Turfwrench

Oops, looks like I put up the wrong link, the correct link is http://tjstackle.com Sorry about that.

Nice looking kit you ordered. I have looked at several on ebay before but hadn't ordered one yet. Do want to get one for the liquid paints. The paints I got were also from TJ's but the paint is from CS Coatings, I think they are a major supplier of powder paints. Take a look at tjaystackle.com they have a how to section on there complete with videos. I got the spoon color assortment and also got the super glow white. I haven't used the glow yet, that will be my next batch. So far I am loving it.

You will have a lot of fun doing it. I bought one of TJ's Tackle powder paint kits at the Novi show last month. What sold me was a spoon he showed me that was painted and then he bent it several times to where the spoon almost broke yet the paint did not peel away or break off. The picture below is a few I have experimented with, excuse the poor picture quality. On another note, if you air brush is for liquid paints I am not sure it will work with the dry powder paints as the nozzle on the powder airbrush is bigger. The nice thing is it runs off a fish tank air pump.

Yes indeed. I enjoy going to that show. I plan on being there on Saturday.

Something to consider. Anderson's ProBait in Port Huron has a spring salmon seminar on Sunday Feb 19th at 9:00am. Tim Cook will be presenting this topic and puts out some great information. Well worth attending - - and it is free to attend!

Absolutely beautiful!!

55' - Pt Sanilac, Lk Huron. Seems to be the most reliable depth for me.

Yes it can happen to anyone. I lost a friend many years back in the Keewenaw. He apparently was flying up the road to get to the trails and somebody pulled out of their driveway, never saw him coming. Such a sad thing to have to go through.

Great video and some good looking fish considering the weather conditions. Let's hope this spring the fishing will be just as good if not better.

Madhouse indeed! Was down there Saturday as well, was not bad when it opened but by 1 pm I had all I could take of the crowd. Reminded me of shopping on Xmas eve. I did end up getting one of the powder coat spray kits and some paints, yep works almost as easy as demonstrated at the show as I got to experiment a bit with it today. I guess what sold me on the unit was when he bent a spoon several times almost to the breaking point and the paint never peeled or cracked.

No matter how fast you are towing your boat seems everyone just has to pass you.

It was a vintage Abu Ambassadeur 5000 4 screw reel, complete with leather case, tool kit, and spare spool. The reel itself had a fat black spool which I understand is very rare. The reel appeared to have never been used with not a nick in the paint. The guy that bought it was a reel collector in Alabama.

Flintstone Chartreuse Clown std spoon was #1 ran clean off the riggers followed closely by the Lemon Ice.

I do the usual winter prep things like going through all my tackle and gear, restringing line, cleaning boxes and electronics. I sort through all the lures that I don't use and put them up for sale. I spend a lot of time on online auctions and attend local auctions looking for good deals on new/used tackle and equipment. I like to purchase large lots of lures, pick out the ones I want and resell the rest thus getting the stuff I want for free and making some extra cash for more gear/tackle. Some of the items I did real well on: Scientific Anglers Fly reel for $35.....sold it for $110 Vintage Abu Garcia reel for $35 ....sold it for >$275 Never used Big Jon Cap Pac Elec Rigger with rod holders for $90....sold it for $375 17' Century boat for $235 .....sold it for $700 4 Big Jon Cap riggers with 9 rod holders for $135.....put them on my boat So with a little time and effort I am able to get a lot of stuff to try out for the next season.

Does anyone here utilize an AIS receiver? If so, could you share a little info on it. As I fish mainly southern Lk. Huron I encounter a lot of freighter traffic. A vast majority of the time in the summer is spent fishing in and around the up bound and down bound shipping lanes. On clear days we can see them coming and adjust our troll but on those foggy days.....well you get the picture. I have done some research on them and think this is an item I would like to use as my GPS unit supports it.

One lure that I have ran of the riggers with success is the Matzuo swimbaits. Seems the lake trout love that thumping tail.

Makes one wonder why there is a limit on the big ponds. You would think with the vast expanse of water and the depths there would really be no reason not to allow as many as one could handle.

A big undertaking for sure. Will be looking forward to the progress reports.

Party after the hunting -- fine. Party hunting - - not so fine. Although I guess legal in some states, I personally have no desire to have anyone else shoot a deer for me and we all have heard of parents shooting deer for their kids and making them tag it. This unfortunately I am sure would be enough to turn off a lot of young hunters. Deer drives, although effective to me cannot compare to outwitting a deer by picking out a location for a sit or putting on a good stalk or still hunting. Hunting is a personal one on one thing for me. As far as the fishing and rods, well I can't say that I have ever pulled the extra rods and can't really say if it is required. There is catch and release fishing, and also tournament fishing where a limit of fish are in the livewell and they keep fishing. So with this in mind, if it is legal for the tourneys to keep fishing then it should also apply to non tourney fishing. Where I fish in Lk Huron not only are the big water fish available but also walleye inhabit the same areas that we fish the salmon and trout. So although we may limit on the salmon/trout side there are also walleye that we can continue to box. A vast majority of our trips consisted of mixed bags with walleye. It would be interesting to see the "legal" ruling on the rod situation.

Very nice. Thanks for the share.

While fishing out of Pt. Sanilac this past weekend I had the pleasure again of playing chicken with the sailboats. Not just once, but twice. I was just over 1 1/2 miles out from the harbor, only boat in the area and twice had sailboats take dead aim from a distance and then veer directly across my bow. I don't understand their mentality. Although this is not the first time this has happened out of this port and many others have experienced the same situation elsewhere, it just makes me wonder what possesses these people to do it. Sure, I could almost understand if there are a pile of boats around but when you are the only one within a couple miles what gives. So I took a couple of pics and now they can be internet stars showing their prowess on the water taking on the poor small fishermen. Unfortunately they will probably never know as I am sure they don't read fishing forums. There is a lot of water out there, a little respect goes a long way.

I used to run my home made double boards up until last year when I switched to otters. The old ones that I made pulled good and hard but were a pain to pull in so had to aim the boat toward them to get them in easier. Now no problem with the otters as once you start to reel them in real fast they turn in and come in like a breeze. I also like the way they glide over the waves and not jump like my old boards did. Seems a lot of folks on Lk. O get the keel kit to add a second lighter keel to their boats and claim they will pull a lot harder. I haven't had the need to go that route yet.

It is a matter of personal preference but you may want to consider 2 separate units. I like to watch my fishfinder and also like a larger view on the plotter. I rely on both when fishing and as a bit of age has caught up with my eyes the bigger screen for each the better instead of trying to watch both on a smaller screen.

Deep Jr. Thundersticks and my favorite old Ping-A-T's at a slow troll still do the trick.

Well done! Great pictorial on the project as it progressed. It is certainly a project that you can take a lot of pride and enjoyment in. Good luck on the water.