Paulywood

We launched the the PM launch in Ludington last year and it fit my boat fine. I'm not positive but I think Manistee was building a new fish cleaning station for the big launch. Don't know if it's done or not. Both places can be crazy on weekends in August. We are fishing Ludington next week but are going up sunday night and monday to avoid the crowds. Good luck.

Good job Don, thanks for the report. Need to figure out where some fish are by the weekend. I'll probably see you around.

Thanks for posting this, I will be in Muskegon next weekend and these things are a real hazard. Here's the link to the website: http://www.michigansteelheaders.org/

I also use the 100' rule on spoons. For flashers I run them 10-20' off the ball no matter the depth. During the day I like to run an SWR rod (2 colors of leadcore) or a light line with a really long lead off my lower riggers. It can be really good after the sun comes up. Probably my favorite lure on the SWR is a chrome plug.

Very nice gun-good luck selling it.

That is one of the cleanest boats I have ever seen. Good luck selling her.

I run 25" behind 8" paddles and 35" behind 11" paddles. I pre-tie all of mine because I want them to be consistent. A consistent leader length leads to a consistent action and it should make it easier to dial in your spread. Of course, I could definitely be wrong.

Steve, I run 7' Daiwa Heartlands on my riggers and love them. I only have 4 rods on my boat longer than 7' 6" and would swap them out for shorter if I could. I actually think it's easier to handle an ornery fish at the back of the boat on shorter rods. And mine are medium lite action.

Good job & thanks for the report!

Stiil beats working! Welcome to GLF good luck and thanks for the report.

Good job Alex and thanks for the report! See you in a couple weeks at the Dreamweaver.

Welcome Max! One tip I picked up from guys who troll for lakers on an inland lake up here (Higgins Lake) is to use either a Rapala or sewn minnow behind a downrigger. No attractor needed. There are a bunch of smelt in Higgins so they use a smelt pattern and troll it near the bottom and do well with it. Good luck!

I normally see that on my boat when the back end shifts around due to wind or change in direction so I would guess some kind of turbulence.

Found it at Radio Shack today. Thanks guys!

I was wondering what size shrink tubing to use and where you get it? Need to fix a copper rig and I haven't set one up yet. Thanks

It is preferred to have the pics uploaded to the gallery here rather than using the photo hosting site.

I run all my boards not to release. I put an eye screw with a split ring on it in the back of the board and attach an OR-16 to attach the line in the rear. I was using the Offshore Snapper release but started changing out to the Lackjaw release from Church this year. I really like this release as it's a lot easier to get off. I tried the standard releases and the Otters but like the Lockjaw the best.

Besides the "Fish On" song which is a must, I like to play "Snap your finsgers snap your neck" by Prong as I clear the pierheads and throttle up. I also like a lot of Alice in Chains while I fish. If I'm not catching fish I'll start channel surfing to see what the fish like.

Well, after getting out of work this morning I went up to Au Gres with the boat to try and catch a few walleye. Got there and got the boat set up and called Frank on the radio to see how the fishing was. There were halfway to a limit so I went to splash the boat. Used the new dock which was a little short for my boat and the water level. Had to back in quite a ways and then rolled up the jeans to get on the trailer tongue to slide the boat off. Instead of getting down into the water I tried to step/hop over to the dock. Landed short and scraped the front of my leg on the dock boards. When I rolled over I was missing a large piece of skin/flesh and could see a lot of the inside of my leg. There was a knot on the end of the board that had come out and created a very sharp hook that had snagged my leg. The piece was hanging there on the board. Some very nice fellow fisherman pulled the boat out for me while another guy called 911 as I was bleeding pretty heavily and feeling light headed. I took off my shirt to bandage the wound and called Shelley while I waited for the ambulance. I also called Sixshooter and had him call Larry (Rat City Hooker) who was out with Frank to see if they could take care of the boat for me. Got a quick ride to the Standish hospital in the ambulance and then a tetanuse shot before 2 rows of stitches, one on the inside to pull it back together and another on top to close it up. Not sure how many since I haven't taken the bandage off yet. After that I felt better so Shelley took me back up to the boat launch where we met Frank, Larry and Ralph who helped me get the boat straightened out and I headed home. No serious damage, just a pretty bad case of road rash and some stitches, so it could have been a lot worse. Plus no walleye:( From now on I will be fishing with a partner and leave the solo fishing stuff to someone else. Thanks to the guys who helped me and everybody who didn't steal any of my stuff in the 2 hours I was gone. I have to admit I was a little surprised that everything, including my wallet and 2 displays, were there when I got back. Makes me feel a little better about society. I made Shelley take a picture so if you want to see a hole in my leg shoot me a text and I'll send it to you.

That's great Mark. Sounds like the perfect trip.

The other thing I would add is that I've never asked anyone for money. Ever. It's completely your choice.

All that I expect is help with gas. $20 is fine. I don't have a regular crew but most of the people who fish with me realize it isn't cheap. I don't expect anyone to cover tackle, boat payments, insurance etc. They didn't buy the boat, I did. It has gotten to the point where I just tell people to give me what they feel is fair. Most of them are my friends and we always spent time argueing, I always thought they gave to much. So now whatever they hand me I just put in my pocket and don't even count it. But all I expect is $20 and I tell that to everyone who goes with me. Oh, and kids always fish free.

I'm only running 3 flies this year. All Big Weenie. Green crinkle, double aqua and purple mirage. I'll let you know how it works out for me at the end of the year.

Welcome David! I know the other Wisconsin guys on the site would be glad to help you out. And the rest of us are willing too. Feel free to ask any questions or chime in where you feel comfortable. And have fun!

Welcome Mike! I'm a midstate guy too but I'm predominately a salmon guy. Good luck this year!