Sly Selea

Where's your new location Frank? I'd like to stop by and check it out.

Yes they do. Whole herring 3 different colors, as well as strips.

The good folks at Tackle Haven across from the Benton Harbor DNR launch post a fishing report from the charter captains every day. You can stop in or call them.

I'll vouch for that. I'm as green as they come, and I've already learned alot from these guys. And all of it pain free.

Well then, that is very reasonable. I had thought to take a couple fishing buddy rookies/future deckhands like myself out for a day of fun and education, but the thought of spending $1200 - $1800 for the in-service education seemed a bit dear.

I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone. My poorly timed sense of humor sometimes gets away from me. And I agree completely you can't put a price on expertise or convenience. Perhaps I misunderstood, however. Is that the average price for the entire trip, or the average price per person?

Holy cow. o.k., how much is the price without call girls?

I feel stupid asking this, but that's never stopped me before. In the pic of the three rods on the side of the boat.....how do you keep the lines from getting all tangled? By the bend in the rods I assume they are running with some type of dipsey diver or something with weight on it?

I've never been on a fishing charter and was wondering what the average cost is, particularly in the St Joseph, Mi area. Per person, not per pound (I've been putting on a little weight). Is it possible to even get on one with just 1 person, or do they usually require a group? Also if I do get one lined up, is it in bad form to ask lots of questions, or is it like poker where I pay to see but lessons are extra?

1984 - 1991 Corpsman.

Unless you eat an awful lot of the fish, you may find it doesn't elevate your blood sugar as much as you think. While I agree with your doctor that cutting out all sugar is best, it's virtually impossible to do in todays society of processed foods. If you're testing your blood sugar once daily as recommended, I would suggest doing a test to see how much the smoked fish actually elevates your levels. Test your blood sugar prior to eating the fish, then test again 2 to 3 hours later to see how much the amount you ate elevated your levels. The hidden problem with dietary sugars are carbohydrates. Breads, noodles, etc, are converted into sugars in your body and play havoc with blood sugar levels. If the smoked fish does raise your blood sugar level to an unacceptable level and you really want to keep it in your diet, you can cut back on other things in your diet as a trade off. More fish, less bread, or something to that effect. The secret is monitoring your blood sugar levels frequently and determining what really triggers the rise in levels, then using that information to balance your diet.

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone. I'll follow all your advice, pick your brains, and keep reading everything. I'm also ordering a Jolly Rodger. Hey Medic, before I joined the Navy I lived outside of Blanchard.

I've caught lots of Steelies and Walleyes in the St Joe River below the Berrien Springs and Niles dams and have done ok with Coho off the pier but have always wanted to get out on the big lake and take a stab at the bigger fish and fishing techniques used out there. Last fall I finally went bigger then my 15 foot Smoker Craft I tool around the St Joe river with and stepped up to a 20' Wellcraft equipped with so much stuff I don't even know what it's for. I may have biten off more than I can chew. Four electric Walker downriggers, things the previous owner called sideplaners, and what are possibly downplaners, up-planers and just plain planers. Spools and spools of line, and multiple tackle boxes filled with clips, plugs, and gadgets I have no idea what their function is, and more spoons than a gypsy band. There is also a tall removable pole in the front center of the boat that looks suspiciously like a flag pole, but I suspect is used for something else, perhaps hanging someone in efigy. I spent the last month of the season before storing it (late October/November) getting used to it, and teaching myself how to use the downriggers, which was no easy task in itself for someone with no experience. Lotsa pinched fingers. I spent the winter doing research over the intertubes on equipment and techniques, which was somewhat helpful. I don't know how I never stumbled upon this site until a couple of days ago, being as it's so close to home, but I've learned more here in two days than I did all winter. I will say some of the info, although obviously helpful, is a little confusing to a noob such as myself, but I'm sure it will make more sense with time and experience. My first basic question however, concerns terminology about depth. When someone posts they were in 45 FOW, as in the following post: "....From 2 p.m. to 5, 45 fow, just south of pier head, in and out of the mud line. 2 kings, 8 and 10 pounds, 3 average coho. All were on flatline with thinfish, 2 color with jointed rapala, 3 color with thin fish....." does that mean their boat was in 45 feet of water, or running their lures at a depth of 45 feet? I'll ask about the rest of the questions about that quoted sentence later. Thanks, and thanks for all the info on this forum.