TALK TO ME ABOUT CUMBERLAND AND SINKER SLIDES

First off, here's some info.
Fished Cland 1 Oct. Put in at Jamestown, and fished Lilly, Wolfe, Greasy, and even a long pull from Lilly to Jamestown. Picked up one striper, 29 inches, when the outside board ran into the point on the walls at the first cut one the left side coming out of Jametown on the main lake walls. Shiners on down poles and planer boards with 1 oz weights run 20 to 40 feet back. Lake was very clear, only one log floater seen. Tried Humpy Hole with down poles to no avail. Pulled boards up the walls heading on main lake to Governors cove with inside board on the walls, next board in 20 foot out, free lines out the back of the boat, and outside boards way out. Still not a lick. Top water silver and black Zora spooks were killing the small mouth off points. Pearl or white didn't draw a lick.
Fished darn hard from 0600 to 1900 hours for just one good hit. So what am I doing wrong? Anybody got a better pattern? Besides Indian, is anybody seeing jumps in the G-Cove up to Wolfe area?
I was using sinker slides ahead of the swivel on some of the live bait rigs. Makes it easy to swap weight, or go heavy to bottom fish. Noticing that lines with egg sinkers seem to keep the shiners alive longer. Sinker slide rigs seem somehow to be causing the shiners to kick sooner. How can that be? Anybody else seen such a thing?

Bob first off thank's for the good report:-) I have thought about the sinker slide shiner problem and have no frickin idea what that would cause. How long of leader do you use from the swivel to the hook? Do you use a bead between the slide and swivel?
Dave.

Your problem was you were not deep enough! I was down there last weekend and stripers were being caught between 60 to 80 feet deep. That is why 99% of the other striper boats you see out there are trolling with down riggers right now.

I caught one 26 inche 6.5 pounder striper last Sunday. The fish made a run for the other side of my motor and took the line over the prop. I got him in but an hour later when I got another solid bite on the same pole the snapped when the fish went deep. It broke about 20 feet above my weight and swivel or right where the other fish took the line over the prop. My shiners were dying off quick this last weekend as well and I use egg weights. I'm not sure what is causing the bait to die quick right now. Oh, I had my lines set from 30 to 60 feet deep. Both hits came on the pole set at 60 feet.

Have never tried the sinker slides. Usually use rubber core sinkers when I use planers. Easy to switch them out if you need more or less weight.

Andrew

Dave,
Running a 3 foot. sometimes 4 foot leader. Don't use a bead before the swivel, but would make sense to do that. I hear ya, the bead would allow the sinker slide to rotate more freely, ergo, allowing the swivel to rotate more freely, and keep the shiner from flippin around. Is that where you were going?

Got it, you da man, going deeper now, dive.....dive....dive.

Hey, theory, if the lake has turned over, maybe I got the bait right at the depth where the oxygen deleted water is? Ergo, maybe if I go deeper, the shiners will live longer.

I had plenty of action last weekend fishing 45 -50 ft. on 2 oz board rigs and 3 oz down rods. Don't know why your bait is dying, mine did very well.