I did not want people just to guess it was a wooden box is all.
Modern days reels are clamped to the gunnel towards the front of the boat.
The reel is spring loaded, sort of like a drop light or air hose reel, except it does not lock in place.
The terminal tackle is there is a large weight on the bottom, looks like a giant bottom bouncer with wire thats about as thick as a coat hanger running through it. There are different styles but thats the kind I like.
Off this weight, what is called a shank is attached to it, I explained this part earlier if you look back it will save me typing.
There are clevisis attached to the shank. Off this you run heavy, maybe 30 lb stiff mono. Snap swivel on the shank end. Usually you run a original floating rapala or what is called a pencil plug, (think shallow running stick bait)on the other end off a snap (no swivel).
The leaders are anywhere between 10-50ft long. And get this, you run 2 leaders off the shank, so you have 2 baits in the water off the same main line.
Off the lower clevis, you run a shorter leader, say 10 ft. About a foot or so above it, you run a longer one, say 40 ft. The idea is to get the first bait to the fish, if he sees it and doesnt hit it, maybe the second one will. Since its a lot further back its running deeper, it is close to where the first one is running. It all depends on speed and angle of the main line in the water. There is a real science to this type of fishing.
Ok if you are still with me, this is how it goes
Get to your trolling spot and start heading up river against the current. Remember, its about an 8 mph current in the bottom is super snaggy with huge boulders, actually in the Det River there is chunks of roadbed from when they built the first freeway in the US (Davisdon Freeway) back in the 40s-50s. People think its old cars down there (might be a few lol)
The reason I mention this is because this makes the perfect spawning ground for walleyes, they can lay their eggs among this stuff and stay out of the strong current and just wait for bait to float by while they are on their nests.
Back to fishing
So you are now trolling up the river at a very slow pace. You set the weight in the water and toss out your bottom bait and let the leader play out. Once the slack is gone slowly let out more wire and then toss out the longer lead.
But watch out in front of you!! The river is jammed with fisherman jigging!! Dont be a moron and catch one of their lines in your rig!! Detroit River spring fishing is a full contact sport, you can walk across the bows of boats and I am not kidding
So now slowly let the wire down until you feel it just ticking the bottom. You need to be at the most a 45 degree angle or you will drag and snag the bottom and lose everything! 2 $7 raps, a $8 weight and all the leaders etc.
Now if you have managed to keep from snagging, what you do is slowly creep along, holding the wire in your hand and have your arm down at your side over the edge of the boat, slowly swing you hand back and forth just barely ticking the bottom kind of like pendulum.
But watch out!! Dont wrap that line around your finger you big dummy!! If you snag it will cut your finger off!!!
There is a special way to hold the line so this does not happen.
So if you have managed to get this far without maiming yourself or messing someone else up just keep chugging along.
All of the sudden, whats this? Feels like a little kid is tugging at your coat sleeve!! Wait!! Fish on!! Oh yeah!!
So just now you slowly bring it in, the reel will take up the slack for you as you bring the line in. Now you need to figure out which leader its on. Thats usually pretty easy, its off at a funny angle compared to the other one and the weight. So the weight will come in first, swing it in the boat and set it on the floor, then grab the line the fish is one and play it in the boat. Id its a big one get the net ready!!
Repeat until a limit is reached!!