Paulywood

I know this is a little late but thought it might help someone out. Fished in front of Little Creek in 45' friday night night. They weren't real thick but we managed 70 in about 3 hours. Seemed to come and go. The ice was 6" thick and completely clear. You could see bottom all the way out to the dropoff even in the dark. Kind of freaky.

I have the Garmin Bluechart for Lake Michigan. The detail on it is great. I plan on getting one for Saginaw Bay this year. However, they are pretty expensive. I think it was around $90. That is one of the negatives of the Garmin units, the maps are expensive.

Frank, I have the Garmin 292c plotter and the 340c sonar. I really like both units. I have the map chip in the plotter. The 292 has been great for me. It has a lot of usable features. I also like the 340 but I plan on upgrading from the dual beam transducer that came with it to an Airmar transducer to get a little better clarity. I should have ordered the dual frequency transducer to start with. Hope this helps.

I don't have any experience with that model but I have a Garmin sonar and GPS. They are seperate units. About 3 months after I bought them I dropped the GPS on the ground and broke it. I shipped it to Garmin on monday and by friday had a brand new unit sitting at my door. That alone sold me on Garmin products.

Frank, I would be leery of the Lowrance HD models. Everyone I talked to that bought one last year had problems. They had to be reworked and Lowrance isn't real speedy when it comes to customer service. Maybe they worked the bugs out but there were a lot of problems with them last year.

I use the clear Opti snubbers and have never had a problem with them.

I run 2 divers per side and don't run mags. I just run #1's with the low divers on 1.5 and the highs on 3. As far as colors go, I run black on one side and green on the other. I used to run clear divers but they stripped out. I don't think color matters much I just use 2 different colors to indicate side.

Welcome! Let us know if you need anything.

I've got 2 and plan on getting more. They are very handy.

I have school from 6-9 on wednesday nights so I can't participate.

I haven't been out yet but I talked to a couple of guys who got into them last week during the day while they were perch fishing. Sounds like it's been hit or miss.

There are still a lot of the 12 and 14 autopilots out there. Cascade GPS still had some last I knew. I am going to purchase the AP 14r in the next month or two and install in the spring.

Welcome aboard Paul. I know that the Thumb area can still be productive in the spring. And if you really get the itch that 4 hour drive goes by pretty fast:D

Do you have a rudder reference? I think that the Sportpilot uses a rudder reference in order to avoid the over compensation. I am just working from memory so I could be incorrect.

Mike, wasn't one of your problems with a helm mounted autopilot the fact that the power steering only worked off one engine? Have you figured out a way to run the power steering off both engines yet or aren't you worried about that anymore? Just asking because I thought that was a limiting factor if you wanted to install a helm mounted autopilot.

1. Communications encouraged on channel 72. Keep it clean for this is a family oriented event. 2. Max of 6 rods in the water at one time. 3. Tourney Fees. 10 dollars for tourney, 5 dollars for big fish. 4. Weigh 1 DNR limit. Weigh Big Fish First. Only one fish may be weighed per boat for Big Fish. a. 0-Lakers b. 5-Kings c. 10-Coho d. 15-Steelhead e. 20-Brown f. 5-Clipped Fin g. Point Per Pound 5. Max of 3 DNR limits of fish per boat may be kept. 6. Start no earlier than 5:00am and Pull lines at 12:00PM a. The last event in September start no earlier than 6am and pull lines at 1:00pm. 7. Tourney Pay Outs will be a. 1st place 50% b. 2nd Place 30% c. 3rd Place 20% d. Tiebreaker will be biggest fish. If after big fish there is still a tie: i. If 1st place is a tie then 1st and 2nd place will be added together and split. ii. If 2nd place is tied then 2nd and 3rd place will be added together and split. iii. If 3rd place is tied then 3rd place will be split. e. Big fish, is winner take all of big fish money. 8. Must report by radio on channel 72 by 6:00am to be eligible to partake in weigh in. Money is due at weigh-in, unless you catch me before I leave the dock. Gentleman’s honor to pay. 9. Start out of the same port as the weigh in. 10. Follow all other State and Federal Laws. 11. If a weekend is blown out and unfishable, The next tournament the entry fee and rules will be like a regular tournament but the points will be doubled. 12. END OF YEAR BIG FISH CONTEST. To Enter the end of year big fish contest each team must submit 1 unused trolling fly. The team with the big fish for the year will receive the lot of flies for a prize. You must submit your new fly prior to weighing your big fish. 13. Working on End of the Year points champion prize as well. Not sure what that will be yet. Will let you know when I can lock one down. DATES for the 2010 West Michigan Fishing League 1. Saturday, May 22nd Blow Sunday, May 23rd 2. Saturday, June 5th Blow Sunday, June 6th 3. Saturday, July 10th Blow Sunday, July 11th 4. Saturday, Aug 14th Blow Sunday, Aug 15th 5. Saturday, Sept 11th Blow Sunday, Sept 12th

Looks good Terry. I'll miss the old boat though, it was always easy to spot you out on the water. I'm sure this one will be just as good as the old Dog.

I'm going to add an autopilot. I want to add a speed & temp probe too but I'm not sure it is going to happen. And maybe a copper setup. Other than that, nothing planned.

Welcome aboard!

Thanks for the trip Ken. I had a great time.

I replaced both the front and back clips on my Walleye boards. I use Offshore releases and haven't lost a board. The only way I can lose one is if a line breaks. Let me know how the wooden ones work, maybe I can start a business, I have plenty of 2 x 4's

I tore the clickers out of 2 of the Depthmasters. I think they are the same quality as the Magda's, not the Convectors. I don't have a lot of faith in the Magda's as far as long term, and the number of trips I make. Some guys have had good luck with them, others have had them seize up. Sometimes you do get what you pay for.

Sounds like you have a pretty good selection Jon. The Limo should be slamming fish all year. 3 color cores are very versatile. They are good for low light conditions, daylight for steelies, and if the lake turns over can be a king killer. Also good for fishing in front of the pierheads in the fall. I run a 3 color almost every trip. The only thing I can see that you might want to add would be a couple of wire setups for dipsey's or pound ball rigs. But if it's not in the budget this year I wouldn't worry about it. As fas as the Magda's, I don't feel they are made to put up with the abuse salmon put on them. Some people have good luck and the reels last a few years. Other people have had them lock up after just a few trips. I really like my Convectors for leadcore. That is all I run for core now. The large handles are easy on your hand and they have a good retrieve ratio.

Welcome aboard! Let us know if you have any questions and Happy Holidays.

Here are the lights that I want to add. Ideally I would like to mount 2 on the transom above the waterline and then 2 on the bimini or somewhere else up top. http://www.coastalnightlights.com/orders.html