Fishtails

That's cool Rick....that could bring our cost down a bit. I'm probably high on the $$ guesstimate, but I figure it's better to go home with money left over than to not have enough Hopefully gas prices will continue to drop!

Okay....let me know Mark. I have two pm's I responded to also before I came on here and read this, so we may have a full team. That's good though, we could fish in crews and stay fresh Yes...I'm gonna pre fish Mark. Anyone can join me that wants to. Not sure on cost yet.....mostly just food, bait, beer rooms, gas, $100 entry.... The usual. Divided between us it really should not be bad at all. Maybe somewhere around $250 each (just a guess) ??? Depends on how many rooms we get I guess? This should be ALOT of fun...

I'm fishing the Hi-Mar 40 hour striped bass tournament and we could use one or two guys to fill out the team. The tournament starts right after the captains meeting Friday night October 24th A 8pm and ends @ 12 noon on Sunday. Fishing is allowable around the clock for 40 hours. Weigh station and headquarters are at Bahrs Landing rest. in Highlands/ Sandy Hook NJ. Fishing is allowed within 70 nautical miles of Sandy Hook, however the boat must leave and return by water at the weigh station. Striper fishing in the Atlantic ocean cannot be conducted beyond 3 miles offshore, so It's pretty much an inshore/bay fishery. We'll be fishing the ocean when the weather allows and the bays when it doesn't. Big stripers are nocturnal feeders, so plenty of fishing will be done overnight. No license is needed to fish Jersey saltwater. As of now, It's an all LOU team. Myself, Dieselhp and Ray K. We can fish 5 out of my boat, so with the day/night fishing and all the blue fish we'll have to get past to catch the stripers, it will be good to have a full team For more info: http://www.hi-mar.com/ Anyone interested or in need of more details, pm me asap.

http://www.fishinghurts.com/feat-dogfis ... FQodQnFj4g :shock: :shock: :evil: :shock: :shock:

Yes...ditto that statement Ray. Thanks to all for pointing out the ups and downs of going stainless. I'm glad I asked and think I have a pretty good understanding of the pros and cons. I'm going to order the set, but I do think I will possibly use both AL and the stainless depending on the circumstances I find myself In.

Yes....Propgods already said they'd exchange them if I'm unhappy until I get the right one. I think I'm going to order them and I'll use them for Stripper fishing next month, but now I'm thinking I'll put the old aluminum props back on for fishing the bar in the spring....least till the debris field clears up a bit.

Nice Chad!! Hey Mark....what's up on that first fish? Looks like everyone else does the work and you hold the fish for a picture..... I like the way you think !!

Ahhhh....yes, I do have trim tabs Ray I use them on bumpy days to keep the bow down, but not so much to get on plane. I'm more looking to cruise at lower rpm's and save on gas. I gotta gun it to get up on plane, then back off, but it's no biggie. Hank, You serious about that? If I whack something I stand a higher chance of loosing the drive with ss props :shock: . Geez....It's always something! I seem to have a magnetic pull toward rocks, so this is not a good thing. Only positive is that I'm pretty sure my insurance would cover that if I were to hit something and kill a drive. I've shopped around and Mirage Plus props are $400 each, so If I buy them I'm gonna have to learn to be more careful :roll:

That's pretty much coincides with what the guy from Propgods said Ray. It's hard to spend that much on a set of props, but If they are as good as I'm hearing they are, I guess It should be worth it. Are jack planes those fins that go on the drive? I never tried those on this boat. Guess I'll be a lil nervous this spring, but It should keep me alert.

I'm in the process of replacing my props. I'm trying to find the perfect props for my boat. I'm looking to get on plane faster and increasing my cruising speed a little. I'm not worried about top end, as it has plenty of power and I never run it at wot anyway. Right now my cruising speed is around 26mph @ 3300 rpm. Any less rpm's and she starts to drop off plane. I'm hoping to get the same cruising speed, but at less rpm's? I have been talking with Propgods in Florida and after giving them my specs they suggested going with a Mirage Plus 17 pitch. I currently have 19 pitch alum props. Are these props worth the money? Propgods said they will sell me the pair to try, and If I'm not pleased they will replace them with a different prop. Should I expect to see a big difference switching over to a stainless prop? Any thoughts? Thanks, Rod

So Far, I have 30 or 40 hours on the SEI drive and I'm very pleased with it!! So much so that I'm planing on ordering a second one for the port motor.

Nice report as always! Just knew your ssw spinny would take a hit

That's great Bob.....nice to get your sister out there and on a fish...wtg!!

Maybe Shawn....that's a good point! I think I still have a sticky flasher or two in the boat & If so I'll give it a try

I use it occasionally as a cover scent. A little heads up on The salmon Juice....don't spray it on your rigs the night before...it tacks up and becomes a sticky mess that doesn't come off. I'm sure there is a solvent that will remove it, but nothing you'll likely have on the boat :roll:

I was surprised too....never even really gave it much thought. Just can't do the things we used to do anymore I guess....kinda sux. When it was gone...I figured right away it got towed. Who wants to steal an 05 Chevy 3500 van? Hey Nick....two things. Dave Turner emailed me a couple days ago and said I should have the rods from the Sodus Pro am real soon. When do ya wanna go? How about the first week of October, I'm sure your fiancée wouldn't mind... Your not busy....are you ? lol Actually, I'm hoping to slip the boat in Jersey for the month of October if I can find a place I like.

OK....I found & added a picture of the Savant spoon I had great luck with

Ray...consider yourself invited, but I'm going along as well I may even leave my boat at Sandy Hook for a few weeks this fall. Rick....Bill gave you great answers. All of these wire set-ups (wire dipsey,copper, thumper) are unique to themselves, and each has it's own presentation and will hit the pocket at different times. Copper is the only one I would consider stealth. If you run all three at the same time along with your riggers and you were to set them up so they all ran @ 100 ft deep, the first through is obviously the rigger, then comes the thumper, with the dipsies close behind (depending on the setting) but off to the sides. All of these create a good deal of commotion, which will often pull some fish into your spread. If all that fails to trigger a bite, along comes the copper rig once everything else is gone. I call it the silent killer. I think the copper will often take the less aggressive fish that pass on the commotion created by the riggers and dipsies.

Thanks Jeff....I feel privileged to have met you and Matt, Rick and the many great friends I've made through LOU. We're gonna have a great year next season! Now....why is it I seem to always find the trouble ?....lol Maybe I don't even want that question answered Have a good trip In Colorado Jeff and call me when you're out there....I want some details (and Elk meat)!!

Gotcha Bill... . I know with my business I totally changed my way of advertising to coincide with the changing times. I now advertise on the internet only....I was one of the first in my business to do so and It's paid off for me. If what I'm hearing comes to fruition, next year will be the biggest year for tournaments on Lake O ever. I've heard there will even be two Scotty's on the US side next year? Us tourney fishermen spend huge bucks on tackle....right there with charter captains. We're also very internet savy.......hmmmm That's pretty funny Ray!

Nope....the Ice cream was extra and I'm pretty sure the price went up when I disagreed with the lady on the phone :roll: If none of this makes sense...I met Rick to go fishing and I left my truck at a very large mall parking lot....in the last row. That was Friday night, and on Sunday morning it was towed :shock: . I got there two hours after they towed it. Guess I can't do that no more. Naaaa...you were alreary up there.... We should have gotten in touch, it was a last day decision to go actually.

Rick.....It's fishtails buddy.....Fishtails....lol!! Just messing with ya.....We had a great time fishing with you and thanks again for all the hospitality!! We had a lot of fun, caught some nice fish and parking my truck for the weekend only cost me $186.00 :shock: Justin said he's ready to fish Sandy Hook, but he's cooking the hot dogs.

Hey....why not get yer bobbers out and go bluegill fishing with Musky on the St. Lawrence? This way, you can enjoy some fast action on the rod, save gas with the boat, enjoy a nice "clam bake" with a good buddy and you can keep an eye on him while your gone so you know he won't be hacking into your LOU account again

I absolutely agree Bill, and maybe I maybe either made my point unclear, or perhaps you misunderstood what I was saying. Kudos to all the sponsors who donate products, and by no means would I think All should donate to every one. That's silly and I'd never meaningfully imply that. I simply expressed a couple examples of how donating a few lures can turn into big returns on sales when those lures put fish in our boat. I can only speak of those tournaments and examples I have fished. There are many brand names out there I have not fished. Why...because there is a comfort level of using what I'm familiar with. I'm only expressing "my" opinion on how I think lure manufacturers can increase their sales through our fishery via route of our ever expanding tournament series. You know as well as anyone the power of promotion. It benefits everyone, not just the manufacturers. For Example, I'm now thrilled to have Savant In my arsenal. I now know his spoons are first class and those three spoons I received will have a return of probably 100 spoons in sales to me alone, not to mention everyone I spread the word to. That's all I'm saying

I wanted to give some recognition, as well as a call out to all our tournament sponsors of the past and future....IMO, If you want us to buy your products, a great place to start is to give out more quality product through our tournaments. I say this not to get "free stuff", but because I personally discovered two "new to me" spoon manufacturers that will be taking more of my spoon orders for next year. I received several Savant spoons at the FairHaven Challenge and I am beyond impressed with them. The paint is superior quality and IMO blows away many other brands I have used. I caught 4-5 big kings on one last week, plus several drops and it still looks brand new. The colors and patterns are top notch and they don't rely on tape that will fall off. They are a thicker spoon as well, and don't bend like most when a big fish has it sideways in it's mouth. I'm not affiliated with Savant at all....just a new fan! I would not know this had I not gotten a few at a tournament. The Savant Double Trouble has been a hot glow spoon for me. I received a Yeck spoon at The Wilson Salmon Slam that I forgot about until two weeks ago. I only have this one spoon from Yeck, but It was a hot spoon for me next to the above mentioned spoon. So much that I went shopping for a few more in the same pattern but couldn't find it. It took numerous kings for me the past few weeks, including our largest. I will be buying more spoons from Yeck. A-tom-mic has been onto this for awhile now. Tom leads the pack with giving out product and supporting tournaments. I applaud him for this and I know my boat always has over 100 A-tom-mic flies on board, as well as other products I purchase from him. What better way to get fishermen hooked on your products than to give out a couple "quality" patterns for them to dabble with. We'll catch a few fish on them and bam...we need the whole product line!! I have lot's of product manufacturers I'm a big fan of besides the above mentioned, like Sigg's Rigg's, Big Weenie, Dreamweaver, Pro Troll, Luhr Jenson, Stinger, NK, etc, etc, etc. My question is....why don't more of the sponsors offer up more free product at tournaments? I know some kick in $$, and that's most important. We owe a big thanks to those who do, but product is what gets us to spend money!! The Pro Am's ....Please...I'm lucky to get a cut bait head or maybe one spoon.....that's it!! Keven Jerge gave out a huge entry package for the Wilson Salmon Slam, as did Fat Nany's at The Fat Nancy's Shootout. The FairHaven challenge gave away quality product through extended awards and raffle tickets. I missed The Little Salmon Challenge, but I think they had a good giveaway also. We fishermen benefit by getting new products to try out, but ultimately the sponsors are the big winners by gaining new customers who spend big money and love to spread the news when we find a new "hot product".