EdB

Got back from deer camp last night and it has been a good season for me. I'll get some pics up later.

Welcome Frank, love the posts you put up in your forum already, very interesting.

Congratulations!

Hey Nick, where are you looking at in Ludington? Have you checked out Tamarac. I have a place there. It's a great community. We have lots of fisherman and a great fishing network. There is a section for travel trailers, a section of trailer park trailers and manufactured homes. You have permanent neighbors, no transients like you have at campgrounds. If you haven't bought yet, you should cruise through and check out the ones for sale. I have a buddy with a travel trailer for sale there. There are some great deals on trailer park trailers and you'll get a ton more room than a travel trailer and probably save some money too over a new one. We are on Hamlin Lake and have a marina there with access but I never have time for Hamlin. It's about 4 miles to the Loomis St. It a lot closer than to Lk Mi than many other places on Hamlin. There are lots with direct Hamlin access but they are more pricey. You should check it out.

Good job on the fish and tow. That dude was lucky, not many boaters out now and even fewer that would go out 12 miles to tow him in. Pretty low of him to not offer you at least some gas money for that long tow.

Good job in tough conditions. One of my buddies got blanked at Onekama last Sat and didn't fish Sunday and pulled his boat

Bet the kids have fun. They have a track in Jackson, if you ever get over here to race, I'll have to come check it out.

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/10/army_corps_reduces_power_on_as.html Power is being reduced on an electric barrier network designed to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes because it might be interfering with operations on a nearby railroad, federal authorities said Wednesday. The announcement came barely a week after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers turned up the juice in the barrier to make it more effective against juvenile carp. The barrier is in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, a man-made waterway that links Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River basin and could provide a pathway for the voracious carp to attack the Great Lakes. The device emits rapid pulses to chase away fish that wander into the area and give them a possibly fatal jolt if they persist. The Army Corps said the barrier is doing a good job of blocking the carp's northward migration. But critics argue that it's inadequate and want physical barriers erected in the Chicago area to sever ties between the two watersheds. The Corps turned up the heat on Oct. 11, after research raised questions about whether the force field was strong enough to prevent small fish from getting through. The power level was raised from 2 volts per square inch to 2.3 volts. The duration and frequency of pulses were revised as well. But the Corps said Wednesday that it was restoring the previous settings after technicians said the barrier might be causing a railroad crossing gate about 200 feet from the barrier to malfunction. It also might be interfering with signals that indicate whether trains are approaching, said Lt. Col. David Berczek, deputy commander of the Corps' Chicago office. "Public safety must be the primary concern with the operation of the barrier," Berczek said. Technicians are studying the problem and will try to find a way to operate the barrier at the higher levels without affecting the railroad, he said. It's too early to say how long that could take, he said. Berczek said the barrier had done well stopping the carp before the power was ramped up and would continue doing so. Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania have filed a federal lawsuit concerning the barrier, contending that the only way to stop fish and other organisms from moving between the Great Lakes and Mississippi watersheds is to physically separate them. They note that scientists have detected Asian carp DNA beyond the barrier, although just one actual carp has been found there. The problem with the railroad is an example of the electric barrier's shortcomings, said Joel Brammeier, president of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, an environmental advocacy group. "This is why there has been such a clamor for a permanent solution," he said. "We'll probably keep finding these hurdles as long as we rely on interim steps like the barrier."

Great pics!

Mike is a good guide in south central Mi, here is his website: http://www.coldwatercharters.com/waterfowl.htm

The nice thing about UDS's is the ability to control the temps. They work best with lump charcoal which you can get at Gordons and some other places. Lump charcoal burns hotter then briquettes when given lots of air but will burn low and slow and long when you reduce the air. You can really cut the air back with a UDS and have a bucket of lump coal burn a long time. Most people will fill the bucket with coal and then put in 2-3 soaked chunks of wood on top to get the smoke going. You can smoke low and slow this way and keep temps in the low 200's based on the air vent controls. Note some people use gas valves on theirs but some just use magnets over the air holes to control air flow. If you open up all the vents and get the air flowing, you can raise temps high as needed to grill with it. If you put in a water pan or even just a pizza a pan above the charcoal basket, you never have to worry about drippings from your meat flaring up. Makes grilling easier when you don't have to worry about fire buring up your food. Lot of good info on this at the QJoint forums. You can also goggle the smoked meats forum for more good smoked foods info

Have you considered building a UDS -Ugly Drum Smoker. They work great and you can save a few bucks. Here is some info: http://www.theqjoint.com/forum/showthread.php?3941-Building-a-basic-drum-smoker-(UDS) They don't have to be ugly as some of these pics show: http://www.theqjoint.com/forum/showthread.php?8998-Drum-Smoker-Photo-Gallery!!!

This is a video of a racing wreck, what an awesome rescue: http://www.rightthisminute.com/story/race-car-crash-catches-fire

Very nice, got to love the back deck on her.

Tom, congratulations to your son and you, it's great to see the kids have a great hunt, nice buck!

Congratulations! What a special memory for both of you.

Hi Erik, Glad you got a new spot to hunt, what part of the county are you in, just wondered if it was in the Springbrook co-op where I hunt?

Meijer has a coupon in last Sunday's paper for a free youth hunting license good today and tomorrow 9-16,17. They had it at the service counter at my local Meijers and scanned that coupon, you didn't need to bring one in but I can't say that is the case at all stores. You might be able to get a flyer at the store if you don't have last Sundays Meijer add from the newspaper, this ends tomorrow.

Sounds like you had an awesome summer Matt. Best summer school you can get and you can't beat the ride on a bigger boat. We had a great season too and I can't wait till next year either. The August bite and great weather and those big kings will be memorable. Bet we are going to see some real hogs next year. I still want the pins and that bag of walleyes is still in the freezer in Ludington. I might fish Onekama on a buddies boat in Oct so maybe we can hook up then in Manistee. If not, I'm eating em and have to get you some fresh ones next year.

Thanks for sharing, sure wish my dad was still here to fish with me.

Wow, that's the first time I've ever heard of a steelie eating a bird.

Any baseball fans here? The Tigers have been on a roll lately. What a game today with a late comeback. Here's the numbers right now. 1. NY Yankees 90 57 .612 2. Detroit 87 62 .584 3. Boston 86 62 .581 4. Texas 84 64 .568 Boston lost today. Did anyone think this would happen a month ago? Can they pass the Yanks if they stay on this roll? It's been fun watching!

We were headed out to yesterday's water and we crossed a 6 degree temp break in the 02's and 34-1/2 line, set it down and set up. It had a surface temp of 43 degrees on the inside and 49 degrees on the outside. The break ran north and south. We fished it north to the 04's. We got 3 fish real quick in the dark and had a good bite for a couple hours and then it slowed down. We hit 14 and got 10. Quit at 10:45, had a slow ride in cause it got foggy. Had more action on spin doctors today, mt dew chrome, white blade mt dew, blue bubble flys, white and crushed ice tape, seaweed fly. Yeck verdict on a 3 color core, monkey puke on a 300 copper. Double orange crush DW on a half core. We hit on riggers from 70 down to 105 down. The 105 rigger hit 3 fish with a spin doctor. It was 43 degrees on the probe down at 90 ft. Some real nice 3 yr old kings, bright and shiny. Bringing the boat home, it's been a great season! Lot's of great fishing left but time to go hunting for me. Good Luck!

We ran offshore to the 04's north and 42's out. Got a nice 3rd old setting up and it was a slow pick till noon. Hit 15, landed 9. Never had a double but fish bit all morning. Half core and a dw fireball, chrome mt dew and mt dew/white blade spin doctors and blue bubble flys on hi divers out 150 and 110, riggers down 50-80 ft, 300 copper and a DW monkey puke, yeck verdict on a 1/2 core were best. Nice sunny calm day, looks good for tomorrow, good luck!