downrigger advice.....

[Capt. Lou]

Originally Posted by jimmythegreek

i hae been on lotsa boats w DR and just started on my boat this year. For reservoirs around here some basic lures are sutton spoons #66 or similar, (cleos, crocodiles, etc.) are kinda the same. Also rapala type floating stick baits work too, #11 is what Ive been using. Use floro leader, 6 or 8 is plenty, and if you can get a cheap FF to find the thermocline thats the best bet. Most of the trout will be at the lower end of thermocline, occasionally u will find them up from there but thats when they are actively feeding. I think speeds posted are too fast IMO, Ive seen 1.5 mph as the suggested trollin speed for RV. Another great way to troll is w a bait rig, basically u clip a herring into it and it trolls it spinning it slowly so it flashes, they r killer for trout. Lakers are gonna be deep, they can suspend beneath the thermocline but I wouldnt even target them if you dont have electronics. U can also drift herring w a 1/4 or slightly heavier weight a few feet up from your line about 20-30 feet below boat and that works too....

P
I personally have not used an inexpensive FF that would indetify the thermocline , not break but vertical thickness , which one do you use ?
Is it wet mounted ? I'm rigging a small boat later this season &'this would help my selection.
I fish a lot with my neighbor who's a walleye nut & he has two Lorance on his boat not sure of models but neither one will acco
Plush this.

[jimmythegreek]

any of the decent humminbirds that have dual beam plus will show thermoclines if you turn the sensitivity all the way up. The newer ones have switchfire and u just turn that on and it shows. I have a 595color GPS at the helm that is 20 degree only (3yrs old) and I can see it decent on that with it on 10 sensitivtity. My older one a 565 black&white showed it too that was dual 20/60 degree cones. My new one (1 mo old) is a 998 SI/DI w dual beam and switchfire and I can see it w just 5 outta 10 on normal mode. I fished aeroflex 3 weeks ago and there was a solid thermocline lakewide at 21 feet about 3 feet thick. sun morning I hit it at 5am til almost noon and there wasnt anything solid, there was only a sparse band from 35-30 feet but not a true thermocline even over 100ft deep water. I think some of these lakes fluctuate because of rain water that leeches in, I couldnt understand how the thermocline disappeared in the lake, maybe it turned over somehow? I was gonna fish for some trout but couldnt mark anything rly deep i didnt see a single fish past 25 feet all day even on side imaging. I also saw the post on here from the 110 trout caught at nite in RV and they said they anchored in 60-70ft and fished 45 feet deep. I would think the thermocline there would be 30ft or less but maybe there isnt one w all the springs there at the left of the boat launch in laker alley? idk Id love to know how that thermocline works and how it sets up. Its the key to catching summer trout....

[DoubleG]

Capt Lou - I have the Humminbird 597 CI HD Combo and it works great, you can see the thermocline with the touch of a button. Very easy to use and the GPS is pretty good too. Next time I get out I'll take a picture so you can see if its what you are looking for.

[Capt. Lou]

Maybe I'm not understanding what you are describing is a temperature break or the top layer of the thermo , the thermo itself csn be very thick . It exhibits three distinct levels epilominon & hypolimium. Any lake that contains levels of of oxygen thru bottom levels.
Do those machines just exhibit the break or read it complete?
My Furunos could read it on grayline setting, but my temp gauge can do it much more accurately !
I'd like to see a photo of what your referring to as temp break which is only the beginning of the thermo, all solid body of coldwater,0

[jimmythegreek]

yes you are correct. U cannot see every layer and actual temps but the oxygen levels and temp affect the sonar sent thru the water and def show up on screen. I have been out trolling or pulling planer boards and spent alot of time marking fish and I can see the trout hugging the bottom foot of the thermocline in some reservoirs when there is a thermocline. I did mark a few fish under it that I beleive to have been lakers so theres no telling the actual layers and their depths to high accuracy, but its MORE than enough to set your DR up and figure out where they are suspending......the only way to do so is with a temp probe on your ball, like what you have used

[Capt. Lou]

Ok, just wanted to clarify this thermo issue with a lower end FF.
This is what I thought , not an issue I never use DR's in local lakes anyway. I fish / troll deep utilizing different methods entirely.

Thanks,
Lou

PS the thermcline is never found at the lakes bottom it's actually the top temp break layer. There's three layers of water that are found witin this break , thermo is top break , then comes two others. Some lakes like Swartswood do not contain oxygen at that level , they now pump it in via aerators to sustain cold water fisheries . RV & some other lakes this is not an issue!

[jimmythegreek]

yeah ive noticed this actually. In some deeper lakes w a pronounced thermocline up high like in 20-30ft of water there is almost no oxygen below the top break line, I will not mark a single fish below that break. In deeper waters like aeroflex for instance the thermocline fluctuates for some reason (I beleive rain runoff/springs) there will be a less concentrated thermocline but will mark an occasional fish below the bottom of that break, which I guess to be trout only and landlocked salmon in that lake. Bigger reservoirs which are spring fed like RV sometimes show several temp breaks, and u will mark fish even at the bottom in over 100ft of water i those places so there has to be some oxygen there even if its not much. I think swartswood did good by adding the bubblers, it keeps fish healthier and holding over, and keeps better water clarity overall. U can also find lotsa fish sitting close to the bubblers helps keep them concentrated