early season lakers

[SirCranksalot]

Sorry---I didn't realize you were fishing an area where bass season is open tear round. My apologies

 

[CrowMan]

3 minutes ago, SirCranksalot said:

Sorry---I didn't realize you were fishing an area where bass season is open tear round. My apologies

 

Actually I was fishing in FMZ 20...catch & release for Bass from Jan 1 to May 10.

If it wasn't C&R only, I'd post some photos of some absolutely monster Smallies. 5 for 25 is  a regular occurrence in the spring. This past weekend was off the charts..

The east end of FMZ 20 has a combination of probably one of the top 5 Smallmouth fisheries on the planet, along with the best Lake Trout fishing south of Nipigon. Oh...and I forgot, also one of the best trophy Walleye fisheries in the world...and while I'm thinking about it, one of the primo Steelhead rivers in the Great Lakes, just across the border..

[siwash]

I was intending to target lakers in year round Haliburton lakes... many of the lakes there are stocked and open all year!

[BillM]

11 hours ago, CrowMan said:

Actually I was fishing in FMZ 20...catch & release for Bass from Jan 1 to May 10.

If it wasn't C&R only, I'd post some photos of some absolutely monster Smallies. 5 for 25 is  a regular occurrence in the spring. This past weekend was off the charts..

The east end of FMZ 20 has a combination of probably one of the top 5 Smallmouth fisheries on the planet, along with the best Lake Trout fishing south of Nipigon. Oh...and I forgot, also one of the best trophy Walleye fisheries in the world...and while I'm thinking about it, one of the primo Steelhead rivers in the Great Lakes, just across the border..

I've heard stories about those far east end lakers.   Not many folks out there pressuring them either.  

[SirCranksalot]

anybody use these?

[SirCranksalot]

Or these?

[CrowMan]

*

Edited April 22, 2023 by CrowMan

[CrowMan]

26 minutes ago, SirCranksalot said:

anybody use these?

Yeah, mooching cut herring for Salmon in BC.

[CrowMan]

31 minutes ago, SirCranksalot said:

Or these?

For Salmon trolling, I prefer Dipsy Divers...mainly because they're directional so I can use multiple rods in the spread. Wire line Dipsys with a tinsel fly behind a Spin Doctor...luv those rips !

The Jet Diver, as pictured, seems to have a following on Erie amongst the Walleye guys...often they're dragging a worm harnesses behind it.

But to answer your question...neither of those for Lake Trout...I like to keep a minimum of terminal tackle between me and that kind of fish.

Edited April 22, 2023 by CrowMan

[smitty55]

3 hours ago, SirCranksalot said:

anybody use these?

I've used those a lot over the years, I even have an 8oz one. Mostly the 1 and 2oz size. For those not familiar with them your line hooks underneath those clips on the far side and then up under those loops so it can slide along your line. So you had let out as much line as you want then attach the sinker and then lighty pinch your line in that ring loop to hold it in place. When you have a fish on once the sinker hits your rod tip the line pops out of the pinch and slides down to your lure, or you or preferably a buddy could remove it manually but for that period of time your rod isn't in play to fight the fish so that can be touchy. Just have to make sure your line is heavy enough that it doesn't get damaged by the pinch. They work quite well for their intended use.

[smitty55]

2 hours ago, CrowMan said:

But to answer your question...neither of those for Lake Trout...I like to keep a minimum of terminal tackle between me and that kind of fish.

I'm talking inland lakes in Ontario and Quebec for Greys, I've used those slip weight sinkers for Lakers to get a spoon down earlier in the season and also the 1oz later in the summer with small gang trolls for Rainbows and Specks in back lakes. The best thing to do is actually remove them but after losing a nice Speck while buddy fiddled with it I said never again.

So I'm curious as to how they were used when you were Salmon fishing in BC. Did they just let them slide?

[CrowMan]

10 hours ago, smitty55 said:

I'm talking inland lakes in Ontario and Quebec for Greys, I've used those slip weight sinkers for Lakers to get a spoon down earlier in the season and also the 1oz later in the summer with small gang trolls for Rainbows and Specks in back lakes. The best thing to do is actually remove them but after losing a nice Speck while buddy fiddled with it I said never again.

So I'm curious as to how they were used when you were Salmon fishing in BC. Did they just let them slide?

With a mooching presentation, once the fish hit we just let them slide. Considering these were Chinooks that were 25lb + it really didn't interfere with the fight. The ones we used at lodges on the west coast were 4 to 6 oz...although they did have 16oz versions for bottom fishing Halibut and Lingcod.

The problem with the Gibbs sliders (as pictured) is they are little fiddly to unclip...you certainly can't do it single-handed. That's why I prefer the snap weights for Trout and Walleyes...the clothespin style release is as quick and easy as can be to release. Also the rubber pads protect the line better....those Gibbs weights not so much, but out west we're using 20lb mono mainline so doesn't matter as much.

Bottom line is...with " middleweight" fighters like Trout and Walleye, I want the weight off the line asap, so I can enjoy the battle to its full potential. For that reason, I'll stick with snap weights for freshwater fishing...I don't see any advantage to the Gibbs slider.

[SirCranksalot]

On 4/22/2023 at 10:21 PM, smitty55 said:

 So you had let out as much line as you want then attach the sinker and then lighty pinch your line in that ring loop to hold it in place. When you have a fish on once the sinker hits your rod tip the line pops out of the pinch and slides down to your lure, or you or preferably a buddy could remove it manually but for that period of time your rod isn't in play to fight the fish so that can be touchy. Just have to make sure your line is heavy enough that it doesn't get damaged by the pinch. They work quite well for their intended use.

I'm not sure if I am reading this right. I have only tried mine once or twice and did not get a hit. My understanding of the 'proper' way of using them(if there is such a thing as 'proper') was to attach them a short dist from the bait---maybe 5-10 ft?----and that when you did a vigorous hook set they would slide down the line. I may well be wrong on that

[smitty55]

5 hours ago, SirCranksalot said:

I'm not sure if I am reading this right. I have only tried mine once or twice and did not get a hit. My understanding of the 'proper' way of using them(if there is such a thing as 'proper') was to attach them a short dist from the bait---maybe 5-10 ft?----and that when you did a vigorous hook set they would slide down the line. I may well be wrong on that

You can put the sinker as far away from the lure/bait as you want. So lets say you let out 50ft of line and then attach it making sure the pinch loop is facing the rod. That way when it reaches the rod tip you can give it a quick tug with your hand to release the line from the pinch and it will free slide down. In a way it's kind of similar to how they use lead core spliced in between your main line and a leader for depth control or as CM mentioned using snap weights. As you said there may be no proper way, you could reverse the weight and then hope the fish strike is hard enough to release the line but then that loop would slide into your line tie. Speaking of which, a bead would be a good idea to protect the knot too. I saw one site that used them for bottom fishing, while another site called them a poor mans downrigger. Go figure. I saw one site that only used a 2-4' length of heavy line just ahead of the flasher. Perhaps CrowMan can elaborate as to exactly how they used them for mooching when he was out. From what I thought they use a long rod and line counter reel and mono to a bead chain keel sinker and a 5' to 8' leader with a 2 hook system to hook an angled cut bait so that it spins rapidly. I also saw one setup that used a similar bead chain and bead with a keel type sinker but it was a slider with a teflon tube attached.

Cheers