# V town Hogs



## Taddow (Sep 16, 2010)

Went out Sunday 8 miles N- NW out of Vermilion in search of the Eyes ( we brought minnows for backup). We were running reef runners with 2oz weights anywhere from 90 to 120 back. Slow going because we were are out of practice. Once we had our gear in the water it was on!!!! First walleye in 2 months was a 10lb. Caught 6 more in the 7 to 8lb. The rest were descent in the 3 to 5lb range. My buddy and I couldn't beleive how little space we had left in the cooler. Grins from ear to ear. I'd say that the hogs are back, the hogs are back!!!


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## The Big Ugly (Jan 5, 2010)

Good job on the hogs! I guess we went out too far, we couldnt get em to bite, marks everywhere but no takers.


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## My Demeyes (Aug 2, 2010)

I fished there sunday, tons of marks, no takers. A buddy fished the same area monday 12 fish went 97 lbs, the biggest was 14.2 lbs. I also got a report from another buddy that caught 2 hogs from shore last night at nickelplate beach, and had one straighten out a swivel. The fish are definately in the area.


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## Buckeye Ron (Feb 3, 2005)

My Demeyes,
Sure would have liked to seen a pic of that big one. I was there Sunday also and only managed to get a hold of 2 and only got one in the boat.
Ron


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## Hooch (Apr 14, 2004)

Ha! I bet that swivel was a Eagle Claw! I had a friend straighten one out on Sunday while perch fishing. Must have been a sheepie or walleye. I say walleye, because sheep head don't come off!


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## My Demeyes (Aug 2, 2010)

Buckeye Ron said:


> My Demeyes,
> Sure would have liked to seen a pic of that big one. I was there Sunday also and only managed to get a hold of 2 and only got one in the boat.
> Ron


I also would have liked to see it, he was pretty excited about all the big fish they caught. I guess the guys at the fish house were amazed on the girth of this thing, he said it looked like it swallowed a football.


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## Papascott (Apr 22, 2004)

My Demeyes said:


> I also would have liked to see it, he was pretty excited about all the big fish they caught. I guess the guys at the fish house were amazed on the girth of this thing, he said it looked like it swallowed a football.


They cut up a 14+ lb fish?


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## My Demeyes (Aug 2, 2010)

Papascott said:


> They cut up a 14+ lb fish?


It's still a fish, yum!!

Not everyone is concerened about trophy fish


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## Lightman (Jul 22, 2008)

14 lb fish - yum is not the word I'd use to describe. Wow...surprised that didn't go on a wall, what a bummer it wasn't in the derby for whoever caught it. Great catch nonetheless.


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## fishhogg (Apr 16, 2009)

when you guys are running your reef runners like that, are you using deep divers? if so how far back from the weight are you running? is the 90-120 back from your board to the weight or total amount of line out. i have seen this before and have been wondering how you are running those. by the way nice catch!


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## sdb69 (Jun 12, 2010)

I just started using the snap weights, bought from Erie Outfitters last week. On Sunday and Monday, I was letting a deep diver Reef Runner 800 out 50 feet, then snapping on a 20z hanging on an OR-16 snap-on clip, then letting another 100 feet of line out -for a total of 150 feet of line out. 
http://www.offshoretackle.com/OR16.html
I would then attach the line to my board and run it out the side of the boat. That setup was working on Sunday and Monday (RR was a bare naked, but kind of a smokey black top on it -forget the name).

I'm running big boards (new to this too), so on the outside I would run the RR 800 deep diver with a 2 oz snap weight clip, and on the inside I would run the same setup, but with a 1oz weight instead, to cover different depths until I saw where they were hitting. I just got the Precision Trolling book, so I'm trying to put this all together. 

I got messed up on Monday -to my advantage, when I put the 2oz weight on a line and didn't clip it right -since I didn't see the little peg inside the middle of the clip that the line is supposed to go under to keep from coming off, I should have read the instructions. The snap-on clip and weight fell off when I had the line out 175 feet, but that mistake caused the Green Flash Reef Runner 800 to start catching fish. That setup ended up getting 6 fish Monday. I was glad Bob's Bait owner suggested I get that one, because I never would have picked it on my own. 175 feet is a long way to reel in the fish though, so I'm sure I can check my book and see what weight it would take to equal the same depth, but with less line out.

Sorry, thinking as I'm typing here. If any of the old pro's can give some pointers, it would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Steve


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## Papascott (Apr 22, 2004)

sdb69 said:


> I just started using the snap weights, bought from Erie Outfitters last week. On Sunday and Monday, I was letting a deep diver Reef Runner 800 out 50 feet, then snapping on a 20z hanging on an OR-16 snap-on clip, then letting another 100 feet of line out -for a total of 150 feet of line out.
> http://www.offshoretackle.com/OR16.html
> I would then attach the line to my board and run it out the side of the boat. That setup was working on Sunday and Monday (RR was a bare naked, but kind of a smokey black top on it -forget the name).
> 
> ...



I would suggest running the Higher baits on the outside. Having a deeper line on the ouitside makes tangles much more probable. I would suggest running the the same or at least similar program on each side, with big boards. With small boards Deeper on the inside in most cases.


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## Champ (Oct 12, 2010)

In my old tournament days, we had kind of figured out that if you run the baits too far back (farther than the deepest dive curve on the charts, that the baits actually start rising again in the water collumn due to drag on the line...course I have never had the dive suit on like Romanack used to do...but look him up on facebook...(Fishing 411) and shoot the question to him...I'll bet he would answer...so even though you know how far that one took fish at...you may not know where those fish were in the collumn...we also usually ran the higher stuff on the outside so we could reel in baits over the inside bait and wouldn't have to clear the inside board...but everyone knows the best laid plans....great site you guys...breath of fresh air...good luck


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## rizzman (Oct 25, 2007)

Taddow nice job getting the fish under tough conditions, sdb69, If Mr. Stedke chimes in he can give you all the info. you will need on running the stick baits, he really likes running them and I learned alot from him this year. Dont forget what we call the "Stedke rule". (Going after those shallow fish out to the sides that don't appear on your sonar). It's saved me more than a few trips this year from being SKUNKED....


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## Jim Stedke (Dec 5, 2005)

sbd69, Snap wts are very VERY speed dependant and you didn't mention the speed range you were running so I'm only able to talk ranges. But that's a good way to look at snap wts anyway because they cause any lure to have a depth range due to the vertical swim (depth changes) during turns, steering corrections, speed changes, currents, etc. 

A propperly tuned Reef Runner 800 will be at 27.5 feet w/ 175' of 10# mono, so if you want that to be the center of the depth range for the weighted lure I'd run the lure 65' or so back with the 2 oz wt only 6' or so ahead of the lure. 

Running the wt much closer to the lure eliminates the need to remove it and lessens the chances for a lost fish. 

Now when you check the book you'll find that it says a 2 oz wt will add 19' of depth to a spinner or shallow crank at 1.75 mph (which is likely close to your speed), but deep diving cranks pull harder and the sinkers do not have so much effect. We think you get around 5' of depth for every ounce of wt with deep divers at 1.75 mph.... thus the 65' set back on the Reef Runner. Faster less, slower more.

Hope this helps, and good luck.


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## MDBuckeye (Sep 29, 2009)

My Demeyes said:


> I fished there sunday, tons of marks, no takers. A buddy fished the same area monday 12 fish went 97 lbs, the biggest was 14.2 lbs. I also got a report from another buddy that caught 2 hogs from shore last night at nickelplate beach, and had one straighten out a swivel. The fish are definately in the area.


Nice hogs there!


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## sdb69 (Jun 12, 2010)

Thanks gentlemen -Papascott, Champ, Rizzman, and Mr. Stedke, for all the information. I did forget to mention that we were at 1.7mph most of the day with a few fluctuations experimenting (2.0 down to 1.3).

I'll re-read this stuff a bunch of times and hope to digest all of it. Makes a lot of sense though. You guys really are saving me (and the lurkers) a lot of time and aggrevation.

If you guys are ever out near Vermilion and see us, give a shout. Thanks a ton,
Steve


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## Jim Stedke (Dec 5, 2005)

I meant to include that Papa Scot is right on about the same size wts on a side. And if you add wt, add it to all the line on that side. And if it's breezy keep your drop lengths fairly uniform (fewer tangles), and you'd still be best off to hasitate after a release, as much as 20 seconds before starting to retrieve the fish.


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## Nauti cat (Nov 30, 2009)

Ok here is my ? boat is ready, truck is fueled up. I dont have a desire to fish? Whats wrong?


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## Gottagofishn (Nov 18, 2009)

Gentelmen.....You are truly masters of your trade.


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## Jim Stedke (Dec 5, 2005)

Check for a pulse..... you may be dead!!!


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## Nauti cat (Nov 30, 2009)

Thanks Jim, the Dr said everything is ok. I was just wondering if other guys go through this or is it just me? I think I will split wood so I dont feel guilty.


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## Jim Stedke (Dec 5, 2005)

If you need to, you could borrow my wife...it take her about 2 minutes to generate a honey do list, a lack of a honey do list might be deminishing your desire to fish.


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## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

Jim Stedke said:


> Check for a pulse..... you may be dead!!!


LOL. Good one Jim. I go fishing even when I'm sick with the flu, nothing prevents me from fishing.


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## Nauti cat (Nov 30, 2009)

I just made a decision. Today split wood tomorrow go to boat show in Annap Md . Mon or Tue go fishing Thurs go to Catawba Is get ready to pull Cat boat, but will have to take wife fishing befor we pull cat. See ya all later.


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## sdb69 (Jun 12, 2010)

Jim, or Mr. Stedke, Thanks for all the help. Just curious if the 20 second waiting to retrieve the fish is to make sure the hook is set, or to make sure the fish is even hooked. I'm wondering if a fish being hooked and struggling on a line can cause other fish to strike the other lures on that side of the boat.
I don't know anybody personally that has a boat on Lake Erie, so we are learning all of this from reading posts here on OGF, other articles on trolling for walleye, listening to the guys on the radio, and trial and error. We always river fished, then moved onto boats and then very quickly into a Lake Erie boat about 5 years ago. We only perch fished as the first boat was too small to go out too far from shore. Prior to this year, I only ever caught 2 walleyes. We didn't start trolling in a somewhat correct fashion until June of this year. The first time we tried it, the wife and I got our 12 fish limit. We were hooked, to use an old pun.

Speaking of releases, I built some planer boards that seem to be working pretty well now after some initial modifications. I didn't want to invest a whole lot into using them without knowing if they were worth running or not. Now that they seem to be fun to use, I'm wondering what proper kinds of releases I should be using. I read that in the Chesapeake Bay, some guys just use metal shower curtain rings as clips, then attach the rubber band to the fishing line (let out to length ahead of time), and the other end of the looped rubber band to the metal shower ring, then let the line out to allow the metal shower curtain ring to slide down the planer board line. Being cheap, this is what I did to try it out. But, I've only had it work right with a couple of fish -that being that the rubber band actually breaks on it's own, and the line drops back and swings behind the boat with the fish on it. Sometimes it's hard to tell if there really is a strike or if it's just wave action. Especially in the big waves.

Just wondering what you all think of using some kind of real release/clip on the planer line, or if you use real releases, but still use a rubberband on the lines. I'm having trouble finding this kind of information.

Thanks again for all the help,
Steve


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## rizzman (Oct 25, 2007)

One of the reasons to give it a little time ( I know it's hard to do) is so the inline [email protected] will fall back and come to the inside of your other rods. Then just reel in the fish up the middle.


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## Bob Why (Jul 16, 2004)

sdb69, You need a pinch pad release attached to the shower curtain ring. Or lighter rubber bands. I don't have big boards on my boat, but fish with a guy that has them.
The pinch pad releases aren't cheap but work really well.


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## Nauti cat (Nov 30, 2009)

sdb69 amishoutfitters.com sells planer board releases. He is a charter capt real nice guy lives in Litchfield


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## Jim Stedke (Dec 5, 2005)

We use pinch pad releases with a rubber band. And we alsohave to hand trip most of the fish (the big ones release themselves).

The 20 second pause (with pressure kept on the fish) is to allow the weighted lure and fish to fall back far enough as to be unlikely to tangle the inside lines on the big boards. You never need to hesitate on the inside board rod (nothing to tangle it). 

If you want to continue w/the bands in shower curtain hooks, try nipping the bands with a nail clipper to weaken them. 

We learned by trial and error as well, but I try to help shorten others learning curve.

Good luck


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## buddstools (Oct 3, 2010)

Thanks to all of you posting info. I am sure there are several others like myself learning from post like these. 

I too have recently started using "big boards'. I use the shower curtain hooks and rubber bands but, also use a small plastic clamp for the release. They usually come as a pack of six and are multi colored. I drilled larger holes in the handles so it gives the curtain hooks more movement.


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## sdb69 (Jun 12, 2010)

Jim Stedke, that is a great tip that I will try again when the weather breaks -"If you want to continue w/the bands in shower curtain hooks, try nipping the bands with a nail clipper to weaken them." Definitely shortened my learning curve. I have a whole new respect for the guys that figured all of this out before there was an Internet. I'm sure you're helping more than just me with stuff like that. I owe you a beer, or maybe even a case. 

I like the plastic clamps idea on the shower rings with rubber bands too. I bought a couple trolling bags from Amish Outfitters from the bait shops in Vermilion. I didn't know he was in Litchfield, or a charter captain. 

Lots of great info here, guys. Thanks for pointing us newbies in the right direction. Good luck to those of you that are in the Huron Tournament. Hopefully the weather forecast gets better for this weekend.
Steve


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## ReelTimeWes (Aug 20, 2009)

sdb69 said:


> Jim Stedke, that is a great tip that I will try again when the weather breaks -"If you want to continue w/the bands in shower curtain hooks, try nipping the bands with a nail clipper to weaken them." Definitely shortened my learning curve. I have a whole new respect for the guys that figured all of this out before there was an Internet. I'm sure you're helping more than just me with stuff like that. I owe you a beer, or maybe even a case.
> 
> I like the plastic clamps idea on the shower rings with rubber bands too. I bought a couple trolling bags from Amish Outfitters from the bait shops in Vermilion. I didn't know he was in Litchfield, or a charter captain.
> 
> ...


Here are some that a guy makes and sells on Ebay. He is located in Ohio. I have a bunch of them myself. He doesn't have any listed right now but if you contact him I'm sure you could get some.

http://cgi.ebay.com/12-planer-board...188?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b53fd214

What style are your homeade boards...wood or plastic? I made some big plastic ones earlier this year but have had such good luck running inlines that I've not switched over yet.


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## sdb69 (Jun 12, 2010)

Thanks for the eBay link, ReelTimeWes. The boards I made were out of cedar. They are only 24" long though. At first, they didn't pull that well. I moved the eye bolt back to a further back pre-drilled hole I made for adjustments. The board dug in better, but was trying to drag sideways and ended up too far back. I ended up making more or less rear rudders out of 1 inch and a half pressure treated board. I'll have to take some pictures and post dimensions in case anyone wants to try them. The rear rudders are on both boards, at the rear. They dig in and steer the front outward like the angle cuts on the front of the boards do, but putting the eye bolt in the front hole, really near the front of the board compensates for the board trying to turn to the outside and seems to keep the board running out to the side much better, and pulls the line tight. Leaving the pressure treated rudders bare, they soak in the water and make the boards sit low in the water.
Again, I'm just experimenting here, but for being pretty small boards, they seem to pull the line tight and do ok so far.
Steve


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## sdb69 (Jun 12, 2010)

We did the same thing, but on Saturday. We trolled for 2 hours -nothing. Then another hour -nothing. Seeing a lot of marks just south of the weather buoy. I heard guys hitting them good on Saturday, but nobody would say where they were. If I would have just headed in early enough, I would have ran into them. I don't quite understand all the marks 15-13 miles north of Vermilion, and no bites. Move into 10-6 and they bite. What could be going on to cause that?


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