Fat Trout

Yeah so Im going to challenge you on that a little. We all want free speech right? Its a topic these days in the news at a larger level. Hell I agree with the guy you are arguing against......perhaps not his approach. However I also agree the OP has the right to post. You don't like the flack. Don't post. You don't like the posts.....look away. either way deal with it. If you want to shut someone down because they have a (strong) opinion.....well consider how far that can go.

@Low BallerIf you still want info on a 2 battery system I can send you a pic of my wiring diagram. I researched the heck out of it and it was a pain in the ass to fully sort out. I'm 4 seasons into using it and all seems well. I have a 2 battery system with ON/OFF/ALL switch. ACR (Automatic Charging Relay). I run 2 DRs, fishhawk, house power, radio etc. My 9.9 has is a T model Yamaha so it has a good alternator for charging. I have the main going to one battery, the 9.9 going to the other and the ACR balances the charging of the 2. To your question on DRs and other stuff. I have one DR on each battery and no interference that I can identify with DR use. I also have a few pics. When you have this much stuff I found that using a buss bar is better than gang piling too many things on the battery terminals. Even then I still added a lug for the post of the battery so I could use the screwed post and the other one. My interconnect wires are large and sealed at the ends and all connection terminals were sprayed with battery terminal connector spray.

Its like driving on open highway and someone feels the need to hang out in your blind spot. Speed up / slow down and they do the same. On the lake, too few people practice avoidance still others play chicken. Last week I had a full spread out and had a guy on plane drop down sort of along side and on my back corner perhaps 150 yards away no big deal. Bad move by him IMO because it limits where he can go once he sets up. It wasn't crowded no problem. The problem was when he started heading slowly toward me. I'm dealing with wind and some choppy conditions and keeping my heading as I was fishing a given depth and wind had me crabbing out and didn't want to turn out and spin back (yet). He was just setting lines and got to within 25 feet of me when I yelled over "Hey, any chance you can get off my ass". It took a good minute or two and he finally angled away. There were 2 guys setting lines and one on the wheel. I also didn't want to spin a loop behind him (which I often do in scenarios like that) because he was just setting up and dammit I was there first. I did angle out twice but he used that and kept pushing to me. Just unnecessary. I always try to avoid and I'm the first one to pick up a long line if It looks sketchy but some folks just want to turn it into a game of chicken.

I caught 3 of those out of mexico this summer. First time ive caught them. Sent from my SM-G990U using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Mexico Launch this morning a pair of morons bump away from the floating docks into the channel and float there engine running not in gear while they pull out rods. Those of us coming from up river had to go around which was increasingly sketchy as it was right at the inlet with the rocks on both sides. There was sort of room but I had to skirt really close to them dang WTF. I hate to say it but the boat was a POS and the guys in the boat matched up well to the boat. Scary thing is that it wasn't super early and the docks weren't that busy. Stay at the dock in that case or go just out side the inlet and do that crap.

lol. gonna be a big difference which you will enjoy.

wow.....look at you going big. Congrats on the new to you boat. Good luck fishing!

Water had a very green cast to it. It was sunny so you can tell quite a bit more. You can get that with passing sun and clouds but the noticeable difference is when you send a downrigger ball down and you loose it in < 10 feet.

Thats interesting. I was fishing last weekend off of the south dunes (north of the salmon river). Thats right where that plume seems to start to the right. I fished pre-zebra mussels and of course after. Pre zebra was chalky water...after we all know....hyper clear. Last weekend I was in 150 ft of water which east is a good 4 to 5 miles out. Water was chalky as hell. I couldn't place the reason but I recognized it. It changes color patterns etc. I went west 10 miles toward oswego the next day and zebra clear like usual. I'm out of mexico.

I'm guessing a fish swiped at your lure and missed but you did him a favor!

[emoji1787] i dont give a crap about the atlantics and feel free to take your fully vetted new predator idea to the DEC. Im sure they'll get right on that for ya. Oh and laughable is the fact that this time last year you were on here asking for tips, pointers and on the water help for how to run downriggers and the "whole gamut" as you were tired of "fumbling around". Respectable.....but lets ease off a bit on pushing fisheries management so abrasively. Dare I say, thats a bit laughable. I don't need to be right and am wrong plenty of times but I have 35 years in this fishery so you can kiss my bass. Sent from my SM-G990U using Lake Ontario United mobile app

So by viability you mean eat the stocked trout, salmon and smallmouth worse than the cormorants can possibly do? I won't argue on the landlocks being worth it but i have places for stripers and they are not where i purposely look for trout and salmon. If i recall right stripers are considered something of a problem in the Columbia river basin. I might be wrong...not back checking because i dont care but i like my great lakes the way they were/ are and dont need another variable to mess with it. Sent from my SM-G990U using Lake Ontario United mobile app

I mentioned it in another post but if you have it, try spraying reel magic on the line too. The stuff works great for extending casts with light line for spinning applications. It adds a slickness to the line which I think would help. The slickness is why the blood run flea line works (aside from diameter of 30# too) https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/blakemore-real-magic-lubricant?ds_e=MICROSOFT&ds_c=BPS|Shopping|Standard|Fishing|General|NAud|TopPerf|NMT&msclkid=06f4b2e66f2b1aa8a031d02fd98e2bb8&gclid=06f4b2e66f2b1aa8a031d02fd98e2bb8&gclsrc=3p.ds

I probably should have mentioned that. I got lucky in 2015 or 16 and found a 3600 yd spool on closeout and bought it immediately having used it for years and finding out it was discontinued. I have been living off of it since.....being heavy I don't change it off until removing worn sections with nicks take a reel spool low. It will be a sad day when its gone (soon) and I'll probably move to 30# blood run at that point. Flea flicker wasn't a great line for a # of reasons but serves its purpose and I understand the 30# blood run is pretty decent too.

It has been a long time since fleas came on the scene. 17 and 20# mainlines don't work (mid june till early august) at least for downriggers. Perhaps 20# bloodrun does better, I'm not sure. i have been running 30 # flea flicker (cortland) for years. On my brown rods(downrigger) I have a segment of that and 10# (whatever) after the part that hits the rigger clip. I have had no real problems for years. I'm sure 30# anything would do the same. I run braid divers and also have no real problems. Yes I get some fleas on all but you can either reel through it or slap your rod tip to diminish. I'm just adding my comment to say it has been years (decades) since 17# and even 20# regular mono became a problem on downriggers. It is what it is. Late June through early august are always this issue. When its at its worst you have to check lines a little more often. 30 min at worst for me and thats really more of a "hey let my try something else" anyway. No offense to those asking....its just kind of a reality. I don't even think of it anymore since I adapted accordingly.

A friend of mine had a leak he couldn't find on a 17' spectrum. It ended up being a crack in the hull that was mostly obscured by the bunk. Pressure from the bunk pushed along a hull stringer over time and created a crack. The way it sat on the trailer it didn't really leak when he filled the hull with water (not the same pressure inside to out as when it was floating and outside to in.

yes. This is what I have. 24 volt terrova. 72" shaft length....its worth the extra length for trolling in some moderate chop so that you don't cavitate when the bow goes up and down in the waves. 80lb thrust. I ran it on my Starweld 18 and now on my Fishmaster 196. works just dandy and plenty of run time. The autopilot can work nicely for bass too. I had a smaller I pilot on my little boat that I had for a while. it lets you follow a course along a weed edge or whatever or out in the lake over rock piles you can use spot lock etc.

Agreed on this. I never use the "advanced" when trolling. I also agree on your minimum of 4. I have a terrova 80 (24v) that I ran on an 18 ft starweld. Now on a Fishmaster 196. I get plenty of time running I run 4 to 5.5...perhaps 6....sure if its flat I can easily get away with 3. 9.9 kicker generally kept straight with perhaps slight main steering tweaks to help if there is a cross wind. I have never run out of battery provided I start with a full charge.

ah he is crazy but no more than the rest of us. flat calm and sunny is good for a dare.

I had 4 seasons on mine and that happened (x4d probe). I didn't ask for anything but perhaps should have inquired. Full last season without issue. That faulty probe is my backup as speed is still my #1 consideration. I hope the new one lasts. I did notice that on that probe which is a clear and fully encapsulated probe that I could see something "off" with the old probe compared to the new probe on a few connections...not a burn but a cloudy funk on some internal connections. Way back when my first fishhawk had a black probe, not clear. speed and temp only on the pre X4 .....used it forever. Here's to hoping the current one lasts longer than 4 years. PS I treat my Fishhawk probe better than my wife.

I have a 2018 I picked up late 2018. great boat. I keep getting comments mine looks like new. Take care of it and it will. An 18' x 24' tarp goes over the top perfectly and breaths really well like that. I made a set of 2x4 ridge frame beams from bow to high point at the windshield and down to the transom for winter. Dry and out of the sun when stored is key for these boats. Good luck!