Paulywood

Sitex makes a unit similar to the old Simrad units. I guess the engineer who was in charge of the old Simrad units went to Sitex so the basic concept is the same. That is the only one I know of that works for rotary steering right now. I installed a Raymarine X-5 last year and it works good but I'm pretty sure Raymarine discontinued it. I know one guy who installed the Sitex. They said the instructions weren't the greatest but once they installed it and it worked fine.

Steve, the pool noodles work good. I have been using a couple of Lindy rig holders and they work well too. Or a crawler harness holder would work.

I use inlines but I have a mast and plan on installing it. I would like to use it in the spring for browns and coho. You can run the big boards right up by the beach.

Looks good Jim! These are definitely high quality.

Mike there are companies that will do it for you. Probably look in the yellow pages or google it.

My F-I-L caught this one 2 years ago ouot of PS. It was on a green/chrome spinny and brushed stainless fly in about 60' on a diver.

I won't be able to make any day around that time. Shelley is due February 20th. I'll be sticking close to home.

I use Cabela's Ripcord. It works great and is cheaper than PP. You can buy it in 1000 yd spools. When I bought it I did 2 reels with backer, my friend did 2 reels with backer, and I still had some left. I use the same knot that Ken shows. I like 500-600' of braid over the backer. 30# is fine, just be wary when the fleas show up the braid can be a pain.

I have Big Jon Pro Tournament riggers. I run 15# weights and have fished 125'+ down with no problems. The autostops are a great feature. A set of the Brutes would be nice but I haven't been able to justify the cost when the ones I have work so well. I like BJ's because they are all aluminum and located in Michigan. Plus the customer service is second to none and they are big promoters and sponsors of our sport, both through big tournaments and smaller events.

I read the same article stating this but every other expert is saying $3.50. Only the guy saying $5 gets the publicity. Either way it is because of GW opening up the commodities market. Now everyone with a nickel can speculate on oil futures. There is no more control. Although I'm sure GW didn't get any money from the oil companies:)

I'm running the Big Jon Pro Tournament riggers with 15# balls and love them. Dual rod holders with lots of adjustment and all aluminum. If I swapped out it would be for a pair of Brutes but I have other needs when the ones I have work good.

I put the DB's halfway down the core, or about 5 colors on a full. They don't seem to pull that hard, my Walleye boards have no problem pulling them.

The pound rating on leadcore is the sheath breaking strength, not the weight. I run mostly 27# and even 18#. I have been using the Stinger Divebombs the last few years to get extra depth out of my core rods. Since they are only a few dollars each it as a cheap way to gain some versatility in your setup.

Me too Adam!

Grant, Higgins is better the later it gets but you can usually catch them all winter. I'll let you know when I head up there. It won't be too often this winter as my wife is pregnant.

I know they do it down on Gull Lake Aaron but I always go up to Higgins. We use a submersible light under the ice at night. A Hali on the bottom and a small tear drop up higher. Those really light Ice Blue rods work great. It's a blast, one of my favorite things to do in the winter. If you head up to Higgins let me know, I'd be glad to help.

I use a piece of mono in between the core and braid (on my longer cores) to attach the board. It helps cut down on fraying. I just check the mono every year and replace if needed. I use a drill also to take off line. But I just use a 20 oz pop bottle as the spool. I have a bottle cap that has a bolt through I put in the chuck. Then use the drill to remove the line. When I need to wind it back on I just have my wife hold it to keep tension. It works surprisingly well.

Yeah, these are the ones I want to get. I'd like a set down below the gunnel and another set out the back of the boat. http://www.coastalnightlights.com/orders.html

The Titt was almost locked up in Freeland this morning. Pine and Chippewa were locked up at Meridian Rd. FYI

Power went out about 2 pm. Consumers says that it should be back on around 5:30pm tomorrow. So the wife and I checked into the No-Tell in Alma and dropped the dog off at my sisters. Good times. Shelley didn't like my idea to go buy a generator. Guess we'll just have to tough it out for the night. Everyone stay warm and keep safe!

Last August. The shower area looked like it had been redone. It was very clean. Nothing fancy but more than enough for 3 fishermen. The guy managing it was very helpful, seemed like a great guy.

Great job Ken!

If you are interested in Ludington check out Starport. We have stayed there before and it was very nice. You can't go wrong either Manistee or Ludington. http://www.fishludingtonmich.com/

Listen to Jay. He is a Manistee fish killer!

It depends. If you go back and check the reports from last year you will see that there was some very good brown and steelie fishing in the Manistee area as early as April. I wouldn't be afraid to head up there as soon as it's warm enough to get the trailer set up. I know guys who slip there boats and start fishing up there as soon the ice is gone.