Take Six...

I've owned six different rides, from a 15' fiberglsss to a 28' fiberglass and aluminums between 16' and my current 19.5' Crestliner. The way boat builders can roll form, shape and seamless weld aluminum hulls these days, they can make them look great as well as integrate hull features to reduce splash, better plane and deliver clean laminar water flow to the prop. Without help, the fiberglass will ride better. But there's a price for the added weight in both the tow vehicle and boat power plant. IMHO I chose aluminum and added hydraulic trim tabs to my 19.5' Crestliner. This puts me under 3,500 towing, with a 135HP Merc Opti I run 44MPH. When theres spine crushing 3 foot whites caps, I bury the bow into the waves with those trim tabs and bulldoze my way through instead of slapping the water and going airborne. Happy hunting!

My home port is St. Joe but was staying in Elk Rapids last week. I made the 4:00AM trek to Frankfort last Friday and hit the water at sunrise. Water temp was 64 degrees on the surface. Lake was dead flat. There were probably ten to fifteen boats between the in front of the harbor and Point Betsie. I started in 140 fow and trolled between the two points for three hours. Marked five fish and didn't have one release. Radio reports indicated the guys who hit the water while it was still dark had the most luck. I'm going back up in two weeks, let me know if you have any better luck.

I was running 2.2 - 2.5 speed over ground from the GPS. I couldn't tell you what the speed through the water. My buddy from the previous night said the action picked up when they ran 3.0 mph over ground.

After my buddy sent me a picture of his 15 coho last night, I drug my kid out into the sleet and 20 mph east wind out of St. Joe. Set lines in 18 FOW down at Church hill and trolled back to the harbor. Picked up 5 coho and pulled lines when the rain set in. Speed was 3.0 - 3.2. Bloody nose yellow rapala and lemon ice spoon and thin fin.

Decided to go back to NB instead of St. Joe. (Good call guys) Was out at first light and hung around the mouth in the 40 degree water. Picked up the first fish around 9:00 and pulled lines at 10:30 with three coho. All three came in a narrow track 100 yards from the rocks in 14 - 18 FOW. Green/chrmoe hammered spoons and a green thin fin. My buddy called me from St. Joe and just had lines set in 20 FOW around 10:30 and two in the box before he could get all his lines out. What a great opening weekend!!!

Put in New Buffalo around 10:00am this morning. Channel is open and no less than 4 feet was under me. Started at the pump station and trolled West. Water temp was 39 between 12 and 20 FOW. Murky. Decided to try by the mouth where the water was 41 only had one bump. Then ran almost to MC and found 41 water and again just one bump. Going to try St. Joe tomorrow.

Only had three hours to fish but managed two coho. Both were flat lines in about 14 FOW. Wind was off shore and the surface temp was 41.7. Any farther than 25 FOW and the temp dropped to 38. Body baits were a bloody nose rapala and an orage thunderstick diver.

I did go to Turtle Creek that night but I think I left all my luck on the lake. Its a new day though!!

The best is I'm still getting goose bumps as I read it again...

Camped in Elk Rapids, wife at the horse show in Traverse City, I left Frankfort, Mi/Point Betsie/ 133FOW Hit the rigger at 85 down on a dodger and fly. Stripped all my 20lb test spectra and half the backing. Had to f-ing back down on it to gain line back. Got it up to the boat and my 9' Cabela downrigger rod snapped in half. All I could do was watch him drift away. I grabbed the port side rigger, popped it off the ball to see if I could snag him. I snagged the dodger rigging. Got him back to the boat and just as I went to scoop him up, the rigging slid through the line and he was off again. I dropped that rod and grabbed my copper rig to try and snare it, I got it. Got him up to the boat and went to scoop him up but he was to big for the net. I snagged the swim platform twice before I shifted to the side of the boat. Finally, I let him slide in tail first and couldn't lift him out with one arm. I threw the copper rig to the floor, hopped over the bench seat and winched him out with two hands. I finally got that mother - fer! 34" x 22lbs. I hadn't felt like that since I landed my Marlin. Great day!

Dropped lines in 55 fow at 8:00am yesterday and left with a two man limit before 11:00am. Radio chatter (for what little there is down in these parts) was saying the same thing. Anything orange or red took fish. Best depth was between 44 - 47. All coho's.

Glad you found them! I'm heading out in the morning. I'll run out to 55 before I shut down. Thanks for the info.

Saturday and Sunday, New Buffalo produced limit catches with almost everyone I spoke to including myself. It was like the good ol' days when rods we're going off as soon as you started setting lines or just when you put the net in the water and while you're finishing up for the day pulling lines in. It was great. Saturday we set lines about half way to Michigan City in 20fow and trolled back to New Buffalo. Orange J-11, Red Hoochie, Orange Reef Runner.... Sunday we set in 49 fow and worked into 44 and then back out. (Same rigs)

First trip of 09'! Just like the others have said, the channel in front of Tackle Haven is 2.2 FOW but only for the length of those boat docks and then its fine. Ramps still were pulled out of the water. And yes that cable was still dragging all the way across the center channel under the high bridge, just go to the left. Surface temp in the channel was 53 and remained at 42 all the way to the pumping station. Church Hill to Cook hovered around 38 - 39. I trolled back north in 6 - 12 FOW for a couple hours without a bump. But boy was I digging the flat water and the warmth of the sun on my face! Had a chat with the DNR at the mouth of the channel on the return. He said a few coho we're being taken on the pier with spawn.

32 - 34 FOW straight out from the Southern pumping station. Zig zagged for about a half hour, mostly to find ale wives under us. Finaly we stopped over another large school of ale wives to find perch under them. (using my cheater aquaview) Kept 38 out of 50 with 4 over 12".

Decided to try New Buffalo instead of St. Joe. A buddy of mine had gone out Friday afternnoon and limited out in an hour and a half. We did OK. Some said the low pressure system that moved in turned them off. We boated three coho and threw back a laker. All on top lines, bloody nose and yellow, jointed rapalla took the three. Can't decide where to go tomorrow. It's a good problem to have. Finally.

Drug my feet all winter and just sent my prop in for a tune up. AARRGHHH!!! I've already decided thats not going to stop me. I hear the coho's were swarming just out in front of the piers anyway. I'll just use my 15 hp kicker. Let us know how you do. Good luck!

Just did my own water pump changeover. I have a 135 Merc. Optimax. Its an 05' and last year somewhere between 1500 and 2000 rpm, I'd get an over heat buzzer. It would go away at idle and WOT. Figured I was due. $50 bucks and three hours of Van Halen, AC/DC and two buds its ready for a field trial if this white $#@! ever goes away. If yours is three years old or more the flutes can take a set and lose efficiency. If you dare.....Here's about how it went. Put the engine in forward. Tilt the engine a high as you can. Remove the prop and rear anode. Remove the bolt hidden up under the anode from the bottom side. Remove the two nuts under the swash plate just forward of the prop. Remove the two nuts forward of them and above the swash plate. Remove the single nut on the leading edge of the lower unit. Carefully use a rubber mallet to loosen the lower unit. Watch for the gap as it comes apart and keep it even from front to back as it slides off. When you get it seperated at about three inches, theres an 1/8 water tube connected with a push lock fitting. Remove it by pressing on the brass lock on top of the fitting while gently pulling out the tube. Now your free. Carefully remove the lower unit and place it on a bench vise that you previously placed a towel between the jaws. Remove the three nuts on top of the housing, plus one screw. Slide the housing up and off the shaft. There is a key which engages the inside diameter of the impellar, it may fall off the drive shaft. No problem, a little grease will help keep it in place when you begin to re-assemble. Remove the gasket, stainless plate and bottom gasket by sliding them up the shaft and off the shaft. Keep them together as reference. Clean all flat sealing surfaces of the lower units housing base. Assemble the new gaskets in the same manner as the old and feed them over the drive shaft. Wipe some grease inside the housing wall and insert the new impellar being sure the flutes are going in the same direction as the old. Be sure to rotate them in the same direction the old flutes. Once full installed, clock the impellar to match the keyway position of the old one to engage the key on the shaft. Slide it back down the shaft. Reinstall the nuts and bolt. Don't over torque the bolts. Grease the spline end of the drive shaft and the spline end of the gear shift shaft in front. Grease all of the bolt threads in the lower unit while your at it. Put the new plastic tube into the housing just like the old. Carefully slide the unit back into the upper unit of the outdrive. At about a three inch gap, push the little water tube into the push lock fitting. At about a two inch gap, align the main copper water tube with the plastic tube. At about a one inch gap, grab the upper units shift tube and align it with the lower units spline. If the Gods are smiling the last inch should go right in. If not, you may need to grab the prop shaft and rotate it while you push the rest of the way to get it to align with the power head. You may need to move your shift lever to get the drive tube to engage the small spline shaft in the lower unit. Close the gap until you can get that forward nut and washer installed with your finger. Reinstall all of the nuts in reverse order. If all goes well, you just saved several hundred bucks. Like any DIY project, you still run the risk of making a mistake which could end up costing you more than the original service fee from a mechanic. This will result in a face to face with the trained mechanic. You'll have to endure his smile and the head shake because tried this yourself and didn't hire a proffesional in the first place. I've done three of these, both outboard and I/O, they are virtually the same. So far, I haven't had any problems. I'm not a trained mechanic, I don't play one on TV and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express. Good Luck!

Q-Tip? My nephews nick name is Q-tip! I have the same size in a Crestliner. My screen name represents what number boat I'm on. Any questions and I'd be happy to throw in my .02. I fish out of St. Joe or New Buff. Rig it first for the Coast Guard, then rig it for fishing! VHF Radio. Depth finder Pair of riggers with rod holders Couple extra rod holders forward of the riggers Pair of yellow birds Pair of dipsey's Couple of orange J11 Rapalas Couple of Hot-N-Tots A fishcatcher/dodger/spin doctor and fly A half dozen crappie riggs with one ounce sinkers (for perch) Stock in Opec Welcome!

I used a Remington 870 with a Hastings rifled barrel for ten years. Two years ago I bought the Thompson Omega. OMG! When I'm not using it during deer season I practice driving nails at 50 yards.

Extra weight and even a little slime over the entire surface which contacts the water could easily knock 5 mph off. What caught my eye was WOT rpm of 4,400. I had a 1990 Carver Montego for nine years with Merc 350 cu.in. V-8. I'm almost sure I was spinning 4800 - 5200 range. Plus if your spinning an aluminum wheel, those blades flex a considerable amount under load and litterally flatten out. You can increase your rpm by 200 revs for every 1 inch of smaller prop pitch. Pitch is the theoretical distance of how far the prop will travel in one revolution. Lower pitch gives more torque. I'm no mechanic 4,400rpm seems like the motor is working too hard. Also, check your prop for pitting. A pitted prop can induce cavitation across a greater blade surface. It would be caused by stray current and electrolysis under water. Make sure your grounding anodes are in good shape. (Ask Santa for a S.S. prop)

Was out solo on Sunday. Started around 7:00 and by 8:00 had fat, dark male in the box. Saw five others caught around me. All came in the dirty water at the mouth. Decided the traffic was too much and ran out to 90 fow. One release and others in my area weren't talking much. Only one guy reported landing a king at that depth. Monday the wife and I went for perch near Rocky Gap. Caught 80 and kept 35. FYI - That male I caught was very dark. Obviously he was heading to spawn till he hit the warm water in the river. When I cleaned him, I noticed the meat was white almost gray not pink. There was a state DNR biologist at the launch on Monday checking and weighing fish. I asked him about the meat color. He says he gets that question all of the time, even from charter captains. Yes, white meat can indicate disease but if the fish doesn't have any signs of Lamprey marks or other skin problems and looks normal, he's a healthy fish and the meat is fine. He's says the color difference is through different species of salmon.