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I would suggest talking to Bill or one of his employees at Shoreline Service on the corner of Lakeshore Dr. and McCracken. Plus you are a minute from the launch. If you are doing the night bite for eyes I would try the 8-13 ft depths off Strawberry Island and the break behind the old paper mill. I wish you good luck. As a caveat, their is a lot of slab wood on the bottom but that is why they are there.

Nick, you may have master cylinder probs or just caliper pistons sticking. If you crack the bleeders and pressure releases it is a bad brake hose. When you do fix the problem I would recommend flushing the system with methanol (Air brake antifreeze) and changing to DOT 5 fluid. This is silicone based and will not absorb moisture. Just something we did to RV's, boat trailers, and the older Corvettes because of the time they sit. Redneck Trailer Supply should have any parts you may need. Good luck and if I can help in any way let me know.

I too have witnessed some launch challenged individuals a number of times. It is kind of a blessing to fish with the crew I do as everyone knows their job and we can be in the water and heading out in about 4 minutes. You won't see DragginBallsII at the dock for long! Although the one time some punks dropped his trailer and stole his truck it slowed getting it on the trailer a bit. They actually brought the truck back and parked it in a different spot. Missing a few items of course.

Great job and info Jake. I think they are back in Muskegon and hungry.

I know Rick is at work right now but I can fill in some details. We ran to the North nets and set up in 135 fow as he said. Spun it around to a South troll and kept the speed about 2.9-3.0. We didn't have a chance to even get the probe down. The first fish hit almost as soon as the copper rod went in the tree. Back out and the same thing happened. Unfortunately the fish took the board under and got off somehow. I had three get off but boated three. Rick was 6 for 6. I hate him for that. There was a couple doubles and one triple that we somehow managed to land all three. We had 3 fish at one time laying on the floor and the net ended up wherever it did. All in all a fire drill night and I have to thank Rick for all the opportunities he gives me to go fishing. Of course he doesn't like to drive the boat. A small price to pay in my thinking. It was just one of those magical evenings we all hope for. And a big thanks to the captain of Downtime charters for the slick fix on the copper to copper connection. After a tough weekend this was just what we needed.

I used to go there with my BIL many years ago. Fantastic perch fishing. The locals used kind of a back troll method to follow the schools. A beautiful area nonetheless. Enjoy yourself.

We use Gamakatsu Siwash in a 1/0 size on many spoons and flies. They are very sharp and the fish normally don't get off. The only place they seem to be a detriment is on the lead. I think the combo of weight and time on wears a hole large enough to have them get off when you pull the board and have to give a little slack. They will absolutely up your steelhead catch ratio. Try some and I think You'll agree.

Jim, I guess I did seem a bit critical in my reply and I apologize. You may have answered a question that I've been trying to find out with no luck. It is possible to replace the Cobra with a Merc? Would it be just a matter of changing lower unit and controls? I'm sure there would be some minor changes on the engine required also. If you or someone you know has done this let me know. As you know, Mercruiser lowers are a lot easier and cheaper to find than the Cobra. One innocent mistake from good meaning friends and my buddy has a $2000.00 pile of scrap.

I believe they were an answer to a problem that didn't exist. Competition between OEM's will go on but OMC got it wrong. Very expensive to repair, uber critical on adjustments, and just not the equal to the Mercruiser. That being said, I feel for your buddy as I have one in the same place on his FourWinns. His other fishing friends helped him service the lower unit and did not put enough oil in. The OMC has a dipstick on top which they were unaware of and filled as they did on their Merc's. The resulting damage took a matter of moments. There are aftermarket parts still available if you look but be prepared to pay a premium for them. Good luck and I hope you guys get her going soon.

Mike, I'm pretty positive they are different. Napa has a marine catalog that they will give you & you could order from that. They get their parts from Sierra Marine so that's another option. I guess it boils down to how fast he wants it & what he wants to pay. Good luck.

Nice pics, Ken. Thanks for sharing.

We would love you to choose Muskegon, but I know that's a cruise. But just think of the coffee you could drink on the way up. Anyway, thanks for all you do & have done to help this sport & this great site. You are a class act, Mike.

A very nice boat but it looks a fuzz shorter than 92 feet. Just sayin. Seriously, great ride.

We ran out to 235 because of the success of the day before. I was'nt on that trip but it proved to be a good call. We took four nice steelys & a coho so couldn,t weigh at the tourney but nobody on the boat was complaing. Best steelhead was a beautiful 13.5 male. thanks to Mike and all the members to make this happen. we have been blessed with good fishing and great weather. Lead was hot today for 4 of five fish. I thank Rick for the chances he gives us to fish on a good boat & the fish we bring home. This all happens on Draggin Balls II. Tight lines & good fishing.

I convinced the owner of the boat I drive to change some spoons over to size 1/0 siwash Gamakatsu hooks. We have since added them in tandem to flies & used them as stingers. Believe me, when they go in they don't come out. We have been running these about 3 seasons now & our ratio on fish hooked to fish landed has gone up considerably. They are scary sharp out of the package & seem to stay that way for many uses. Treble hooks have their place but I think they can give the fish some extra leverage over a large, sharp, single. Steelhead, doesn't matter what you use, they just go nuts & find a way to send the lure back at you. But we net a lot more on singles than trebles. Good question & I'm sure others will share their experiences.

We started fishing in 85 fow & took a small king that we released. The next fish came in 116 fow & was a nice 8 lb king. It was real slow for awhile then we got to 175 fow & made a turn for the south & picked up a very nice 9 lb coho. That was it for the day but it was a very nice day to be out fishing. Lemon ice was the spoon of the day with all bites coming on the riggers. Draggin Balls II did another fine job today. It's a little tough right now, but it is going to get better. The kings seem to be very acrobatic this year which i find a lot of fun. Good fishing to all.

We use it in lasagna with a little crab meat instead of ground beef. It really is good eating.

We heard Alleyes & Fishsniffer Sunday on the radio but had a prob transmitting. I think we were the only boats on the lake. We started kinda slow with two & a long dry spell then found them in 160- 180 fow. Strange thing was we caught fish from 45 down to 91 down. The temp seems almost the same top to bottom. Until the thermocline gets established we are going to have fun finding the biters. Ended up 9 for 9 so a great day in all. The run back in was a lot smoother than the one out. I drive Draggin Balls for my buddy Rick & we are out weekends when weather permits. Best wishes for a good season for all. You guys & gals are great. Just an afterthought tip, FWIW, Atomic Melon has been the bait for the last 3 weeks.

The snubbers will definately be back in the program this weekend. We did manage to pick up 5 nice kings Sunday but it could have been 9 if the dipsey's would have stayed buttoned up. I'm encouraged by the average size of these early kings & they seem very healthy. It has all the makings of another good season. Thanks again for all the input & advice. Pat

Thanks a lot guys. We were thinking along the same lines. I think we will put the short snubbers back in action & see if hookups improve. That is the kind of experienced answers I was hoping for. Thanks again, Pat

We've had a horrible time with the dipsey's not staying hooked up. They get hammered & are on for a moment then gone. We are running wire line, no snubbers, Flurocarbon leaders, & quality, sharp hooks. Any insight from the pros would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Pat

Kings are wild, the wet spot, no regrets.

This is something the state of michigan has been doing for many years. i've been in parts sales one way or another for 35 years & it's been this way. i don't agree with it but it is the law. but how many times do they collect sales tax on an auto. and why do you pay the same price for license tabs as when the car was new? i could go on but you get the idea.

the probe is one of the best tools you could ever purchase. i wouldn't want to fish without it. the currents are very deceiving in lake mich & i've seen 3.0 or better on the gps & the probe tells me 1.4 at the ball. knowing the temp & speed at the lure's level is really a big help for us.

just in time has our program down. exit channel, turn right, stop in 95 fow & set lines. we love those little silver bullets. no traffic, no hassles, & no better eating.