TheKingfisher

I just tie the knot, what I did to cut down on the curlies is cut the ends off a Luhr Jenson snubber and put that on above the tie. It also keeps the tag end of the wire under control. Then I can crank it down hard and that snubber acts as a shock so I can keep the wire line tight on the pole.

Yup, I skip it and go find silver fish off shore. Combat fishing goes against the reasons I like to go fishing. I can get stressed out just fine Monday - Friday in my normal day than to make a decision to fish in it on Saturday morning. There is always fish offshore someplace.

For better or for worse, the Decemeber 31 1978 Date only applied to PWC's (ie Jet Ski's) and once your 16 in Michigan you can operate any boat on water (not commercial of course). I fish quite a bit with kids, my boat has pretty high sides and it would take some work for a kid to 'fall out' assuming they aren't climing on the gunwales. However I don't take kids out without someone else on the boat to help me watch them. Michigan law requires all children under 6 years of age to wear a USCG—approved Type I or II PFD when riding on the open deck of any vessel. Someone once told me that they teether their kids to the boat, but I don't like that idea either because if the boat goes down so do they. I think the most important thing is makeing the kids understand that it can be dangerous out there on the water. Sometimes I've been known to perhaps stress this a little to much. I had one little guy one time who didn't dare leave his seat for a while. But hey, when he did he wasn't screwing around on deck thats for sure, now he loves to come out with me. Boaters sfatey is a good idea for anyone who is just getting into it. Like mentioned before, when I have people on my boat as Captian (and no I'm not liscensed but you are when you are operating the boat) I take 100% responsibility for everything that happens on board, and I certinally don't one to tell one of my friends what happened to his or her son or daughter while they were out fishing with me. I keep that in the back of my mind and everything has always gone real well.

We're going to be up in Manistee the weekend of Sept 7th for a long weekend, but we're staying and slipped at Riverside Motel, so I won't be down that far to give you a water depth report. I will however let you know how we do when we get back. We go north every year, normally to Onekema but we ran into a lodgeing problem in Onekema this year... So we're in Manistee. Looking forward to a long weekend and lots of fishing!

Silver one has a real good point... I got a little ambitous couple week back when Flasher / Fly's lite up for me, and I ended up loose 3 of them... includeing one whole rig with a dipsey diver... So yeah watch your spread, envision in your head where things are running and how close they are lilkley coming... it'll save you some $$... As other have said, big white paddle with a white / no see-um fly has been real hot last few trips on my deep rigger.

Hey Tad Pole- I think we've had this conversation before, but we've been really happy with our 5300i. I'm not positive if we have the newest firmware as mentioned above, we bought it this spring. So I'm guesing it probley doesn't. I'll have to look into that. But yeah, we like it works well, it seems to be fast and with the Lake Master charts it's a great navagational and fishing tool.

Yeah they look like a couple of my Moonshine flys. I had real good luck with them last year, not quite as much this year, but I've just started getting fish on flys more of late. So that will probabley change here shortly.

Hey we had fun, thanks for putting it on. Can't wait for the next event. I was pretty happy with our 5th place, but only weight 2 fish in the second event really stung hard...

We are planning on being at the 3rd event

I'm no physics guy, but based on my scuba experinces I'd say it'd be a lot deeper than your fishing. The decent rate will drop off, but I don't think it was stop decending all together.

Yeah I can't wait, finally a decent weekend coming up. Looks like my trips will likely be Sunday AM, Sunday PM, Monday AM from Port Sheldon. Oh yeah, and as for Deadliest Catch, havn't missed and episode in 3 seasons!

I've got the rigger that my kicker motor sits underneath tied with the Scotty Braid line, 200lb test. I just used a palamor knot as well, it's been on there for two seasons so far. I check the line every so often but havn't come up with a reason to tie it so far, i'd like to hear how long others leave the knots. It works, and I havn't had any problems, but for me I won't be switch my other riggers over to it. I havn't seen any major advantages, perhaps a little less blow back, but not much from my observations. I hear people go back and forth on the noise and vibration issue so I don't know about that, but the fleas are terrible. I like having it on this one rigger b/c the rigger reaches out over the kicker motor, so just in case the line got up in the kicker motor I gotta think the result would be not quite as disasterous with the braid than wire.

Yeah not looking good... I just talked with a friend who it out of Grand Haven and he says it's pretty accurate on the 3-6's today, and miserable. Not to mentioned there just doesn't seem tobe any fish. He's got 38 Degree water all the way out to 200 FOW. When will the insanity stop???? This has been the worst spring I can remember! I need to fish or I'm going to go stir crazy!

I have the cores setup about the same as Silver One does above, I use the Berkley Big Game line in 20lb.

Given that this weekend will be our first time fishing this year, I'll likley get skunkend! :-) This is my first year in the tourney, but like people have said above, seems to be a pretty open and helpful crew because it's more about fun competition than anything else. That's why we signed up.

I use the Convector 45 for my cores, full cores will ride on the 45's with no problem at all. The large handle on the convectors is nice for the long disteance fights also.

Here updated pictures with the name on the boat finally, and the new cockpit layout with the SubTroll in place. We also added a set of bird tree's and two more small TraxTech rails for some extra holders on the side. Had it out yesterday for shakedown and eveyrthing works just like it should! Can't wait to really start fishing!

Tad Pole- Lets hope that the just transfered the data over for you. I owuld think that shouldn't be difficult for them to do. Yes we have the LakeMaster chips, your are right they are awsome. I'm likely going to be buying the computer software for my laptop soon as well.

TadPole- Our GPS has been flawless we love it. I'm almost afraid to ask what's been going on with yours, as I don't want to jinx mine! I think it's a great unit, works fast, easy to use, good display. We looked at a lot of units and for the $$ setteled on the Lowrance. We got a pretty good deal on it.

I'll get some new pictures up this week. We've added a SubTroll and have put the name on the sides and rear of the boat now as well. Now if the weather would just shape up I could get it out on the water!

We just used the terminator's provided by Moor on ours. I'm not familiar with the walker, does that metal peice extend all the way through the release? We use the Scotty Pinch releases that extend from the back of the cannon balls for releases.

we mounted our unit and probe this weekend. I just stuck with the instructions and am fairly convident in our crips on the included cable terminator. Just to apise myself I have it hanging in the bard right now with my heaviest weight attached to it. Can't wait to get it in the water and start useing it now! Thanks for the feedback, sounds like several of us have picked up probes for this season!

We've had decent luck with flat fish, I have a couple 'new' ones and several 'old' ones that an old salt gave me that he's had since his orginal boat (the Ark I think). I've fished them off the riggers in the fall for stageing kings around 2.0-2.2. They've caught fish, but I wouldn't say any better than plugs or spoons.

We mounted out new SubTroll up yesterday. I'll have to get some pictures, but we decided to go up on the dash right between the sonar and the GPS. It's easily seen from the back of the boat because of the big needle analog display and the helmsmen won't be in front of it for the most part. So all the info that is needed to keep us on the fish is right in front of the helmsman, and easily visabled by thoes working the back of the boat. Now to just get it in the water!