Another Inland Sea report

[jimbow]

Tightening a release is a trade off but worth a try if you don't have any other option, but if you are having problems with perch that isn't good either. You can drag them around for a long time and no matter what size spoon you have you'll have no luck. However if you go old school with the old style releases that attach to the back of the down rigger ball with a small wire and cross lock. That way you can put it on "tighter" but you can tell if you have a perch, small salmon or laker on by the pulse in the pole tip. As far as the large vs small spoon controversy, I've caught more "big" salmon and lakers this year than in recent past. I find that true because i have run the large #3 Honey Bee, when you say large make sure you're not talking about the "Magnum" bee. They represent a different species than the abundant smelt I have encountered this year. The #3 is also a good substitute for the "teenage size" alewives that are around. I went with the hatch, after checking the stomach contents, most had adult size smelt or 2 1/2 to 3" long alewives, not the mature larger alewives that "Magnum" represents. As the summer moves on the smelt go deep and you have to adapt, but if you do pursue fish in the deeper water the "larger" # 3 is still fine. My "2 cents" is just a suggestion is to run a #3 or other brand larger spoon on the bottom and a smaller on on the slider or cheater and see what happens. I use this technique all the time and works for me. Hey, it's fishing, not catching.

[tamiron]

JIMBOW:

Great post!

"OLD SCHOOL" solutions that also works great on "hitch-hikers" ... lake trout that don't trip the release. Double spoon presentation as well!

[Lazybones]

Thanks for the advice gentlemen. Good stuff.