Newb Questions (Bear with me)

[aiacovo]

Hey guys, I'll apologize in advance for the lengthy post. My uncle died two years ago, i bought his old 89 Imperial walk around that he used for salmon on Ontario. I named the boat after him and had a great time with my uncle (his brother) trolling for salmon on his new boat. They are obviously all set up for trolling. The boat came with two Cannon downriggers. I have a garmin fish finder with clearvu, i know its not the best but itll have to do for now. I bought 4 rods to use with the down riggers, still have to buy two more for Dipsys. We fished in July with Flashers and Cut Bait Rigs, I need to outfit myself with cut bait rigs, flashers, spoons etc. Looking for recommendations on gear, working on getting a fish hawk x4 as well. Maybe next year ill buy a new fish finder but wont be in the budget for this year as i have to buy a bunch of lures, gear etc. Any recommendations would be appreciated, still need to figure out the whole when to use which gear for certain times of the year (early season, late season, hot/cold etc.) I have a lot to learn i know, just trying to get the gear necessary to start. Excited to enjoy what he enjoyed for so many years. Thank you in advance guys. 

[EdB]

Adding a 75ft, 150ft and 225ft or 250ft copper rod/reel would be a good addition.   150ft and 300ft lead cores are comparable too if you run across some deals on them. You will also need some inline planer boards to get them off the sides to run more rods in addition to riggers and divers. If you are fishing in the spring, spoons tend to work better than flashers/meat rigs so you might want to increase your colors of them.  Watch the forum ads, craigslist or ebay for used deals.  You can learn a lot from taking a charter or going out with an experienced angler.  If you pay for a charter, talk to them in advance, tell them your intent is to learn how to run a good program and ask if they will explain and teach you on the trip.  It can really shorten the learning curve but will cost as much as the gear you want to add so it depends on your budget.  If you were over here on Lk Michigan, I'm sure a lot of members here would offer to take and show you if you chipped in for gas. Maybe try that on the Lake Ontario United forum.

[EdB]

One more thing when buying lures during the season, watch local fishing reports and buy colors, brands that are working recently.

[Line Dancin]

don't just get meat rigs flies produce tons of fish. Spin doctor and fly combos are awesome. I  run a meat rig or two but mostly flasher fly combos.

 

[coralee]

I have found that Lakeshore Outfitters (Saugatuck exit) and The Outdoorsman Pro Shop in Jenisen are good people and will be a big help. Neither will just sell you stuff for the sale and they are in touch with whats working. 

PS Lakeshore outfitters now goes by Lakeshore Firearm and Tackle 

[EdB]

image of a 150, 300 and 450 ft lead core with inline planer boards