Fishhook Flea infestation

[Reelax]

Noticed yesterday the verticals lines of riggers were hammered with fleas and lead core and slide divers that are more horizontal weren’t as bad. I think going to 30lb mono on riggers and flicking them off before the pile up will help. We also just started cutting off terminations and pulling flees off end then retying. It was faster and less work....

[Off season]

I step it up to 40 lb Big game for Ontario, that added thickness to the line seems even better. They don't seem to be able to wrap around it as much.

[digitroll (ron)]

I am setting up a few additional Lite Bite setups with the Magnum Ring. Using 30 lb Mono to replace the braid and wire rods. Typically they say mono divers will go as deep as 40 ft. I will test with my Fish Hawk TD this week and report back with the data.

[mudchuck]

I'm curious to know if anyone on here uses the bottom bouncers weights on mono with the stickbait or spoon on a long leader instead of the downriggers or lead core line when the fleas are as bad as they are now.
Perhaps a heavier than normal one like they use in the great lakes, upwards of 6oz.
The walleye guys on the GL's use these, but wondering if can be adapted to LC.
I'm thinking of giving it a try with 20# trilene...thoughts?

No One?!

[early bird]

I stopped by the Converse launch this morning and was talking to the LC Basin guy there who does the boat checks. I was telling him about this issue. He was aware of the spiny fleas but not the fish hooks. If you think about it when you're on the water, put a sample of what you pull off your line in a plastic bag and give it to the basin folks at the launch (hopefully they're there). They'll get it up to UVM for analysis and hopefully a solution.
As previously mentioned, if you travel to another body of water, you need to do a good job of power washing your rig. Once they enter a water system, they're impossible to get rid of (at least for now).
What a mess!!!

[striper192001]

How/why does the 30 lb Mono work ??

[digitroll (ron)]

They can't get their little claws around as easily as a smaller diameter line. It's been a go to solution out in the Great Lakes for decades. There are instances when the fleas have become so bad that 40 lb is used in Ontario.

[digitroll (ron)]

Testing today with my Fish Hawk TD with the 30 lb Mono Lite Bite rod with a standard 4" Lite Bite. 120 ft out on a setting yielded 33 ft down and 160 feet out yielded 41 ft down. After that there was no benefit with more line out. 200 ft was 42 ft. What I have read is that Mono Divers are generally good to 40 ft of depth.

With the Mag ring I gained 10 feet more depth with 120 ft of line out at 40 ft just like braid and wire. Not sure beyond that it will keep diving due to the stretch of mono. I don't like the drag of the Mag ring as it pulls very hard. I didn't try it at 160 feet out. Maybe it will get to 50 ft and that's it? Another day.

Overall I was quite pleased with my Mono Lite Bite rod and it's capabilities. Maybe I will use the Mag Ring at some point on one of them. I know Wet the Net charters out off the Niagara Bar for Kings likes running his Slide Diver Mono setups when fishing up high.

[dry net]

What was the setting Ron?

[digitroll (ron)]

3 setting

[dry net]

thx

[digitroll (ron)]

The Mag ring pulls the 9 ft Dipsy rod so much it looks like a down rigger rod horizontal. Yikes!

[Reelax]

Great data Ron, Thanks for taking the time to measure and report back.....

[digitroll (ron)]

Your welcome Matt and others. The 30 lb line on rigger rods and diver rods at least is an option till these fleas die off when the water cools.

Make sure the triggers on both sides of the Lite Bite are adjusted light. With Mono and the stretch it's more difficult to trip them to change lures. I adjust the course trigger running to the rod as light as possible to release easily when yanking the rod to manually release it.

In both cases the small fish on the light trigger or the rod end they should be adjusted as light as possible. New ones out of the package should be adjusted every time. Braid and Wire have no stretch and make it easier to release the divers. Mono=stretch.

[tamiron]

Off the wall !

Don't have a boat right now, so this is from the "ivory tower"! I don't care much for ivory tower ideas ... but here goes!

If the fish hook fleas, can't hold onto 30# plus mono or oval shaped Cortland Flea Flicker line, maybe their "arms" i.e. claws are too "short" to get a grip before washing away. What if someone were to soak a rag with WD-40. Spool out 100 or more feet of line with nothing attached. Reel the line back onto the spool, while running your line through the rag just before it enters the reel.

Now we have a slippery surface that won't damage the mono and the scent doesn't seem to bother the fish (some people claim to spray it on their lures) to mask human scent. Maybe the arms/claws of the fleas will find it too slippery to hold onto. If this works even partially, it may also make it easier to remove what fleas do collect. Thank RELAX for patiently answering all my questions.