Plugs

The Gatco system I have has a coarse, med., & fine stone in it with a holder and some oil. I always thought it looked a bit complicated, but it is pretty simple and allows you to put a different angle on the knife depending on what it's used for. The only thing I had to work on was to get the end of the fillet knife sharp as it hooks away from the sharpener - I now reposition it to do that section of the blade. Also - I bought a couple knives from "Knives of Alaska" a couple years ago and have been very happy with them. I have the "Steelheader" and the "Coho" - they are more of a standard style fillet knife than the Forschner and a bit more pricey, but have served me well. I have been playing with the idea of getting a Forschner just because I see them at the cleaning stations so often and have never tried one - may just have to ask someone to try one out before I buy:grin: Can you have to many knives?

I have tried quite a few different sharpeners over the years and have found this one to be very effective. I do have a knife that I dropped on the cement at one point which got some pretty good dings in it (sucks) and I have not been albe to work those out. I think that one needs to be ground down a bit to get it completely back in shape, but I have sharpened every other knife in the house and it has worked great! Line Dancin - I would be willing to give it a shot if you would be interested. I think I can help Jim's spelling a bit, but it will not be perfect by a along shot Grafschaap???

Until last year, I had a very small boat fishing out of Holland and tended to stay in closer than other boats most of the time. I have read that book several times and agree, there is not much structure around here that is obvious. However, I noticed when you are running out of Holland (especially at a slower speed) it stays approx. 50feet for a very long time. I have fished right where it starts to gradually drop off from that depth and done well a number of times while everyone else is out much deeper. I have also talked to several others over the last few years who have "hot spots" relating to a flat, a slight drop, or rise, etc... Anyway, from what I remember about the book the structure he talks about is very subtle. I am not sure I have ever really had a graph good enough to keep track of this, but have one picked out & I am hoping arrives before spring:D Good Luck!

Thanks a bunch for the info, I did check it out yesterday and that is exactly what I was looking for. They are not cheap, but may make sense for a couple other ideas I have been thinking about. At least I know I am not the only one who has been looking for something like this - just could not find it myself:grin: I have 8 rods sitting in the family room right now that I have stripped of line (with quite a few more to go) and have been thinking about how to improve my set-up for next year from rod lengths, reel/rod combos, placement, line, etc... I am not fond of the length of the Michigan winters, but it definately gives you time to re-tool and re-think your gear. I think it may make me appreciate the time on the water a bit more. Thanks again!

Well, for anyone else who might be interested, I received an e-mail back from Big Jon with what seems to be a pretty simple fix (even though it may mean holes). When they rig a boat with this style Gimble Mount they pull them out and rotate them so they are straight back. They say that the top plate covers any new holes that might have to be drilled. I still need to take a look in the spring when the boat comes out & if this doesn't work will look to get something fabricated. Thanks for the reply's - Later

Thanks for the ideas - I have checked into fabrication a bit and will probably end up going that way after a bit more research. I just wondered if there was anything out there as it seems like something others would want.

I would like to set up my Pedestal Mount Base diver rod holders in an existing Gimbal mount hole on my boat. The one I am looking to use is angled out the back of the boat at 45 degrees. I have not seen any one standard product that would work with this. One of my assumptions is that a gimbal mount will hold a couple diver rods with a double or triple pedestal base? I believe I could purchase a standard Gimbal mount and then a swivel base for each side to solve the issue, but I really have no need for the swivel in this application and would just spending extra cash. It seems like I just need a gimbal mount with the plate welded on the tube at an angle to match that of the boat. Does anyone know if something like this would work, or is available? I have sent an e-mail to Big Jon to see what they would say and am just trying to avoid more holes in the boat if possible.