Paulywood

The biggest things for me are lots of parking, maximum launch docks, fish cleaning station, and a real bathroom that is cleaned on occassion. Having the site deep enough that you can manuever around after you launch and an area for boats to stage as you wait to retrieve would be nice also.

I don't know what your budget is but this is a good deal. Garmin makes the best GPS units in the industry hands down. They have recently came out with their new version which the main difference is NMEA2000 capability. But now these units are on closeout. It comes pre programmed with the US inland lakes charts and the 535 is the higher resolution model of the 530. It also has 3d chart capabilities with the G2 Vision chips and also will do satalite weather and radio with an accesory antenna. Retail - $900 Sale - $449 THATS LESS THAN HALF FOR A BRAND NEW UNIT There is a very limited quanity so its while supplies last Here is a link to the product brochure for more information: http://www.calumetmarine.com/images/products/garminchart.pdf NOTE: This is not the combo unit, meaning NO SONAR.

But if you get bored with the walleye Jon you can head east to Ontario for a weekend of 30#ers. I bet Ken would even drive over and help you out.

I was wrong, this is the antenna I have. I have also recommended it to a few other guys and they like it too. It works very well and is affordable. Last year I was fishing out of Muskegon and talking to Oakley out of Pt. Sheldon. And I have been able to hear people out of Holland. http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/223411/377%20710%201407%204294965314%201823/1822/Antennas,%20Mounts,%20Cable/Primary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/0/0?N=377%20710%201407%204294965314%201823&Ne=1822&Ntt=Antennas,%20Mounts,%20Cable&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&page=CategoryDisplayLevel1&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=5003&subdeptNum=3&classNum=309

Yep, mine covers boat, gear, trailer plus towing.

I checked out a lot of campanies last year and ended up going with Boat U.S. The on water and roadside towing are a great feature. Plus all of my gear is insured. When talking to other companies and other people I was worried about the amount of coverage and the ability to file a claim. I know some people who have added the boat to their homeowners insurance have been denied claims because the boat wasn't located at their home when something was stolen. My total coverage is for $27,000 and I pay about $300 for the year.

I have a Shakespeare 4500 fiberglass antenna from West Marine. I think it's the best quality antenna for the money. I have an Uniden Solara and have a range of up to 20 miles. I am very happy with the performance.

I will try to make as many as possible, schedule permitting. Thanks for putting this together Terry, should be fun.

The switch is easy. I installed one on my last boat, on my new boat it is a factory install. The directions are right on the back of the switch. Just buy a couple of battery cables with the ends already installed. Then you can either direct wire all of the electronics or power them from a fuse or breaker box. On my old boat I powered them from a fuse box. On this one they are direct to the battery with inline fuses.

From the sounds of it at least a few of the organizers are bait shop owners. That would go a long way toward the integrity of the people doing the weighing. But I agree, everyone involved with the winning fish should be subject to the lie detector. That is another reason everyone on the boat should have to be registered. By registering you would be agreeing to the rules of the event and subject to the polygraph. If someone doesn't register they wouldn't necesarily have to take a polygraph and it could lead to a mess.

I think the best way to curb cheating is for everyone in the boat to be registered. Like Kevin said, that is how they run it over on Lake Ontario and it has been successful. For a $30 fee even if your whole crew wasn't registered every time it would be worthwhile to me. Say you fished 30 trips in a year. If your whoel crew was registered for 6 of those trips it would still only be $5 per trip.

I would add the second battery with the switch and hook all of your electronics (sonar, gps, riggers) to this and just use the main battery as a starter. Use a deep cycle for the second battery. You can have the switch set to "Both" when you run in and out. Then when you switch over to the kicker, turn the switch to the second battery. This will keep it from drawing off of your main battery while trolling. I have a switch on my boat and normally don't even switch it while under way, just make sure both batteries are charged before leaving home. If I am on a trip I will charge the second battery with the alternator. You might want to look into a plug in charger for the front batteries as an alternative. You could run all of your electronics off of the front batteries and charge at home. Just a couple of options.

I agree with you Kevin. I think it needs to be an individual tournament. I don't like the idea of a whole boat registration, for the reasons you state. And my crew is different for almost every trip. That is why I think internet registration is a good idea. I am hopeful that it will work out for you. And to be honest, I don't think it will be bad for you if some people are skeptical and take a wait and see approach for the year. It might be better if it starts a little smaller and builds over time. Have you thought about doing a couple of different flights, so to speak? Maybe 2 seperate 6 week tourneys? Once again, I wish you luck and thank you for doing it. Anything that promotes the sport is a good thing.

Lake Michigan Salmon Sweepstakes Big Fish O-Rama Lake Michigan Big Fish Bash

Always good to have quality people selling quality products on the site. Welcome back!

Yeah, they are top notch and simple. Hold the net solid but easy to remove. Definitely a winner.

I agree that it is best to not have the diver/leader/flasher/leader/fly length to exceed the length of the dipsey rod. Makes it a lot easier to land fish. However, sometimes when the bite is tough I like longer leads. The key there is to make sure you can still get the fish to the back of the boat. I have a walkaround so I can go all the way to the bow if I have to. Another thing you can do is change from wire to braid. Most of the time I run wire during low light. Then I will add in braid with spoons. If the wire diver bite dies when the sun comes up I will run them deeper. If that doesn't work I will pull the wire and braid and then run the flashers on the braid on a higher setting to move them away from the boat. Since I run the spoons on a longer/lighter leader you have to make sure that you also change out the leader. I run 40-50# flasher leaders and 20# flouro to the spoons. I forgot to do this last year and it caused a lot of problems and a lost fish.

We are always happy to have some more guys who like to talk and share. What kind of schedule do the DAS guys have? Do you start in the south and head north?

Sounds like you guys have some good ideas and are well organized. Hopefully one of the Muskegon guys can help out with a weigh-in. I would definitely participate. I am assuming the license would be good for any port, correct?

I agree with the idea of a weigh in in Muskegon. Unless I had a monster I wouldn't bother weighing a fish caught out of Muskegon or Whitehall as Grand Haven is an hour out of my way. I would weigh in out of Port Sheldon. I think that the lie detector is needed and if you don't have one prearranged you should. It's too bad that people would cheat on something like this, but you know they will. I wonder if you could have people sign up online? It would be time stamped and maybe they could pay with PayPal? Just because I drive over from the middle of the state and wouldn't be able to have a crew member sign up if they decided to ride along. What about weighing in after a night trip? I'm not sure how they work this for the other derby's. Sounds like a great idea though.

According to the first post it is March 6th.

I usually start with 50'. Retie at about 15'.

Just wanted to thank everyone for their donations. Here is what will be going to the benefit on sunday: http://www.greatlakesfisherman.com/gallery/files/8/5/dscn0542.jpg' alt='dscn0542.jpg'> There are 10 JP Slammers, 5 Sigg's flies, 3 Hot Chip flashers, 25 bead chains, a J-plug, 2 mauler spoons, a $100 Cabela's card, a $50 Gander card, and it all comes in a Flasher File. Thanks again guys.

Frank, got your envelope yesterday. Thanks for the donation. Thank you to evryone who helped. It is going to a worthy cause.

Welcome! Let us know if you need anything. Look forward to any insight you might have. What port(s) do you fish out of mainly? I fish mostly out of Muskegon but travel all over. Last year I fished from South Haven to Ludington, also Cedarville and Au Gres. Looking forward to spring coho in St. Joe.