LongLine

Dan - Did you check out?: http://fishing.lakeontariounited.com/vi ... .php?t=381 Myself, I'd only use marine plywood on the floors, after I sealed it up real well, then cover it - carpet etc. As to stringers, I'd venture a guess you'd have to splice a solid sealed & shaped piece to it. There are some epoxies out there that are supposed to be good at filling rotted areas of wood but I don't know if they'd be any good in a marine environment. It's definitely a good time to check lines & wiring. The very last thing you want is to have a leaky line under the floorboards. Rot is generally caused by prolonged exposure to moisture. I'd check to make sure any water between the stringers has a way to get out. i.e a vent or drain back to the main drain or bilge. Hopefully, you won't run into much in the troubled area. Good luck Tom B. (LongLine)

Where do you guys plan to fish out of, the most this year? I'll be off Long P/Genny/I-Bay. Tom B. (LongLine)

Mick - Which Rivieras do you have? Does it look like this one? If so, the clutch can easily be tightened up with an allen wrench through a cutout above the crank handle. There are 3 or 4 screws. Just turn each about an 1/8 of a turn clockwise. As to the size, if you can’t measure the diameter of the bolts then take the bolts to your local hardware store. They probably have drawers of nuts that aren’t packaged. Just find one that fits & remember the size. Let us know the size and we’ll tell what size hole you need. As Chinook said the drill size is smaller than the screw/thread size. Taps & tap handles can be bought at hardware stores, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. The more I think about it, I'd attach a new aluminum spacer plate into the old downrigger mounting holes on the swivel base then drill & tap the spacer plate for the new rigger. Tom B. (LongLine)

Mick - I'd use two pieces of 1/4" aluminum plate countersunk & screwed to base with s/s flatheads & a little loctite. Then drill & tap the plates as needed. If you can work with wood then you can work with aluminum. It's a lot easier than most guys think. Tom B. (LongLine)

Fishstix - What size aluminum did you use & where'd you get it? Sounds like a great place to stay away from. Yrs ago I made a solid bracket for a 7.5 merc on a 21 ft PennYan. I used white oak but lined the outside with welded 1/4" aluminum. Lasted over 8 yrs & was still going strong when I sold the boat. Tom B. (LongLine)

Kappy - try killing the favorites listing over on the left hand side. I've noticed those few half threads generally display about 3/4 - 7/8s when I do that. Everyone needs to reduce/resize their photos. And yeah the site has gotten slower since the store was added. oh well I'm sure Chad's working on it. Tom B. (LongLine) p.s. like the avatars though

Nice Atlantic. How bout some details? Tom B. (LongLine)

pmJ - Some guys run them all year but not too many. Mostly in Central Big-O they're broken out mid/Late August. Definitely a faster running lure. 2.9 mph or better. Silver Bullet with a bloody nose has been a long time favorite of many along with the Glo-grn ladderback. Personally I like the middle size but have found many beat-up larger ones floating on the surface in Sept. (I like to think they're from break-offs and not that some guys don't check their lines like they should. They produce a lot of drag) I've also had a little better luck running the rattle ones. h.i.h. Tom B. (LongLine)

Y.T. Did you try www.mcmaster.com , then search under "anti-slip mats'? Looks like they have some that might work outdoors. Tom B. (LongLine)

Shellbk & D'B - Don't do that guys. NYS has water pollution laws concerning dragging scum around in the waterways. Tom B. (LongLine)

I apologize Gambler. I F'd that 1 up Tom B. (LongLine)

Jerry – I agree that the lakes have been the warmest we’ve seen in many years however the cold snap of the last 3 weeks has had quite an interesting effect. (I was shivering just taking the photos) I think you’re right about the early spring & bait. We’ll probably be going deep in June. Here’s the current ice coverage (19th) Here’s the temp transects for Big-O now: Here’s the temp transects for Big-O, 3 weeks ago: (quite a change) Here’s the temp transects for Erie now: Here’s the ice on Erie via satellite: (23rd) http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/modis/ ... 3.250m.jpg Legacy – Sorry no mud yet. That’s a thin layer of ice. Tom B. (LongLine)

WTG Y.T. :!: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/app ... 007/SPORTS Tom B. (LongLine)

Standing at Durand (just before sunset)– Brrr… that looks cold Tom B. (LongLine) Come on Spring!

Took me a while to find the new site but I like it. Tom B. (LongLine)

Fishstix - I agree with your theory based upon "Laws of survival/evolution" and fish having a lighter belly than back. If you get too scientific about it, lures will reflect the most light back towards the surface. Anything below the lure will only see a shadow or faint reflection. In fact only those fish on the "sunside" of the lure will see any reflection of flash/color. (Unless the flash is reflected by micro-organisms/plankton surrounding the lure. It used to be thought that fish always look upward but recent study has revelaed that the geometry of the fish eye allows them nearly a full 180 deg vison vertically & horizontally with each eye. If you "google" strike vision videos, you'll find the most recorded hook ups are from behind and and on the same plane or just slightly below the lure. Tom B. (LongLine)

ToonF' - So if I troll up the flowing Gennese river with the North wind pushing me, the amount of blowback will be the same as if I troll downriver against the same wind :?: :?: Ground speed, Surface current/speed & current/speed at the ball are different things. Going into a stronger current at the ball will greatly affect blowback as well as probably making your lures go crazy. As long as you adjust your throttle to keep your down speed constant then yes blowback should be fairly constant. But you won't know what it is without a down probe, however some guys can judge their down speed and which way the down currents are going without a probe simply by watching the angle of the cable due to blowback. Tom B. (LongLine)

Trolling off Charlotte beach yrs ago, I caught a wallet with no ID and $220 hidden in a "secret" compartment. Tom B. (LongLine)

Ray – That’s why you guys should wear a hat: When it blows off your head you’ll know it’s windy & the direction it flies will tell you if blowback is on the rise or not. When icicles form on the brim, you know its cold, hence generally denser water & more blowback, etc. nyf' – nah, this one’s paid for. I’m thinking about the color though. MuskyB' – or a blow-hard? :mrgreen: Tom B. (LongLine)

What the guys said - in a picture: You get more Blowback: - the faster you troll - the faster the current your trolling into - the lighter your cannonball - the heavier your cable - the deeper you fish - the more hardware you have on the cable (probe) - the more hardware on your line (flashers) - the more lines your running on that rigger (stackers) Tom B. (LongLine)

Mullets rule :!: Tom B. (LongLine)

Ditto what Skeiner said. Also if you only increase the cup you usually get a faster wobble (going slow) but if you only bend the nose up you’ll generally get a little wider wobble (going slow). If you go back to a “normalâ€Â

Fishstix - I am a little surprised that more guys didn't offer up their opinions on the board, especially from the charter guys, however I did get some emails. Anyways, I found that with some lures, just a little dab of red works wonders. Maybe just a bead or a large red eye or maybe just a quick spray on the nose or tail. Sometimes a red LdrBk on a black spoon does the trick down 75+. Tom B. (LongLine)

Erin, Yes. I had a feeling some wouldn't respond because they had no experience with those color combinations. In all the responses, only with a couple of the examples was there an overwhelming majority and just about all of them had an “Eitherâ€Â

Dark Day – Light Day Results: 1. Either 37.5%; Bright 25%; Dark 37.5% 2. Either 25%; Bright 75% 3. Bright 100% 4. Either 75%; Dark 25% 5. Either 85.7%; Bright 14.3% 6. Either 14.3%; Bright 42.9%; Dark 42.9% 7. Either 16.7%; Dark 83.3% Thanx to everyone who posted or sent me e-mail: (note: this is not an endorsement of anyone’s product. Merely an attempt to clarify the old adage: “Bright Day Bright lure – Dark day Dark lureâ€Â