1mainiac

Looks like it could be a bumpy ride. Sunday west winds 10 to 20 knots becoming southwest. Chance of showers. Waves 2 to 4 feet. Sunday night west winds 15 to 25 knots. Chance of showers. Waves 4 to 6 feet

This was a pleasure to be a part of glad to see it come to a great end and ready to do it again next year. Would be willing to do it a couple of times next year if possible. Tight Lines Jim

I ran the Blacks release's for a while last year with limited success. I modified a set last night so they can't open and am going to try running a Cannon release behind it. I figure the worse that could happen is it might open and I could lose a Pinch release but if it works it will allow the release to not spin with the probe ball or cable. I am also going to move the probe setup to my outside riggers as they are slower and I might even be able to watch the temp change as they go down. since i don't always use them I could just send the probe down without a line on it to test temp and current. I had liked having the probe on all the time but may just get used to using it more as a test instrument than a running part of my gear. After losing one I think I can learn to be happy geting my data and putting it away unless things change Tight Lines jim

Ok that fixed it thanks jim

Mike just noticed my name is not comming up in my post no big deal since I sign all of them anyhow Jim

Well I may try the start stop idea but to be honest I am usually in haulbutt mode when setting lines. Why else buy the badddest fastest riggers you can get I suppose I could move the probe to my Fishlander riggers they are real slow. If I had known how slow they were I MIGHT NOT HAVE BOUGHT THEM but perhaps they might be better for the probe. I may move the gear over to them this week. Tight Lines Jim

I never run flashers behind the probe so not sure if that would make a differance. But plugs or spoons short leads or long has not made a differance. Desent speed is one thing I have not considered the riggers are older Big Jon senior units with new Speed rigger motors which basicly makes them the same as the new Brute model with fiberglass booms but they do haul butt down or up but probably close to 250ft a min going down so perhaps it is spinning on desent. If this turns out to be the issue kinda blows the bigger faster stronger theory being better. Tight Lines Jim

Fished Port Sheldon this morn set lines in 115 FOW ran north then southwest out to about 160 wandered around tried a bunch of differant setups. No hits nothing worked saw a few small fish boated ended up with 3rd skunk of the year waves were 2 to 4 not 1 or less. Other than being a little bumpy in a 17ft boat was a decent day. Tight Lines Jim

Out again tonight same program as last night 5 for 5 if you count the Laker we threw back. Again smaller fish but great eating I am up to 80 Kings for the year will be out of Port Sheldon in morn on a friends boat. Lot of chatter of guys fishing the bottom in 80 to 100 but no one at the dock had more than a couple of small fish. So I gotta beleive they are deep and scattered will probably start out dragging the sand in 80 ft tommorow. Tight Lines Jim

I have never put my boat in neutral I check my lines every time. I have a Depth Raider setup I have tried heavier balls I usually set them down with the drag set so the rods are bent over all the way down I run fairly fast so I think blow back is the biggest issue but if I am hooked above the probe with swivels above and below the probe WTF is up. Again it only happens when running deep I may try a set of the shark weights or pancakes but they don't fit in my cradles. Tight Lines Jim

Anyone else having problems with releases and tangleing on the probe rigger? I have tried several differant release setups this year with limited success. Yet I still have trouble with tangles at the probe that I have not figured out where they come from it looks like the probe spins and grabs the line I have ran the release above the probe below the probe and off the ball I also tried just running a stacker release off the wire above the probe that was worse. Yet when I remove the probe I have no problems with the rigger and when running above 60ft no issues. But since the warm water moved back in and I am back to searching deep water the tangles are back dragged a 5lb king to its death last night found it when I pulled lines to change lures. I have got at least 7 fish this way this year and have lost a few lures as well. Any ideas? Tight Lines Jim

Out this evening first night with new probe working. Ran out to first net north of pier and went out past it to 145 FOW set lines and ran SW. 80 dn temp was 58 to 61 not good marked a few decent fish in top 25ft assumed to be Steelhead so put out a couple of half cores and got a 4lb Steelhead ok that works. lost a couple more steelhead before we got another one in the box but no kings been running spoons 80 dn and 100 dn on riggers no takers ran several dipsey fly combos between 150 and 220 back on 2.5 finally got a 8lb King in 177ft on a dipsey just before sundown. Pulled lines and reset with glow spoons 70 and 90dn on riggers put a glow spoon on one dipsey and a Siggs blue green glow on other ran em back 150 turned back in after about 15 min decided to throw out a couple of sliders that turned out to work got 2 small kings on same setup within 15 min Moonshine dbl orange spoon on free slider rigger set at 90 dn. Had to change course to avoid the coal ship coming in and never got another hit so called it a night 5 for 7. Tight Lines Jim

1Mainiac will be there weather permiting

True which is why I will drive the boat down that way but won't launch from there. Mostly dislike the battle at the launch ramp and the long idle out to the lake. Even worse is to launch at Fruitport which is 3 miles from my house but seems like a all day event to get to the big lake. So I either blast down to Grand Haven from Muskegon or up from Port Sheldon for me either one beats the endless drive down the channel. Tight Lines Jim

Not me hate the ride out from the launch and always seems like more idiots fish there. Every time I go there I swear I will never go back I don't mind driving the boat down from Muskegon but won't launch there. Tight Lines Jim

They kicked butt last year I usually try to get one right on the bottom and one up about 20ft. I usually run J Plugs on them late in the morn or early in the evening when fish are laying on the bottom. Have never had a dbl on them but if bottom one goes off I let the other one dn or vise versa. I won't run flies spinnies on them but will run spoons or plugs. I have ran em a few times this year with no hits but no tangles will probably have em running tommorrow when we go out. Tight Lines Jim

I RUN 2 QUITE A BIT i PUT THEM ON MY OUTSIDE RIGGERS AND RUN THEM DEEP I ALSO KEEP THEM AT LEAST 20FT APART DEPTH WISE. JIMBOBBER A SWR IS 2 0R 3 COLORS OF LEADCORE BEHIND THE DOWNRIGGER BALLS. GETS YOU DEEP AND ADDS STEALTH TO YOUR SETUP LETS YOU FISH THE BOTTOM WITHOUT YOUR BALLS DRAGGING. TIGHT LINES JIM

I start with the boat at about 3 GPS and then adjust to between 1.8 and 2.5 at the probe depending on what lures I am pulling. J plugs and some spoons seem to like 1.8 to 2.2 for me depending on flasher fly I like 2.0 to 2.5. I like to pull stuff along side the boat to see how it looks in the water if it don't kinda look like a fish swimming it probably won't catch fish. Oh yea and when my probe hit the bottom 2 weeks ago I darn near cried and you may have heard me swearing in Holland. Getting the probe has probably doubled or tripled my catch ratio no more driving around wondering why I ain't catching fish. Once you get to monitor speed and temp in the zone you are fishing you will never go back. Tight Lines Jim

Oh yea should mention my probe is still dead but was told in 130ft temp was 46 deg 65 dn. Other than spending most of my night rerigging and repairing divers was a good night. Dipseys were taking hits all night just could not keep them from breaking lot of big fish out there. Tight Lines Jim

Out for a bit with my brother and his family left dock at 7pm ran out to 140 north outside first set of nets. Set SWR 2 color down 120 on starboard and similar setup 105 dn on port moonshine hi NRG on one J plug on other. Set a J Plug dn 80 on other rigger and a Nitro Nalpalm 70 dn on other rigger put dipsey out 140 and second dipsey out 160 and ran a dbl orange crush on 5 color and a Nitro circus on 5 color those each caught steelhead the only fish that made the box. not one hit on riggers unless you count my brother dragging a king into both of my port rigger lines. Dipseys ended 0 for 5 3 broken snubbers one walker diver came apart at back of diver never had one fail before it yanked the the swivel off the back end of the diver. Not very impressed I have had 5 L J snubbers fail this year I won't run another one this year. Tight Lines Jim

Hi Mike I am still getting out at least 3 times a week weather permiting. Had a good fly bite going in 150ft tonight but my younger brother can't catch fish sober either. Tight Lines Jim

The only time I have ever had dipsey problems is when running them at 3 or above and when someone freespools them out. I prefer to start them out first and let them pull against drag all the way. I have had fish hit them on the way out I only run my magnums on my wire rods and if you freespool one out you better know how to swim or be prepared to stop at the bait shop on the way home. I set the high diver on 2.5 and let it go against the drag go to othe side and do the same back over and set the wire diver on 1.5 and let it go against the drag set othe wire rod on othe side the same way. Then drop the outside riggers up with SWR and send them down and set rear riggers by now your divers should be close to running depth lock em down and get the core ready to go out set half core on each side one with a dive bomb if you want then put out the full cores and add a dive bomb to one if you want send out the copper and you have 14 rods and are about 300 wide and have every depth you want covered drive smooth and catch fish. Tight Lines Jim

By the way wife just mentioned if I don't stop spending money fishing next set of balls I lose could be mine. Tight Lines Jim

Darn Don I lost a ball as well it was really tough lost the probe and ball prefishing bought a new probe and lost the ball again Sun. Thats 30lbs of lead and one probe on the bottom in 1 week. Wife says I am running out of balls to give for fishing. This has been a real expensive year of fishing so far. Tight Lines Jim

Nice job Nailer we were back on the trailer by 8am this morning was hard enough to keep my boat in a straight line having to dodge other boats made it a pain in the %$^&. Tight Lines Jim