Subaqua Adinterim

Went to one of the fingerlakes near Rochester yesterday. I try to go there at least once a week. Have been having some luck in prior weeks on Senkos Caught just two yesterday, LMB that we're small. Also caught a good size pickerel. I fish out of a kayak and whenever I cross the lake, I troll a small crank bait. Yesterday morning, I put on this thing that I got when I was a kid about 40 years ago, looks like a full size bass shrunk down to the size of your thumb with a plastic lip and two hooks on it. Never caught anything on it, but it looked good and yesterday as I looked at the stuff in my plastic box, I figured I'd give that lure a shot. About halfway across the lake, my pole bent over (I keep my rod holders in front of me when I troll so I can watch the pole when trolling). Grabbed the pole and I knew I had something big on. Got towed around for about ten minutes and I was finally able to get it up and next to the kayak. It was a huge lake trout, close to two feet long. Tried to net it but it was too big for the net, since my net is only about 16 inches across and about the same depth. The trout was barely hooked on one of the small treble hooks, so when I tried to net it, the hooks got caught in the rubber mesh and the fish got off. It took a few seconds for it to figure out it was free and then it just swam down toward the bottom. It was a pretty neat experience that can be chalked up to dumb luck. There were a few boats around that we're trolling lead lines, and they watched me fight the fish and try to land it and were just as amazed as I was. Since I release everything I catch, I was glad that it got off after it got up near the kayak so I could see it. This is not the first time that I've had luck trolling in my kayak, just the first time with a laker.

Hey - you're catching some nice fish and having fun. Whether or not what you're using is the best quality, has the best packaging, biggest name pro endorser etc. - does not matter. There is no denying that some of what you pay for in a name brand lure is for the name and in most cases, not all, you get better quality. What matters for you is that these are affordable and productive. Keep catching fish and having fun.

Will What color grass minnow are you using. I am in the Rochester area and use primarily Senkos,however, am open to learning other techniques.

Definitely a pfd and have it on - not something to be put on after you are in the water. I dumped once and when it happens it happens so fast. I try to keep things to a minimum, since even though I have hundreds of lures, only a handful can be counted on to produce. Take the ones you can count on and a few you might want to experiment with. I have a sit on top 10' wilderness tarpon. If you use a seat pad make sure it's a thin one, as you don't want to raise your center of gravity too high for stability reasons on some kayaks. I usually take 2 or 3 poles. I have 2 rod holders in front of me so I can see when I'm trolling if I get a hit. Poles are 6'6" down to 5' depending on what I'm fishing for. I take a few bags of soft plastics and a plastic box for a few spoons, spinners and jigs. Needle nose pliers and a net with rubber mesh, since hooks won't snag up in this as much. Here's a tip that may save you some gear - get some foam insulation, the type that comes in 4' lengths that is used for copper water lines. Cut it to 6" lengths and put it on your rods above the handle. If your pole goes in the water it will float it enough for you to grab it. You may need a little more or less than 6" depending on the weight of your rod & reel. Have fun and enjoy the fishing, it's definitely a great experience getting towed around by a good size fish.

So the leader material has less stretch than the reel fill line? I was using Pline floro leader material and then ran out so now I'm using Triline floro left over from the end of a refill spool. Seems as tough and thin, however, may be less stretch since it is much easier to work with than the Pline, not as stiff.

Shad run in the Delaware River. I have seen this jig used several years ago near Downsville, NY to catch Shad. By the time these shad get that far north they are pretty much spent, much like salmon at the end of the run. I have read that shad are sought after in the southern part of the Delaware River. Read a book once, I think it was called Patriot Fish or something similar (a very tedious read),which detailed more than anyone would ever want to know about shad. Back in the Revolutionary War times, these were an important food source for the settlers.