Liberty800

THANKS GUYS !

nice set up!

I had a screen freeze one winter (left it on my boat....dumb move). Ruined it. HBird's customer service repaired it for me for a nominal fee....turn-around was very quick.

Has anyone tried the new Cabelas Recon fish app for the iPhone? Shows weather, maps, fish feeding times, compass, moon patterns, connect with friends, post pics, etc. The app is free, but for an extra fee you can get all the lake maps sent to your phone in real time. The GPS function is pretty good, better than google maps, in my opinion. The reason why I am asking is that I've recently downsized to a smaller fishing boat and would like to have the charts/maps available. I have a fish finder but no GPS on the boat. Should I buy a sonar/GPS or just buy the $29 upgrade for the iPhone app. Obviously, who wants to try to stare at an iPhone in the bright sun......but maybe it would be cool to have the portability. Most of the fishing that I do now is fairly close to shore.

I've used 2 products in the past with my 70hp Johnson 2 stroke outboard (salmon, trout, and walleye trolling)......an aluminum Happy Troller and a plastic product purchased at Cabelas (can't remember the brand name) which had the trolling plate + a hydrofoil. Both products only lasted about 2 seasons each. You really have to pay attention and be careful not to damage these. Both products did not hold up well.....the aluminum ripped apart and the plastic one pulled a pin out and broke one side of the plastic where the pin is inserted (the pin should have broke clean). I ended up changing the pitch on my prop and using 5 gallon buckets with holes drilled in the bottom to slow me down. The trolling plates were more of pain than the good they provided. Yes, they slowed my boat down, but I would never buy another one.

Yes, I hope to fish Atlantics as well. I work for Lake Superior State University, so I am also learning about the ARL (Aquatic Fish Lab). Here's the link....there is also a fish cam you can see online. http://www.lssu.edu/arl/

Thanks guys....I am leaning toward the Bert's. Mainly due to price, secondly because I like the polished finish (yeah, I know....stupid reason....)

Thanks for the nice welcome everyone ! I am looking forward to learning a lot here and also sharing my fishing experiences !

Thanks, Buster. Visually and functionally, these look the best to me.....but I question the reliability of the plastic piece down by the gear/index area.

I am in the process of downsizing to a smaller boat (Sea Nymph aluminum) from a larger fiberglass boat. I had been using rail mount rod holders....and I want to change over to track mounted rod holders (heavy duty) for deep water and shallow water trolling. Right now I have narrowed my rod holder search down to Bert's, Cisco, and the newer Cannon dual axis. I know it is a matter of preference, but I tend to over analyze every purchase. Anyone have an opinion based on tried and true experience? Thanks in advance for any responses.

Hello everyone. Just stopping by to say hi. I live near Sault Ste. Marie, MI.......originally from this area.....lived in the Petoskey area for 12 years and fished Lake Michigan in the Charlevoix and Petoskey areas, as well as Lake Charlevoix, Burt Lake, Crooked Lake, and Mullet Lake. Now living in the Soo, I am mainly fishing the Cedarville area (Lake Huron), St. Mary's River, and eastern Lake Superior near the International Bridge. Of course, I never go fishing as often as I want to....but with this early spring I am hoping to get a jump start on it this year. Locals have said the splake fishing is good around Hessel come May 1, so I look forward to starting that......and seeing if I can hook a few Lake Trout in deeper water. Kind of starting over up here....but it will be fun seeking out new fishing spots.

We fish the St. Mary's River system about 20 miles south of Sault Ste Marie in the shipping channel (25-30 ft of water) and I don't think we have ever seen a lamprey on a pike or walleye. They tend to prefer the salmon and trout.