, i'm taking notes snag. that's a good one. :clapping:

Jigger, I think the landscape has changed a great deal since the days of the old UofT board or even boards like this one that came after. They've become much more popular. With that, certainly comes a lot of good but also a few negatives. Many peopel have taken things to private msgs and/or smaller more specialized sites. People are still willing to help out though, maybe through different means. ...and no, never once did Jigs ask for spots.

hmmmm... you think that's coincidence?

that's about as close as i like getting to them..nasty things with an attitude. here's what they look like a little younger

:lol: :thumbsup_anim:

well, you have 5 months! lotsa time.

i think you just volunteered

hahha.. haven't heard that for a while raf no mo' boost

Graham knows the water well. If that's the route you wish to take, he's a good choice. It is Gbay and there are no guarantees other than you will learn something. He might even show you the shoal where the WR was caught.

MN has quickly emerged as a poster child for their musky conservation efforts. Kudos to them. Are you listening Wisconsin?

i think carp in current are a little more likely to hit a moving bait.. cuz they have to, otherwise the 'food' will be downstream in a hurry. still, getting one on a spinner is definately something different. i've caught a couple in the grand on lures as well, thinking i had a monster smallie on.

Jigger, I am guilty of doing what you describe on this site. My thoughts are there are far too many lurkers and people expecting a handout here. For better or worse, the powers that be decided this to be 'much more than a fishing site' which has worked to bring in volume. There are other places where I may go into more detail. Walmart vs JBs. I do post fish porn here, cause as a fisherman, I love fish porn and I know there are people here who like to stare at fish porn. However, I choose not to divulge info in any reports. As you found out, I'll probably share it in PM.

definately an anaconda. looks like a water snake.

Running wire or braid will get you down deeper than their chart. Their depth chart is based on 20lb mono if I remember correctly. I use Cabela's Depthmaster series rods. Well priced. They go on sale often too - either as a combo or stand-alone.

the angle of the shot does not help, but you can see the vertical pupil a little better with this blow-up i know they are often confused and the vert pupil is an excellent clue

we may have to agree to disagree. check out the middle pic again.. i'll see if i can blow it up a bit more when i get home. definately a vertical pupil a la the picture of a mass rattler below

looks like something that belongs under a tip-up for pike?

did anything break?? wind was relentless this wknd.

nice pike!!

trolling reels typically have large line capacity, lower gear ratios and may or may not come with a line counter feature. google okuma convector 20dlx to give you an idea of a decent, inexpensive trolling reel with a LC. daiwa has their 'sealine' line of reels which are excellent. when you buy your dipsy, it will come with a chart that tells you how deep it will run with x amount of line out. for this reason, a linecounter is a nice-to-have. it will give you a good idea of how deep you are running or, more importantly, repeatability (ie. you are catching fish with 100' of lnie out) quickly and easily. if you don't have a LC type reel, it's not the end of the world. measure the distance from your reel to your first guide. then, instead of just letting line out, "pull" line out by hand - each pull spanning the distance from your reel to that first guide. count these pulls. it's not an exact science but gives you a good basis (ie. distance from reel to 1st guide is 18", 60 pulls = 90' of line out - depending on the size of the dipsy you are using it will go xx feet deep with 90' line out.).

tell us a bit more about what you have.. length of rods, kind of reels.. typically you will want a dipsy rod (8'6-9'6) medium heavy and a trolling reel with a line counter is a big bonus. wire is not a neccessity but, you will want to run a higher # test than 6-8lb. i use 14lb xt for dipseys + lakers. i think that would be more than sufficient for open water walleye. wire or braid will 'get you down' with less line out but, my opinion, it will not be needed for eyes.

A dipsey diver is a poor man's downrigger. Basically an angled, weighted disc that is tied inline with your lure. It 'dives' as you troll, pulling your bait deep. It can also be angled so that it pulls your bait away from the boat, a bit like planer boards. It has a 'release' that opens when a fish strikes. People use them for lakers, salmon, etc. A dipsey diver creates a lot of drag in the water (like muskie lures), hence, the rods have lot of backbone and work well enough as muskie trolling rods. Dipsey rods are fairly inexpensive, you can get one down here for under $30-50. They typically come in 8'6" to 9'6" lengths. You'd have another weapon in your laker/salmon fishing arsenal too. Rigger rods are typically too 'floppy', but I'd give one a try anyways if that's all that is available. It's not so much about the fish and their power, it's the lures that you are using that neccessitate a heavy type of rod. You are going on world class water, with world class fish. They start @ 40" there. definately bring it.. and find a way to use it. they are deadly. lures with teeth marks have much more character too. I've always wished but never fished LOTW so I can't help there. It's a big and apparently VERY diverse lake when it comes to its make-up/structure. Generally speaking from what I've heard/read, Whitefish Bay area is apparently a deeper, less fertile section of LOTW with smaller numbers of bigger fish while other areas are shallower, weedy and hold higher densities but perhaps slightly smaller fish. I'm sure there are people here who can give you a better idea of where you will be.