Milford Sunday

[DuckHuntingUSA]

Fished Milford Sunday. Not a single crappie. Caugh a whole bunch of huge White Bass, so big had to check almost everyones mouth to make sure they weren't wipers, caught a few short wipes. Whites are looking like Bearver Lake Whites, really HUGE!. Was shad breaking the surface in every cove I pulled into up there. Lots of shad this year. Managed one 22" eye in 24 fow at 1:00pm?

Bite was real good up till about 2:00pm. With lots of doubles and a couple triples. Fishing off the wires, 18 to 26 FOW, catching up at 14 and 10 ft down. Breaks in the upper end of the lake were the best, little wipes came off of main lake area in the morning.

Had some motor probs, and didn't fish the humps at mid lake.

Lake was 78 in the main pool, 80 in the upper end.

Silver and green RT's were the best, silver and black and silver and blue also worked, but silver and green was clearly better.

[HairyVetch]

I have been thinking about getting a pair of down riggers. How many rods per down rigger do you fish? What model do you use? I think I would need to use my rear seat base and make some type of platform to mount them to but I think I could make it work.

I have not been out to Milford in a few years but man that sounds like a blast.

[DuckHuntingUSA]

I love my Cannon's. The salmon boat I fish off off uses Big Jon (sponser) but I've had good luck with the Cannons. I usually only run 2 poles off a wire, 3 and I start haveing trouble calculateing out the depth, I don't have one of those wire angle, speed calculator things.
Only thing bout them, when you get into the fish good, it becomes work. Yesterday me and the fishing partner had sweat dripping into our eyes for bout 3 hours. We judge our fishing by the speed of our recovery, faster you recover, more fish you catch. Couple time yesterday, seemed like we were constantly recovering, fish flopping in the bottom of the boat, trying to snap back in and get the lures out of the net. Working hard.

Clues to remember on downriggers:
Number on the counter isn't your moveing depth. More lines on the wire, bigger lures, means shallower weight at same number.
The spring loaded clips are easier then the rubber bands or the lever type clips.
Keep an extra weight and terminator kit in the boat, espically fishing by the bridge on the upper end of Beaver Lake. Watch that break by the ramp!!!!
Make sure you mount them where you can easily and confortably get to the wire over the water. Big wind and waves means big fish, ya got to be able to snap in pretty easy without falling out. Over the back next to the motor isn't a good spot.
Don't be turning the boat when going down.
Try and keep the lures the same distance from the boat so it looks like a school.
Retrieve fouled lines fast before they start getting spun up.
Make sure you use lures that run straight and don't break out at your speed.
I always use the same type of lure, not weight but brand.
When you catch doubles and triples, feel the pole and bring in the heaviest first dragging the others. They won't come off as long as you don't stop the boat and give um slack.
Bring the lures closer together when you figure out their depth. When you go thru um and hook up on every pole, then your doing it perfect!
When useing the downriggers fishing for big fish, keep two nets in the boat.


For added fun, try keeping your lures as close to the wire as you can get fish to bite. When they take it, the fish will be more under you then behind you. Its a little different fight, fish is a lot closer. Figure it'll still have a lot of fight at the boat. Figure they'll spook hard when they see the boat.
My boat, I can drag 4 down, 2 off the side on planners or dispy divers, and 2 long straight off the back, total of 8. Anymore then that just gets to be too much in my little boat. Planners on Hillsdale or any other heavy traffic lake, isn't worth the headaches.

Saftey note:
When we get more then 2 fish over 20 inches flopping around in the bottom of the boat, we put on the gloves. Too many hooks flying around.

Good luck, have fun, see ya out there.
Chris

[HairyVetch]

Very good info Chris, thanks for the detailed response. I think Nick and I are going to come over this evening and check out your rig. I have been intrued by this for years and I appreciate you letting us come have a look.

[DuckHuntingUSA]

Shore, no problem. I don't know everything, but I aways try and be of service to the public, just give me a call b4 ya come over. I can show ya what I got and tell ya what I wish I had.

What ya need is a cannon digitroll, hooked up into your fish finder, GPS and auto pilot. Thats rideing in style. I ain't got nothing like that, but I can tell ya about it. :D

Thats been my perfeered style of fishing for my perfered species for a while now. Catches a lot of different kind of fish, lots of big fish, sometimes actually the fish I want to catch (wipers over 24" Stripes over 30").

I left something out of those clues. Ya really need a buddy with ya who can handle himself, rigging and big fish (SHduckman comes to mind). Recovery times are dependant on you and your fishing partners ability to work together in close quarters. If your rigging and trying to hit the GPS spots in wind close to big breaks and your buddies trying to get the hook out of his hand, day gets long fast. Summer time, when you start fishing in the dark running GPS routes, make sure guy or guys with you is good, otherwise it ain't so good. Biggest stripers I've caught in the summer heat were all caught at night. Its doable by yourself, but in windy conditions, without autopilot you'll have your hands full, espically when ya start trying to land multiples up over 20". Get into the real stripes up in the 30"s by yourself and you'll really be challenged. I like it!!!!!!!!

[Sarge]

Silver and green RT's were the best, silver and black and silver and blue also worked, but silver and green was clearly better.

What are RT's? I'm guessing either Rattle Traps or Rooster Tails?

[DuckHuntingUSA]

Got the lower unit rebuilt this week, headed out there again Saturday. Green Crestliner Superhawk with the Cannons pointed over the sides. Say hi if your passing by.