MY2SONS

My boys are 3 and 5 years old. I want them to stay little, but the other side of me says I can't wait to experience days like your pictures. That's awesome. Makes you proud to be a dad doesn't it?

Reel Lubber, Land Lubber, Lake Lubber, etc.

That's exactly what I do. :lol:My wife hasn't been out fishing with me so I've dodged the bullet for some time. The last time she went with me I had 10 rods, I've slowly, and methodically been adding rods over the last couple years. I now have 24 rods on my boat. If she ever goes out with me I'll either have to leave a few home, or have some "splaining" to do. Deep down I know she knows though.

The way I look at it is oil is the life blood of my engine. I only use oil recommended by Mercruiser. There's some things you can probably skimp on, but oil is not one of them. Not to sound cliche, but take care of your motor, and your motor will take care of you.

I've had it being cooped up in the house. :mad:There's so much stuff I have to do to get the boat ready, but it's shrinkwrapped in the yard. I've been itching to take it off, but it's a little early yet. This week they're forecasting 50-55 degrees beginning Tuesday through Thursday. Maybe then I can start some of my projects. I saw a few guys trailering there boats around Holland this weekend which is a good sign of Spring. Come on warm weather!

Do you have shore power on your boat? If so, where did you mount the plug, and breaker panel? I moor on the port side so I'm thinking about putting the plug below the port side window, and mounting the breaker panel in the head below the helm compartment.

I have all Shimano's on my boat too. I've had Heartland rods early on with my first boat, and had good luck with them. The only drawback I found with Heartlands is they seem to loose there rigidity over time.

Cannons for sure. I have two digi-troll IV's on my rig, and I just added a new Mag 10 for this year. They're pretty tough, and I like the telescoping booms. The ability to program the digi-trolls is a sweet feature. The auto stop on the Mag 10 is pretty nice too.

I don't think you could be out there enough to truly justify the expense of big lake fishing once you add up the cost of gear, boat expenses, and fuel so I just try to take it in stride. It's my passion, my addiction, and even though there's always something you "need" every year you can't beat the experience.

Thanks for the input. Wire divers it is.

Yes, my avatar is a pic of my boat. I was leaning towards the divers. Thanks for the input.

Guys, I'm in need of some help. I'm looking at adding some wire dipsey setups to my arsenal, but I've never ran wire before. Any advice on how to set them up? Any advice is helpful. Also, I was thinking about adding a drop curtain to my boat to enclose the cabin for those cold Spring/Fall mornings, but I can only afford to either get a set of wire dipses, or get the drop curtain. What would you guys do? I know a drop curtain doesn't put fish in the boat, but it does make it more comfortable so you don't freeze your rocks off. Thanks in advance.

Sorry, don't mean to laugh, but that's funny. I'm putting one down the chute this year so I'll learn from everyone's mistakes on what to do, and what not to do.

Personally I believe the whole e-chip thing is another gimmick used to set one manufacturer's product apart from the rest. I've used both with good success. I agree with the others color, and action determine the best results.

I have two Cannon Digitroll IV's, and a Cannon Mag 10 on my rig, and love 'em. Had Cannons in the past with no issues. Hopefully these work as well. Was going to go Big Jon, but didn't care for the motor being exposed although it's sealed, and heard about problems with booms breaking in the past, but I'm sure it's been resolved by now. Lot's of guys run them. Again, personal preference.

I knew it would go fast. They're typically in high demand since new ones are $$$$$.

I run 13# balls, and never had a problem with excessive blowback. If your seeing excessive blowback with yours are you leaving a wake when you troll?

I bet if ou put it on Craigslist for $250.00 it would go fast! Especially if it's in good condition. Good used dock boxes are hard to find. I know I've been looking for one for some time. Couldn't find one so I bought new $$$$. The one I bought was a 6 footer though. The 5 footer was $500.00.

I just bought one. Brand new they're around $500.00 for that size.

Thanks Nailer, aka Ken, I run all Shimano on my boat so I definitely would go Shimano for these rods as well. I just had sticker shock when I saw how much roller rods were. Why is Blood Run wire better than others, or is it just personal preference? I want whatever is going to be the best quality if I'm going to spend that much on rods and reels.

I notice they have "replacement parts" for these divers. I'm assuming they've maybe had problems with failures in the field. The parts the have replacements for are key parts so I'm a little skeptical. Not sure if I buy into these yet, but keeping an open mind if I hear otherwise from those who are willing to try them. I'll stick to my planers for now.

Do you have electricity near your boat? I've never had much luck with solar lights working for very long, and they don't seem very bright. I know it's not the "green way" of doing things, but I'd wire an electric motion light if you can. Reliable, bright, and IMO last longer. Just a thought, make sure your sensitivity is set right or the light will come on every time the wind blows a branch or whatever.

Can you mount another transducer plate to the opposite side of your transome? The farther apart the are the better.

After reading all these posts I have to laugh. The cost of catching salmon goes up every year with all the gear we put on our rigs, but hey, it's an addiction right? I was looking at adding wire dipseys, but never ran them before. Do you run these the same as regular dipseys, or are they set up differently? What size reel is required? I know ou need roller rods, but will a Takota 600 work, or do you need a 700?

Added new third electric downrigger, new Fishhawk, shore power, 8 Big Daddy planer boards, 2 SWR's, rotating rod trees (replacing current stationary ones), cabin heater, more rod holders, and various lures. Still kicking around the idea of wire dipseys, but not sure if it will happen.