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And the reason for the high gas prices??? Greedy Oil Co. Weak Dollar High demand for oil All of the above. The weak US Dollar has a lot to do with what we pay for imported items. Just look at how our dollar compares to the world's currencies, now and 10 years ago.

Get a bottle small bottle of anise oil and a bottle of mineral oil from one of the Mart stores. Dump it all in a spray bottle and shake. It will last for a couple of years.

I think the real thing and some scents can make a difference if the fish are somewhat neutral. The very aggressive fish will just swim in and slam anything. I have used everything from Anise oil to WD40. Does it help? I know one thing, it doesn't hurt. I have stopped using the WD40 because of the environment. I wouldn't rush out and buy some of the high dollar snake oil. You can make your own. Anise Oil and Mineral Oil in a spray bottle. Garlic is another cover scent.

Hookedup, Have you had any issues with the braid getting frayed by the Twilli tip or guides??

Dodgers 2MPH or less. I have run the flashers from 2.3 to 3.5 MPH. Flashers by design are more speed tolerant than Dodgers.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I have some things to think about now before I make the leap to wire. I hear you Nick on being penny wise and pound foolish. I may just wit until next yr to do a wire rig. :)Actually my braids have done very well the past few years. My riggers were hot in August last year. Glow Js were knocking the snot out of them.

I was looking at the Albright knot but I wanted to know if it would work with the wire. Thanks for the information. Do you make the loop with the wire and wrap with the braid?? Because of the cost of Wire I was thinking about only spooling 300 ft of wire with about 900 ft of braid backer. I doubt if I would ever have more than 250 ft of line out.

Here is a pic of a homemade special brake tool for trailers with dropped axles. I made this a few years ago from some 1/8 X 1-1/2 inch steel flat bar. 1/8 X 3/4 would have been perfect but I used what I had. The 1-1/2 inch stock made for a good handle for my big mitts. The regular brake tool I had didn't work well with the dropped axle. Do what you have to do, but git er done.

GJ Terry. Did you ever fry up the roe from the bluegills. It's rather tasty. I have eaten it from perch and bluegills. It taste just like the fish, but you have to get used to the texture. One thing for sure it's completely boneless.

I have only seen monel in single strand. It's more malleable than other single strand wires.

Joel and I were typing at the same time. Looks like were both thinking about the same thing.

Has anyone tried to splice wire to braid or wire to mono?? Has anyone had a bad kink in their wire and made a splice wire to wire?? If you can make these splices will they run through a twilli OK? Will mono or braid run through the twilli tip?? What I'm getting at if you can make a strong splice to mono or braid, you could use 300 ft or so of wire on top of the backer. I'm not sure if I'm asking the impossible. But sometimes the impossible becomes reality. I have lived long enough to realize that. Has anyone here tried running monel wire??

Now, Tim has me thinking. Maybe I should try one wire diver.

Welcome aboard Dan. You will like it here. There is a ton of information in these forums. Mike's magnetic persona hooks another. I think he has a way of using that on fish also. My name is Frank and I run a 22 ft Starcraft Islander Hardtop. I fish Lake Huron and it's bays, and do make a few runs to Lake MI. Have boat will travel. My home port is AuGres on the Saginaw Bay. Sing out if you need anything, or if you want to chase some eyes on the Saginaw Bay.

Most run the wire with divers. I would think those roller rods are stout enough for a Dipsy. It wasn't that long ago that we all counted level wind passes or (bars as we called them). You can be just as accurate as a LC if you don't miscount. Example each pass of the level wind is so many feet. Measure it at home. I have been reluctant to go with a wire setup. The 2 reasons being, I have done so well with braid, and if you do have a tangle wire line wins. we have had multiple fish on a quite a few times. In 06 out of Manistee 2 of us had a quad going. Charters like it because you can feel every move the fish makes. It excites the customer. On the plus side you can get deeper with a wire diver. When the fish are below 50 feet my riggers shine. Well!! I resisted leadcore until last year. I wonder if someone will convince me to buy some wire and a twilli tip. My motto is never say never.

Good report Cazz. Even though the fish didn't cooperate fully, you got out fishing with a couple of friends. It's always nice to fill your limit, but we all know there is more to fishing than catching them. Nothing like some gills on the pan.

John,GR8 pictorial instructions on how to adjust trailer brakes. TYVM. My trailer does have a dropped axle and I made a special tool out of some flat bar. I like it better that any brake tool because I made it wider and just barely fits in the adjusting slot. The tool never slips off the adjustment star wheel. Again TYVM John

From Mike's (GLF) Post above yours, it has been SOLD.

VG Points.

You are all ready to go fishing; your boat, rods, reels, and lures have all been checked and repaired over the Winter. One thing that sometime gets overlooked is the boat trailer. Most everyone knows to grease the wheel bearings. It is a good time to check for any other faulty equipment, such as rollers, brakes, and lights. Trailers with drum brakes need adjusting. Check fluid level in the master cylinder. I feel it's necessary to jack up the trailer and at the very least spin each wheel to check the bearings. Actually the trailer should be blocked up, to take the weight off the tires over the Winter. While the trailer is up on blocks check the brakes. Don't forget to check the tires and their pressure. The max. trailer width allowed in MI is 102 inches, or a special permit is required to haul them. The 102 inches is measured at the widest part of the trailer or load. Any trailers over 3000# G.V.W. are required to have brakes. You don't want to compromise your safety, or the safety of others. IF you are involved in a serious accident, even if it's not your fault your tow vehicle and trailer may be checked. In this scenario, your equipment better comply. Boats with 102 inch beams have to watch the width requirement closely, with fishing gear installed. I'll bet others have suggestions also. Feel free to pile on.

Many are using just the twilli tips. In general the wire is a lot tougher on rods.

It should be more than $50. That's just a little more than a fishing license here in MI.

Running Cut Plug Herring without meat heads is where tuning is very important, especially if it is not run behind a flasher. Running cut bait in a meat head behind a flasher is more about flasher performance. What you want is a nice slow roll. Like a lot of our presentations boat speed is of utmost importance. Put the flasher and meat setup over the side and see what speed is best. Most everyone that runs meat runs it behind a big flasher (11 inch), but I have at times run 8 inch flashers. The big flasher and meat may not take as many fish as your hot J Plug or Spoon, but it's the total presentation. The big flasher creates a lot of turbulence, and many captains claim that it draws the big Kings into the spread. When the meat rig fires it is generally a Big King. In addition to the flashers turbulence you have the scent thing going for you also. I have only used meat for Salmon 2 Seasons. I had some rigs that came with my boat, and when I got some herring from a guy heading home, my nephew's eyes lit up like a neon sign. He ran it on another boat and got me started. After messing with herring, your hands will smell like the chit house door on a tuna boat.

Walleye are eating Yellow Perch on the Saginaw Bay?? All fish are cannibalistic and will eat whatever they can. I caught a quite a few Walleye last year and didn't see any yellow perch in their guts. How about it Dan or Jason???? Have you seen yellow perch in the Walleye's guts? I'm not saying it never happens but I don't think the perch are the walleye's main source of food. In fact perch and walleye numbers seem to be increasing on the Saginaw Bay the last few years.

LMAO Tim. Aint it the truth.