Paulywood

As far as fishing by boat Steve you will find the most numbers in the Big Man and the St. Joe. On the BM you can fish from the lake all the way to Tippy. There is a good launch at Rainbow Bend and High Bridge. I don't know much about the Joe but I know a lot of guys launch at Shamrock Park and fish that area. If you are just getting started hiring a guide might be a good idea. If you are looking for someone reasonable for just you and your boy I would try Steve Hutchins. Good luck.

Slammer tip-ups work great too. Spawn bag with floaters about 6" in front of a small swivel. Flouro leader and a slip sinker so they don't feel resistance.

Mike, when I am fishing I have the switch set on 1 battery. That isolates the main battery from the secondary so that the main battery is the only one that is charging. That way the boat will always start and if the second battery is low it won't draw from the first. Steve, I would definitely add the second battery. It's better to be safe than sorry out on the water.

Mike my second battery is never down much after a day of fishing. I usually flip the switch over before running back in then check it at home. It is almost always fully charged. I have even come back without recharging and it never needs more than a short charge at home. The riggers and electronics don't pull that much juice.

I know there is another way to isolate Steve but I would have to look it up. But is there a reason you don't want to use the switch? I installed one on my last boat and have one as a factory install on the new one and they are great.

Congrats Matt! Work hard, learn a lot and have fun!

I've seen Yonker's boat and Kevin (FBD) has fished on it a few times. I think Kevin and Steve would agree that the tiller AP works well. I think you will like it a lot. And I don't fault you for cheating. My wife was just saying this morning that I am hard to buy presents for because I am so particular about what I want. Sounds like yours did a good job.

Just saw a sale going on at Big Lake Lures. You get spoons and flies at 20% and free shipping with orders over $100.00. I think you have to contact the site to get the discount, PayPal won't make the deduction automatically. http://biglakelures.com/default.aspx

Welcome aboard Ron! Good luck on the boat. If you want your deck to last longer you could seal the wood with either epoxy or with oil based paint. If you are really ambitious you could even lay fiberglass down on the deck, although vinyl flooring would be easier. I have never heard wbout people using composite decking for floors, that is the only other material I can think of. A good tip to help make the floor last is to use a high quality plywood. You don't necessarily have to use marine grade but try to get voidless material. It will last a lot longer. Good luck!

I think you will be fine with the shorter rods but would be worried about the roller rods. I have had terrible luck with the less expensive brand of rollers. The construction allows the wire to jump off the roller and catch on the frame. This results in a break off. As far as wire, I never run backer. I put a full spool of wire on my reels. I have been out over 500' on my wire rods before and don't like to have any extra connections that could possibly fail.

Might want to think about breaking it down. Convert to hydraulic one year, add the AP the next year. Just an idea. Good luck, as you know, hobbies aren't cheap! Just ask my wife.

Good job Roger. I took a doe opening evening but that has been it for me. No horns.

I know that people run spinnie's off of boards but I have never had any luck. And they pull really hard. The new Church boards might be effective for them.

If you want to fish deeper you can try adding Stinger Divebombs. They are designed to attach to leadcore. They come in sizes from 1 oz to 12 oz's. And they are cheap. I have used them and found them to be effective.

Yeah, they'll hold a 3 color but the retrieve isn't great. I used them on riggers and they were fine. I don't think they'd be too awful on just a 3 color unless you had it way off the boat. I've reeled a fullcore in on a 309 and that was really bad.

No, no counters.

I am upgrading some of my equipment and have a couple of spare reels. They are about 5 years old and still work great. They are filled with 20# Ande mono. Clickers are strong. Looks like they retail for around $60. I will sell both of them for $50, including shipping.

2 years ago I accidently ordered 3 sets of these. Don't need the second one. It is brand new, still in the plastic. They sell for $20 new, I'll let it go for $15. Here's a link: http://howiestackle.com/index.php?productID=14

Here you go Jim: http://www.greatlakesfisherman.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16491 It's in the Salmon Pro's section.

If you are looking for Bert's tracks or holders Northwoods in Pinconning has the best prices I have found.

I have a Raymarine autopilot and love it, but not as much as my wife does. She hated driving and now enjoys her time on the boat even more. I find it is easier for me. When I have newbies on board I can spend more time helping and explaining things to them. And if I want to adjust a rod I just walk back and do it. They are great.

As far as catching more fish I would personally get the speed and temp probe. I went with the AP first but that was at the wife's insistence. I plan on getting a FishHawk next year. Electric riggers are nice but don't help you catch more fish, the probe does. Good luck.

Steve, I would stay away from the cheaper roller rods. I had a ton of issues with cheaper roller rods. There is too much room between the rollers and the frame and the wire jumps off and gets caught. For the same price you could get a JR rod that has tungsten guides. No rollers needed. Or you could get a regular diver rod and put a new tip on it. I have used Twilli tips before and they work fine. But last year I tried a roller tip from Torpedo and really liked them. There is a lot less tension on the wire. You could get a Daiwa Heartland diver rod and a Torpedo tip for the same price as the roller rods you are looking at. I am considering a pair of Shimano Talora roller rods for next year, but they are $ 200 each. The reason I am thinking about them is because you can get them in 7' length and I have been trying to use shorter rods. As far as the wire I just use 1000'. I liked the Daiwa Sealines better than the Convectors for wire dipseys, the drag seems smoother. But I would add the power handle. I have been out over 600' on the counter on my wire rods before, plus there is 1 less knot to worry about. I used the 19 strand Torpedo wire last year and didn't see any advantages or disadvantages versus the 7 strand. I do know where you can get a heck of a deal on a Tekota/Heartland/Torpedo wire/tip combo though. It's in about 100' of water just north of the first set of nets off Muskegon!

Welcome aboard! Thanks for sharing some pics. If you need anything just ask.

I still use the Big Jon band busters. They are cheap, easy to set, and reliable. Every year I think about getting something else but never have. If I were I would get the Chamberlains. Maybe next year.