SeaCatMich

I know a guy with an Angler WAC boat with a diesel IO. Was able to slow down enough for spring walleye on Lake Erie with 2 trolling bags from Big Papa.

PM sent. I have 3 Okuma CP-CL-862M "copper" rods I'd like to sell.

I have a 300 yard spool of 250# PowerPro that I was going to use on a couple of downriggers where the wire needed to be replaced. I then went with new riggers and decided not to use it. Would sell for a lot less than I paid. $40 shipped if you want it. Enough to do 4 downriggers with 200'+ each. PM or email me ([email protected]) if interested.

Yes, I bought it.

I switched to the 32# copper for exactly the reasons that Steelhead listed. The slightly deeper depths achieved by 45 are not worth it compared to significantly more backing you can get using 32. The 32 is easier to work with for knots too.

I'll take it! PM sent.

Bob, over here in the Lansing area we have quite a few "detailing" shops/guys that will do however much or little that the owner wants done. A couple of them run specials via GroupOn and Living Social discount websites. I have used one via a GroupOn and got a full detail on a car I was selling including interior cleaning and a full claybar exterior prep/cleaning and wax for $99. The car came out looking nearly new. Here is a link to the Holland area GroupOns for Auto Detailing: https://www.groupon.com/browse/grand-rapids?category=automotive&category2=auto-detailing&lat=42.78752&lng=-86.10893&address=Holland%2C+MI I did a quick check on the Holland Craigslist and found this ad which looks to offer any service you might want. http://holland.craigslist.org/aos/5296793581.html

For the money they are not a bad rod. I'm not so sure about using a medium action for divers -- maybe for walleye but for salmon I'd want a med-heavy and also probably go with an overall better quality rod.

Not that I have seen. The only two downspeed/downtemp systems that don't use a coated cable are the FishHawk and the SmartTroll which both use a probe system that transmits from the probe to a transducer. Torpedo Diver did come out with a stainless sheath cable and a solid tube antenna for use with the Depth Raider and SubTroll systems that is more durable than the rubber coated cable and spring antenna. Still requires a special cable for the probe rigger -- just a different material. https://www.torpedodivers.com/scart/product_details.asp?ItemNum=ZP0010 Depth Raider says that it will work to limited depths with uncoated cable, but not what I found. When I had one anytime the sheath got damaged and exposed the inner coar of the coax to water, it stopped working or was very intermittent once the place where the sheath was missing got under the water.

They will work together but I believe you will loose the auto-stop on the downrigger because when you put the DR's coated cable on it.

This was just posted on a FaceBook group I'm a member of. I know there are lots of us that fish out of and live near Port Sheldon and Holland. If you know anything please call the number below...lets find Aaron... Renee Palermo MY BROTHER AARON JUAREZ IS MISSING IN LAKE MICHIGAN. He left out of the Port Sheldon Pigeon Lake boat launch. PLEASE SHARE THE HECK OUT OF THIS. IF ANYONE SEES ANYTHING FLOAT UP ON SHORE, CALL 18002490911

Been using it for close to 15 years by adding it into the fuel starting about a month before I plan to stop using the engine for any extended period. I also put Marine STA-BIL Ethanol Fuel Treatment & Stabilizer in at the end of the season to prevent ethanol-gas separation.

CornHusker, it is great that you are concerned about the salmon planting levels. Here is some good information that you should read: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/Chinook_Salmon_Fact_Sheet_and_Frequently_Asked_Questions_-_FINAL_450285_7.pdf The reduction in salmon plants is not a secret and the DNRs of the surounding states took a lot of input from their biologists along with the public with hearings for a couple of years before taking this drastic step. Hopefully the lake can stabilize and both the numbers and size of the salmon will return to the levels of the past. It isn't the first time the salmon have faced issues and have bounced back. A combination of 2 very cold hard winters plus the significant change that the zebra & quagga mussels have caused in the food chain have compounded today's situation. Signs are that the DNRs have acted soon enough to prevent Lake Michigan's salmon from going the way of Lake Hurons. It should be noted too that people I talked to fishing Lake Ontario were also very disappointed with the catches they have had in both numbers and size for the last two years too. Personally I think the winters of the last two years have had more to impact the fishing than the cuts. The fish just have not been where they are traditionally but with pretty cold temps until July this year, it is not hard to understand.

Mudhole.com has these: http://www.mudhole.com/Lure-Building/Crankbait-Minnow-Bodies/Minnow-Body-Shallow-5-12 So does Jann's Netcraft: http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/crankbait-bodies/341122.aspx#

3M makes a product called Hook & Loop fasteners that should work. It is similar to velcro but lots stronger. Comes in pieces and rolls with peel off self adhesive on the back. Can get it at most home improvement stores like Lowe's and Menard's or an electronics supply store.

If the cost isn't too much more, I'd go with more rather than less. If you only have 150' but see fish at 200' deep, you can't get there if you wanted to. With 300' on the spool you can. Even on Lake Michigan I rarely go over 200' down trolling, but I have caught fish as deep as 270' and with 400' on my riggers I know I can.

Boats are still doing well off Ludington near the shelf for Kings. Had good reports on staging fish being caught off Grand Haven, St. Joe, and Muskegon pier heads.

Cool!!!

I have used both the 45# and 32# Bloodrun coppper and both work very well. Had 2 300' 45# but when one got tangled in a leadcore I changed it to the 32#. Based on the Bloodrun dive curve data there isn't much difference in the depth achieved between the two. The 32# is easier to work with though and I can get more backing on the reel since it does not take up as much space. Durability has not been an issue and compared to the 45# it goes on and deploys off the reel much easier. Both are much better than the 45# Opti copper from 6 years ago I originally had. They don't seem to have it anymore, but I bought a big spool of the Bloodrun backing mono which is 30# diameter and it works well. I have half of my coppers using it and the other half using 50# PP -- which depends on the reel and how much space is available. I want at least 200 yards of backing on them. The PP will last longer than the mono though as it just does not decay. To me the wear point on a copper setup is not the backing but the leader and the knots. I switched to using the small Spro barrel swivels and a haywire twist knot with heat shrink tubing over the copper knot a couple years ago. No issues with knots since. I think going to the Okuma GLT Pro copper rods has also helped with their bigger stainless eyes.