Priority1

This time of year the small boats shine. I don't like to fish in less than 10 FOW. Where I fish water depths can change fast. It's not too bad when you go from 10 FOW to 5 FOW, but if you go from 6 FOW to 2 FOW OUCH.

Sorry Mike. I hope I don't sound like I'm preaching. I change my impeller every 3 years. If in doubt about when they were changed just do it. The problem with doing these mid season is you have to drain the gear lube, to remove the lower from the upper unit. On the plus side you can probably do it with out removing the out-drives. If you use a very clean catch pan you may be able to reuse the gear lube. A $20 part can end up costing you thousands if neglected. On the Mercruiser drives there is a round part of the housing that is invisible when the drive is installed. This section of the housing is between two gaskets. It is just aft of the universal joints. I painted this invisible portion white. I mark on that portion, with a magic marker any service my out-drive gets. I do my own stuff. I got one more year, and my impeller will get changed. The first year I got Priority1, I changed the impeller, and it needed it. I doubt when I change it again next year that it will be very bad, but it's cheap insurance. I was in Manistee last Summer, when I met a couple that had just smoked an outboard for that reason. They ended up fishing with Chuck and I. They were gracious enough to feed us pretty good from their well stocked motor home.

WTG Bob. Nice catch. I think Priority1 will get her first launch for 07, on Mon or Wed.

WTG Tom. That is a vn Football Brown. Sunup and sunset are always special on the big water.

GJ Cazz & Crew.

Welcome Special X. Living where you do makes you a Superior Fisherman. I fish Lake Huron and it's Saginaw Bay. I also make as many trips as I can to Lake Michigan in the late Summer. I know you will like it here.

Welcome Glynn, You will like it here.

Here is an Email I sent to my brother. Martin, I fished AuGres with Ken this morning (Thurs). Some fish are being taken @ the river mouth. Small boats all over the place. It is NOT a place to be with anything over a 16 footer. Tough time even getting out of the river. One guy was trolling down the river with 4 in line boards. Another few boats anchored, and some trolling across the channel just outside of the pier heads. Ken banged up a prop. His boat drafts a lot of water with the 200 and the 9.9 on the back. There is usually 2 cans about a quarter mile out from the pier heads, that mark the channel. The Coast Guard hasn't put in the cans yet. We have the channel marked on the GPS, but it's not much good with all the boats trying to fish around the mouth. These inconsiderate SOBs think they can block the harbor, just because they are fishing. I think I would have run over some lines rather than leave the channel. It wouldn't be bad if it was just a couple of boats, but the combined total effect is NOT good. We made one pass between Pt. AuGres and the river and called it a day. 0 fish. Water temps 39 to 43 but mostly around 41 degrees. I'm going to pull my boat out tomorrow, and probably spend the day working on it. I may go out Mon. Sat and Sun will be a real Goat Rope. I may go down there just to watch. LOL Frank

VN Cazz. You will like the electrics. It gives you time to wind your watch, while the ball is coming up. I never used an electric downrigger until I purchased the Priority1, and they came with her. I always power the ball down now also. Powering down eliminates a lot of tangles.

Home painted generic blanks are my favs. I also have a good variety of Streaks, some Moonshines, Stingers, and Finlanders, that get washed with my homespun spoons.

A no name white plastic glow squid.

A no name white plastic glow squid.

Sounds like a good place to have been this past weekend. WTG. Wish I could have been there.

Welcome Richard. I fish Lake Huron, and it's Bays. I also fish Lake Michigan a few times a year. You will like it here.

GJ Levi.

GR8 report. I'm praying she will continue to improve. It's tough enough when an adult hast to endure these procedures, let alone a child.

Another problem with the proposed increase, is the Sr. License. For yrs. the Seniors payed next to nothing. I get close to this mark and what happens? The way the original proposal was, the senior license would bear the biggest percentage increase. I'm not able to buy that license yet, but we will all be there some day. The seniors of today and in the future will NOT get the breaks like we gave to our fathers. The government failed to project, and set a little of our money aside. The Senior issue goes much deeper than just fishing licenses. The big problem is that our money was used to supplement a wide range of social programs. Now there is greater percentage of retirees to workers, so the government says "Let's cut some of the programs for seniors". It has been slowly happening for the last ten years. The value of my pension dollar has eroded to the point that I can't tolerate any increases. For years we paid the piper, but now they don't want us to dance.

I can't see why it wouldn't work. One company even markets a Fish shaped attractor that attaches to the cannon ball. I think they call it JACK. From what I have been reading on Herring, and 11 inch Flashers, they may not take the fish but they tend to draw fish in to your spread. The way flashers have been working, it can't hurt. I would try and keep the lead short, and at least a 5 ft vertical distance between it and your release. I have also heard of tourneys that limit the number of rods, and teams running spoons and whatever right off the cannon balls. Cable up Virgil.

Luv them Islanders. Nice boat.

Sorry Rich.

Welcome aboard Hardwork. I fish Lake Huron, Saginaw Bay, and Lake Michigan. You will like it here.

They are good people @ Big Jon's. John Williams fixed me up with some rod holders a few months back. I never minded cranking my old downriggers. The boat I have now came with 4 electrics on it. I can sure get a lot done while the rigger is coming up. Since I've had this boat, I also like to power the riggers down. Powering down is smooth, and nothing ever gets fouled up. You will certainly enjoy them new riggers Cazz.

I just finished spooling up two MA45DX reels with my first leadcore ever. I set up a 2 color SWR on a 8 ft downrigger rod, and a 8 color with a 6-1/2 foot Okuma medium action rod. I used 150 yds of 30# Spider Wire Braid as backer for the 8 color and 25# Ande as backer for the 2 color. Both have 50 ft leaders. I used the overhand knot, and stuff the mono or braid into the leadcore shield, to make the splices. I don't think I could make these splices on the boat. I may expand the use of that 2 color rig, this Spring for Walleye off the boards. Cazz's thread on SWRs got me thinking about leadcore. I got a lot of good advice from some of the GR8 Charter Captains and GR8 members willing to share. TY all VM. I have an extra 10 colors of core in case I need to replaces some that gets cut off. If it goes well for me I may just spool up another reel. Three rods dedicated to core will probably be my limit. I think core will be like Dipsys, you either love it or hate it. Just for the record, "you know I'm a Dipsy man".

Probably frozen, but it's a good idea to pull them apart every year. Bilge pumps seem to attract everything from fish line to dog hair. If too much of this crap gets in there, it will prevent them from pumping.

Brutal. GJ Rich and Rich.