Broadhorizons

I'm in for Friday and Saturday nights. I'll bring eggs and bread for toast for both mornings, bacon for Sat morning.

Nice catch! PS. The date is off on your camera.

I'm in the process of installing a Johnson Aqua Jet 5.2 gpm system right now. Claims to have 70psi also. I ordered from Hodges for under $200 for the kit. I had to provide the thruhull, ball valve, below deck hoses and clamps, and wire. Hopefully I have it running by the weekend and I'll let you know how it works. Either way it will sure beat slopping a bucket on the deck.

My Traxstech adjustable rod holders all came with the "keeper caps" and I switched my fixed position rod holders over to them from the standard cap also. These will hold the rod down in the holder if your diver tension goes slack or if a planer towline "lifts" a rod in a tight turn. It is also comical to watch an over-excited buddy try to get the screaming rod from the holder when it's still strapped in. And yes, they can eventually force the rod out of the holder. Just loop the strap around the reel and under the hook on the rod holder cap to hold it. Pull the tag-end loose to release it and lift the rod. http://www.traxstech.com/Accessories.html

I'd like to give Tony and GLP for customer service and satisfaction. This year I changed my planer system and got electric reels and needed pulley's for my arch. After looking at all the plastic pulleys offered by other companies, I was hoping to see Great Lakes Planers at the Outdoor Expo in Watertown to see what he had. I was pretty sure his would be all metal like his other products. After I got setup on Friday, I went over to the GLP booth and looked at Tony's display models. I asked him what he offered for clamping brackets to clamp on a regular arch to hang the pulley from and he could make two different styles. One he described similar to his "normal" brackets which is split so you can bolt the two halves together around the pipe and the other just a standard v-clamp similar to Big Jon or Traxstech. However he didn't have any in stock and it would be approximately 2 to 3 weeks before he could get to them. We agreed that at the end of the show, we'd take two pulleys off of this display models and I would hang them from the arch with a loop of chain until he got the clamps made up and I could fish in the meantime, no big deal. Saturday he comes by and tells me he's going to come to the show late on Sunday so he can take the time to make them up and I would have them before I leave. Sure enough, Sunday he brings them in. Here they are, I opted for the standard v-clamp style. Just like all of his other products, these are "over built" and I'm sure will last a lifetime.

Last year I upgraded my electronics. I shopped, compared and read the reviews on pretty much all of the major brands. I wanted a combo unit so that ruled out the Furuno (which had great reviews). Raymarine was too expensive for the units I looked at. Lowrance was getting crucified on every review I read all winter long so I didn't even look at their offerings. Hopefully their customer service has changed now. I didn't really look at Garmin. I ended up with the Humminbird 958c (no side imaging) which I like a lot. I had a 50/200khz Airmar thruhull installed. I had some issues that I thought was electrical interference but at the end of the season figured out it was related to my settings I had the unit running. I think I had the 50khz sensitivity too high while trolling. With the proper settings (200khz), we can see bait and fish cruising at around 23-24 mph. So far, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Humminbird in the 900 or 1100 series (higher power units than the lower models). Good luck,

I'm with WWIV. Start over new. I hate debugging trailer lights. For the cost of new lights and wires, I don't waste my time. The LED's are really nice but expensive if you go with them. With LED's make sure you get a popular brand so you can find replacements when/if you need them.

Spoonfed, Spro Heavy Swivel Size 3 (150#)

I've had good luck with Triple Fish 25# floro line as leader on my rigger rods and cheaters. No break offs in 2 years. For browns and walleye I tried the Triple Fish 10#, it is junk and never even fished it. Tying the knots, they kept fraying and burning no matter how much I wetted them and broke easy. Tried Seaguar Invisx 10# line and like it. When I run out of TF 25#, I'll probably jump on the Seaguar wagon also, I haven't see the TF 25# in the stores since I bought it.

Looks like a Mooselook wobbler or Williams Dartee.

Happy birthday Nick!

I'm sure I'll have mine up there.

Happy birthday Joe! See ya in a couple weeks.

I agree with all the above. Don't overthink it though. If you send it out too fast then to the side on the board, you'll hook a dipsy. If you let it out too fast, you might loose control of the spool and backlash or you will also let it sink to much and risk hooking bottom. Once you have it out, take your time hooking to the board so that if it has sunk lower than it will typically run, you give it time to rise into "normal" depth. At the "normal" depth, it will go out over a wire or braid dipsy. Then send it way out to the side. Only tangle I've had so far is when I had a hot steelie take the dipsy under it. I usually have one or two out every trip. Good luck,

Good for me Bob.

Here's the link to get the MMSI number through Boat US. http://www.boatus.com/MMSI/ As for hooking to the GPS, you need a gps that has the NMEA capability. Most, if not all manufacturers of marine GPS units make models that have that feature. NMEA is used to hook the autopilot to GPS also.

I guess I'll miss reading the posts of winter reports. Did someone get a little touch of "Salmon Crazy"? Believe me, I'm no threat to the FLX, I fished them one day last year (Owasco April 10). I'll miss the reports though while I'm sitting here, in the office watching the clock.

Mickey Finn, that's interesting that your license doesn't state Great Lakes. Mine states: "Masters Of steam or motor vessels of not more than 50 Gross registered tons upon Great Lakes and Inland waters. Authorized to engage in Commercial assistance towing." This is my initial issuance, not a renewal. Is your license also Masters or is it a 6-pack? Wait, if you have Towing, you have the Masters anyhow.

I use about 4 to 5' of 25# flouro with a larger ballbearing coastlock swivel on the rod end and a smaller swivel/duolock on the spoon end. I like the bigger swivel to be able to pass the leader swivel and terminal swivel on the main line and hang on the mainline spoon. I experience fewer tangles/wrap-ups if the slider can trail straight off the main line when bringing them in.

Great Lakes is in addition to Inland. All you have to do is provide your sea service on the Great Lakes, no additional class/test. The help line phone number is 1-888-IASKNMC. ( 1-888-427-5662 ) They can answer any question you have, very helpful and polite. Congratulations on passing the test.

First, to be clear, we are talking about the 900 series and higher units. These are higher power units (1000 watts RMS/8000 watts Peak). I don't know anything about the lower units other than that the owners manual for mine is for the 858c, 898c SI, 958c, and 998c SI. YT and I have the Airmar B60's that are flush mount, no fairing block. Right in the Sonar Menu under the Transducer Select tab, you have the option to run a 50/200 dual beam transducer among others. All you have to do is tell/select the appropriate transducer in the menu. Once you select the appropriate transducer, the unit adjusts your options in Sonar Menu under the Beam Select tab. You can then select 50/200 dual, 50 single, or 200 single on the unit and it does work. Humminbird offers the upgrade to get the 50/200 thruhull from them which is their "deep water" transducer. Their other thruhull transducers are 83/200's. When I bought my 958, I looked into the upgrade to get the plastic flush mount thruhull. The deal was send in my unopened transom mount and money and get the thruhull. I forget how much the extra money was (maybe $50 or $75) but it was easy to rationalize getting the Airmar for around $125. Personally, I wouldn't want a plastic thruhull (humminbird or otherwise) in the bottom of my boat.

Check your PM's

I like it however I never ran the unit with the standard transducer. I have the stainless thruhull. Shows great detail but I think I had the 50khz sensitivity up too high last season because I would get some interference when trolling around 2.8 to 3.1 mph. When we figured this out, I was done on Ontario for the season so I couldn't see how adjustments changed it. Yankee Troller has the same transducer/setup on his old boat (he's who I talked to).

I run the 958 with a 50/200 thruhull and didn't experience any interference from the X4 all season long on Dual beam or 50.

NADA guide says this boat has a beam of 9'4" (112") and a net weight of 5,100#. Take the published weight with a grain if salt. My PY 223 Rage is claimed to weight 3.300# but I believe it is closer to, if not 5,000# loaded on the trailer. (No Hank, it's not because of all the copper in the cabin either )