# Fish Hawk



## Erik Hopperton (Jun 30, 2005)

are there any competitors for Fish Hawk?


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## D J (Jul 8, 2010)

There was moor subtroll, but they are out of business.


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## TRIPLE-J (Sep 18, 2006)

cannon used to make a down temp unit too but not sure if they still do or not


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## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

Depthraider but you need coated cable as does Moore Sub Troll. 

Fishhawk is really the only real game in town


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## Erik Hopperton (Jun 30, 2005)

That is what i think I am realizing. I want to setup for salmon next year so I am building a list of minimal equipment to start with.



K gonefishin said:


> Depthraider but you need coated cable as does Moore Sub Troll.
> 
> Fishhawk is really the only real game in town


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## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

Yeah it’s expensive to get rolling. I’d get two wire divers, two riggers, 13 lb torpedoes, blacks releases. 20 spoons 10 spin docs with flies and a copper rod to start. You can catch fish without speed and temp but I would rather have that than my graph lol.


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## captainshotgun (Jul 8, 2009)

K gonefishin said:


> Yeah it’s expensive to get rolling. I’d get two wire divers, two riggers, 13 lb torpedoes, blacks releases. 20 spoons 10 spin docs with flies and a copper rod to start. You can catch fish without speed and temp but I would rather have that than my graph lol.


Would you run 4 riggers if you could?


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## Erik Hopperton (Jun 30, 2005)

I planned on two wire dipseys maybe 4, and i have two riggers coming. 

40lb mono on the riggers?

Copper was last on my list, i appreciate your feedback. I also planned to go with 9" or 9.5" rods.



K gonefishin said:


> Yeah it’s expensive to get rolling. I’d get two wire divers, two riggers, 13 lb torpedoes, blacks releases. 20 spoons 10 spin docs with flies and a copper rod to start. You can catch fish without speed and temp but I would rather have that than my graph lol.


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## captainshotgun (Jul 8, 2009)

Kgone! Would you run 4 riggers if you could?


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## dgfidler (Sep 22, 2014)

I know you didn’t ask me, but when I’m up at Lake O, I see plenty of boats with four riggers. I personally catch very few fish on the riggers there, but I’m a ‘read a book go once a year’ salmon fisherman. I’d rather have 200 and 300 copper setups than an extra downrigger because most of my fish come on these and dipsy lines. I suspect there’s some science behind knowing how far to set baits behind the ball and I’m not in the know. I set back 15-20 ft. 


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

I have run 2, 3 and 4 for many , many years on lake O. My favorite and final setup was 3 riggers. I caught more fish on that set up than 4. It was really 2 on one side and one on the other side. Center rigger set 5ft deeper than the closet side rigger and 5-10 ft farther back with Flasher fly or magnum spoon. Many days the fish would come on the side rigger set slight higher and shorter than the deep rigger with a regular size spoon. After a bunch of fish on the higher spoon, we pulled the bottom flasher and replaced with same spoon that is firing only to have riggers go dead. Put flasher fly on deep center again and spoon right above starts firing again. We repeated this too many times on many days over many years for it be to a fluke.

Everyone has their own favorite spreads, that was mine.

I have two working Moore Subtrolls and parts are still available.


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## D J (Jul 8, 2010)

I vote for 3 riggers too, except I like a large fish n' chips style flasher with a meat rig on the center rigger. I also run that one a bit deeper than the two side riggers.


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## dgfidler (Sep 22, 2014)

Lundy said:


> I have run 2, 3 and 4 for many , many years on lake O. My favorite and final setup was 3 riggers. I caught more fish on that set up than 4. It was really 2 on one side and one on the other side. Center rigger set 5ft deeper than the closet side rigger and 5-10 ft farther back with Flasher fly or magnum spoon. Many days the fish would come on the side rigger set slight higher and shorter than the deep rigger with a regular size spoon. After a bunch of fish on the higher spoon, we pulled the bottom flasher and replaced with same spoon that is firing only to have riggers go dead. Put flasher fly on deep center again and spoon right above starts firing again. We repeated this too many times on many days over many years for it be to a fluke.
> 
> Everyone has their own favorite spreads, that was mine.
> 
> I have two working Moore Subtrolls and parts are still available.


It’s definitely not a fluke. The books I read (Dan Keating) went into a lot of detail about how the riggers, low diver, and high divers work together to draw fish into the ‘spread’ where a flasher/fly in the rigger might draw the fish in and it ultimately hits the spoon on the low diver or other rigger which is in close proximity. I think this is what differentiates those of who go there infrequently don’t get enough time on water to get the ‘feel’ for the optimal spread. When the bite is good, there’s definitely enough fish for the once a year people to have a 5-6 fish day running mix of flasher/fly and spoons while the locals might have twice the productivity. 

When there’s a good thermocline set up in late June through mid-July, you’ll get fish fishing in the vicinity of the 50 degree water depth wise with a 50/50’mix of spoons and flasher/fly. I think the perfect ‘I don’t really know what I’m doing but catch some fish is a pair of downriggers one with spoon, one with flasher/fly run in 50 degree water. A low diver mag dipsy on one setting running 5-10 ft above the rigger next to it and a standard dipsy on 3 setting running with 35-50 ft longer lead than the mag dipsy next to it plus a 200 copper and 300 copper on boards on opposite side of boat. Those copper lines are outside the ‘spread’ and can independently pick up stray (large) fish. This gives you a nice six line ‘spread’ plus to bonus lines on boards and unless the fish are not biting that day, you’ll have really good chances. They say it’s possible to put too much hardware out also, so if this isn’t working, try removing the high divers. With walkeye, more lines is better while many believe less lines is sometimes better with salmon. 

Even if you don’t have all the equipment, I encourage you to go, that lake is much less crowded than Erie and the Kings are very fun to catch. 


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## Erik Hopperton (Jun 30, 2005)

I am looking to buy to riggers this year to prepare for next year. 
I have been researching them but have not seen moore is that worth me looking into.



Lundy said:


> I have run 2, 3 and 4 for many , many years on lake O. My favorite and final setup was 3 riggers. I caught more fish on that set up than 4. It was really 2 on one side and one on the other side. Center rigger set 5ft deeper than the closet side rigger and 5-10 ft farther back with Flasher fly or magnum spoon. Many days the fish would come on the side rigger set slight higher and shorter than the deep rigger with a regular size spoon. After a bunch of fish on the higher spoon, we pulled the bottom flasher and replaced with same spoon that is firing only to have riggers go dead. Put flasher fly on deep center again and spoon right above starts firing again. We repeated this too many times on many days over many years for it be to a fluke.
> 
> Everyone has their own favorite spreads, that was mine.
> 
> I have two working Moore Subtrolls and parts are still available.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

My go to ended being 3 riggers, 2 wire line dipseys and occasionally a copper. Didn't need more than that , easy to run. Tight turns were easy, and less to clear when you needed to. I went for years around the 3rd week of August and the last 7-8 years switched to mid July. July became my favorite. If you are lucky and don't get a big blow to push in cold water and have stable weather the thermocline is 45-60ft down and fairly defined.. Easy fishing when the temp is that shallow. I could fish within a few miles of Oak Orchard river mouth and have very little boat traffic and catch limits of nice kings with nice firm meat in just a few hours of fishing most days. I could stay below the dreaded steelhead most of the time and just target the kings. It is really nice not needing to worry about you or another boat needing to change course to avoid each others path. Many a day I would run East of West a couple of miles and be all alone for the morning and especially a evening trip, most all of the charters are all done for the day. Been a couple of years for me , I miss it.


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## Erik Hopperton (Jun 30, 2005)

I can't wait for next year... goal 8s to rig my boat for this and be ready July 2021.....


Lundy said:


> My go to ended being 3 riggers, 2 wire line dipseys and occasionally a copper. Didn't need more than that , easy to run. Tight turns were easy, and less to clear when you needed to. I went for years around the 3rd week of August and the last 7-8 years switched to mid July. July became my favorite. If you are lucky and don't get a big blow to push in cold water and have stable weather the thermocline is 45-60ft down and fairly defined.. Easy fishing when the temp is that shallow. I could fish within a few miles of Oak Orchard river mouth and have very little boat traffic and catch limits of nice kings with nice firm meat in just a few hours of fishing most days. I could stay below the dreaded steelhead most of the time and just target the kings. It is really nice not needing to worry about you or another boat needing to change course to avoid each others path. Many a day I would run East of West a couple of miles and be all alone for the morning and especially a evening trip, most all of the charters are all done for the day. Been a couple of years for me , I miss it.


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## FishOhioQuest (Jul 10, 2020)

Lundy said:


> My go to ended being 3 riggers, 2 wire line dipseys and occasionally a copper. Didn't need more than that , easy to run. Tight turns were easy, and less to clear when you needed to. I went for years around the 3rd week of August and the last 7-8 years switched to mid July. July became my favorite. If you are lucky and don't get a big blow to push in cold water and have stable weather the thermocline is 45-60ft down and fairly defined.. Easy fishing when the temp is that shallow. I could fish within a few miles of Oak Orchard river mouth and have very little boat traffic and catch limits of nice kings with nice firm meat in just a few hours of fishing most days. I could stay below the dreaded steelhead most of the time and just target the kings. It is really nice not needing to worry about you or another boat needing to change course to avoid each others path. Many a day I would run East of West a couple of miles and be all alone for the morning and especially a evening trip, most all of the charters are all done for the day. Been a couple of years for me , I miss it.


Lundy in mid July were the salmon below the thermo cline? Never been to lake Ontario but hope to get there next year myself. Caught steelhead last month at Erie targeting the thermo cline and was wondering how the salmon set up and what to look for on the graph?


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Fish areas of bait, run your lures in the right temp,50-57, determine the best speed and angle of troll to the current and your odds of catching salmon are very good. A speed and temp probe make the temp and lake current trolling direction process much easier. Some days all of your fish will only come on a very specific compass heading. Keep playing with trolling directions while watching the changes on your down speed probe and you find directions that will out perform the others. If you are catching primarily steelhead you are not fishing deep enough. Fishfinder usage is no different in Lake Ontario than anywhere else, it marks bait and fish, fish where the fish are.


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## Erik Hopperton (Jun 30, 2005)

Lundy said:


> Fish areas of bait, run your lures in the right temp,50-57, determine the best speed and angle of troll to the current and your odds of catching salmon are very good. A speed and temp probe make the temp and lake current trolling direction process much easier. Some days all of your fish will only come on a very specific compass heading. Keep playing with trolling directions while watching the changes on your down speed probe and you find directions that will out perform the others. If you are catching primarily steelhead you are not fishing deep enough. Fishfinder usage is no different in Lake Ontario than anywhere else, it marks bait and fish, fish where the fish are.


Thanks for input....


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## walleyenate (Jun 16, 2011)

Which fishhawk system is everybody running? I would only use it for walleye.


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## HappySnag (Dec 20, 2007)

walleyenate said:


> Which fishhawk system is everybody running? I would only use it for walleye.


i would go with this
https://fishhawkelectronics.com/fish-hawk-systems/fish-hawk-x4-system/


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