Billy V

Why am I NOT surprised?!?!?

Maniac knows every single rock in the Susqy! Nice fish buddy!

You're welcome to come out with us next season Mike. I know what its like to be without a boat and it sucks!!!!!

Wish I only had that much in expenses Mike! I can't imagine what guys like Vinny or Fish Doc. spent running their boats every day from April-Oct!!

They're 2.8:1 Landing Craft. Just as a comparison, the Daiwa SG47LCA that I run is 4.2:1. I think if you try one you'll probably never go back to the slower reel. I agree that Penn makes fantastic reels and that they're drags are amazing, but if they want to get into the great lakes trolling game, they're going to have to work on that gearing.

YT, I talked to John at NK recently and he tells me that they plan to produce the gold ones next year, not the copper ones. But I'd like to see some in copper too...those that you gave me in August were on fire until we got 'em all bit off!

I sure hope they do something about the gear ratio. 3.2:1 is rediculously slow! That's even slower than the heart-attack copper reels we use from them!!

I have a Raytheon 425RC GPS/Chartplotter with the Navionics chip for sale. $300. [email protected] Product Summary: Compact Navigation The Raychart 425 is the chartplotter of choice for boaters who want ease of use and pinpoint accuracy, but don't have a lot of console space. Equipped with a crisp 6' FSTN LCD display and support for Navionics Charts, the Raychart 425 provides tremendous detail and fits perfectly in any size console. Standard Satellite Differential GPS The Raychart 425 comes complete with the new, incredibly accurate Raystar 120 Satellite Differential/WAAS GPS sensor. Utilizing the WAAS Satellite Differential system the Raychart 425 delivers accuracy better then 3 meters. Technical Specifications: Display Display Type 6" FSTN LCD Mono, 4 gray scales, 4 levels backlighting, 16 levels contrast Resolution 320 x 240, Portrait Dimensions 184 x 168 x 75 mm (7.3" x 6.7" x 3") Weight 0.75 kg (1.65 lb) Waterproof U.S.C.G. CFR-46 Standard CE Conforms to 89/336/EEC(EMC), EN 60945:1997 Interfaces x1 NMEA 0183, waypoint upload/download to/from a PC Controls Six push button keys and trackpad Languages French, German, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Dutch, Finnish, Danish and English Chartplotter Features Cartography Navionics Nav-Chart cartridges withSupport for Navionics Port Services and Tides and Currents Presentation North up, Course up or Head up Screen Functions Course deviation indicator, Bearing/distance indicator displays, Waypoint, Navigation displays Waypoints 500 waypoints, 8 character names. Routes 20 route plans of up to 50 waypoints per route Track history 2000 track point memory SmartRoute Enables the latest track to be converted to a route Man Overboard (MOB) mode Mark placed. Range and bearing to MOB, time elapsed. Alarms Arrival, cross track error, anchor drift, position fix loss Power Requirements Voltage 10.0 - 18.0 VDC, 12 VDC nominal Power consumption 9.6W at 12VDC Manufacturer: Raytheon Size: Mfgr's #: E32032 Weight: 8 Manufacturer's Site: Raytheon Marine Homepage Not available for all items. Brochure/Factsheet (pdf file): Download Not available for all items. List Price: $ 900.00

Is this the Thompson that was over on Leroy Island this spring next to Dave Hathaway's dock?

I've heard all kinds of good reports like that Paul, but you're the first person I know who's used it. You recommendation means a lot and I'm gonna go for it this spring. THANKS! Bill

SOLD Email me at capt.bill@billyvsportfishing if you're interested.

Is this the Thompson that was over on Leroy Island this past spring? If so...NICE RIDE!

Anyone ever use this stuff to restore the luster to your gelcoat? The video on their site looks pretty amazing, and the guys over at GLA have been using it with good results. http://www.poliglow-int.com/poliglow.phtml I've been considering giving it a try next year.

Joel Ruth is my Uncle....no updates to report!

This is off topic other than it deals with boats & water and such, but I thought you guys might like to read this article that appeared in the Orlando Sentinel back in Oct. of 2006. I just stumbled across it again. Not sure if I posted it before or not. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-trea ... .story?pag

Bill whats the matter with the radar you have? I rigged it when it was new and it has no time on it to speak of. If you do decide to go color let me kn as I would be interested in that one. Nothings wrong with it Hank. I just don't like the big CRT monitor. It's hard to see in the sunlight. And the new radars will show electrical strikes, which I can't seem to be able to pick up with this one (maybe I need to spend some time with the owners manual!). Radar is prolly a project for NEXT off-season anyway. I've already spent too much on electronics this fall! But if I replace it before then you'll get the first call from me. And no Yankee, I don't have too much money to spend. I just have my priorites straight!

The C120 is an awesome unit and I looked long and hard at it. But I decided to go with individual FF, GPS, and Radar units rather than have them all on one screen. That way I can update individual units whenever I want rather than having to do it all at the same time. I have friends that own the C120 and they like it other than having a bit of difficulty navigating back and forth between functions on the FF & GPS. With individual units if one of my screens goes down, I only lose that one function. If the C120 goes down you've lost everything.

Erby, I was going to go with the Lowrance 5200c, but I found that Eagle IntelliMap 500c at Cabela's in PA for a crazy cheap price in the Bargain Cave. The Lowrance has a better pixel count, so it has better screen clarity and a really sharp picture. It retails for about $50 more than the Eagle, but I found that Eagle for $350 less than the Lowrance so I couldn't turn it down (I lucked into an un-opened returned item and got it for $150!). I had that same Eagle on my last boat and really liked it so it was a no-brainer for me. I know the Lowrance/Eagle menu's like the back of my hand and I've always been a fan of their GPS/Chartplotters. Plus, that gave me the extra coin I needed to get into that 585....

Gotta love the Strike Vision cameras!

What new toys are on your wish list for the 2008 Fishing season? I'll start.... Furuno FCV-585 Fish Finder Furuno color radar New GPS/Chartplotter Two or three new Copper rigs I could go on and on, but that'll about do to get things started!

Definitely a tough crowd Larry! For those of you that don't know Larry, he's one of the very best spoon fishermen on the entire lake and he's been at the wheel for just about every one of the Runnin Rebel's Pro-Am events, even winning a Challenge Cup or two along the way...might be worth listening to what he has to offer. I know I've learned a lot from both him and Jerry in the past.

Thanks for all the input guys. I ordered a new 585 today from By Owner Electronics as they had a great sale price on the unit, and RichD and ErbyJoe highly recommended them to me. Thanks for all your help guys. It's input like this that makes LOU such a valuable resource. Now, does anyone know of a good electronics installer who can help me with the thru-hull mount?

What are you targeting? Makes a big difference....

I do have the new Mag 10HS and I love them. It takes a bit of getting used to how fast they are, but once you do, you'll never want to go back to anything else that's slower. I can easily bump my riggers up just a foot or two and they definitely aren't a "jumpy" as the Scotty's I used to have. Give it some time and you'll adjust to how fast they are and then it'll just seem like normal to you. Took us some time too coming from slower riggers.

Never had a problem with the engine mounting area. My current boat has modified pocket drives, not a tunnel drive. I've owned three Penn Yan's: Two I/O's and this current twin pocket drive. I've loved them all. But definitely have a survey done before you pull the trigger. Best money you'll spend on a boat.