stoutner

That is exactly correct. GregMacedon should have turned to Starboard so both boats should have passed port to port. Also, if he were in deeper water it means that he would have been off to Greg's Startboard side which means Greg would have been the give way boat and he should have turned to Starboard. Sorry Greg but those are the rules of the road. To be practical though, he did not need to be a dick. He could have just stayed out deep until you passed by.

So, How did the doctor get it out? Did it hurt like a SOB?

You could have used the fishing line technique to remove it. I've used it before and it works and doesn't really hurt. Check out this crazy video of it. There are lots of videos on Youtube on how to do it.

We heard someone talking on the radio and I assumed they were in front of the chute. Not sure if it was you guys or not. I was a little more interested in shaking down my boat than hard core fishing but we gave it a go. By the way - Those are some very nice fish. Good job. We would have had a pretty hard time landing a 10 lb fish without a net.

Hopefully have the new boat 1st week of May. Still waiting for "ice out" on the lake to get the survey done. I have a potential buyer for my current boat. Taking him for a test ride/fishing Thursday evening. That money will go into gear for the new rig !!!! Rick - I did not see you go past. I think you were already gone when we started fishing. I think we launched around 9 am or so. I didn't know you had left and stopped over at Great Lakes to see if you were around when we were done fishing.

Got the rig all ready to go and made our maiden voyage this year mid morning on Saturday. Weather was cold, water was colder, and wind was howling a little bit. Set up in front of Maxwell and trolled toward Hughes and back before calling it a day. Trolled West in about 15 - 20 feet of water then trolled back East in about 6 - 12 feet of water. Water was Gin clear and only managed this one nice Brown. When we returned to Port we noticed this nice stained water coming out of Sodus Bay that we completely skipped over on the way out. Wish we would have fished that water. Next time will pay better attention. On a good note the Rig ran flawlessly and thanks to a new prop I think runs better than it ever has since I've owned it. Only issue we had was that once again I forgot to bring a net on the maiden voyage

Not sure what kind of commitment you are talking about.I assume all of us that said yes are committed. I know I am in.

Troy, Looks very interesting. 9 salmon, Bonus Brown, Steelie, and Laker for each day? WOW, that will separate the men from the boys. That would be a great weekend for most of us. I know you have your hands full with this event. Is anyone going to run a "big fish Friday" in conjunction with this event? If you need any help with anything leading up to the event, let me know. I also would be willing to do a small sponsorship. Wayne

I usually fish right on the color line with one planer in the color and on out. My best catches have been fishing just inside the mudline.

I'm in for that side bet. We'll have to do it on a weekend when there is no tourney happening just so we can get some action.

Troy, I guess not. P.S. did you dredge out a spot for my new rig? I'll need a solid 3 and 1/2 feet (Not for the Jet Ski either)

I use those Okuma StrataMaster combos from Bass Pro. They usually have them on sale for about $80. The rods are o.k. but the reels are far superior to the Diawa 47LC and the Convector in my opinion. The drag is smoother and they hold up really well. I am on my 4th year with these reels and no problems at all. The rods are pretty shot though. see them here http://www.basspro.com/Okuma-Stratamast ... uct/93453/

I love the idea of boat size being the factor. I suggested it last year in the pro ams. Here on the U.S. side of the lake most Pro/Charter boats are over 27 feet long and most ams are 27 feet or less. I know there are exceptions so don't argue about a few boats here and there. The biggest problem I had last year with signing up for the pro division was that my 22' boat was not good in anything over two footers. I can do 3 footers but it is really rough and I really am a lot more comfortable staying nearer to shore in 2-3 footers in that boat. We fished in 3 of the pro ams last year and each time my team decided to sign up as an amateur team because we couldn't justify paying $700 to roll the dice based on weather. In 2 of the 3 events weather was a factor and we made the right decision. If pro teams with smaller boats such as Finders Keepers want to use a smaller boat in the Pro division that is up to them. I just think if you are an am team you shouldn't have to compete with 35' sport fishers in the Am division.

Don't make the mistake I did... I bought cheap, then more expensive, then more expensive. If you can afford it, buy a Furuno 585 or Lowrance 8 Gen 1 or 2 or something like that. ...and, I'm getting ready to go even bigger and better this year. 4 years and 4 different finders = a lot of wasted money. If your budget doesn't allow any 8" or larger unit, any 5" unit with combo would be o.k. But be prepared to spend $500 - $1000 even for a a smaller unit.

I would throw all of my tackle out and use Brown Trout Jointed Rapala J-9 size. I have at least a half dozen on my boat at all times.

Pretty cool video. I probably won't be able to bring my boat down but I would like to fish with someone next year in the shootout.

There are very few of of us that know where and/or how to target all 4 effectively. I catch all of the above but most of the time it is by chance...not by targeting them. That format is really for the few true experts...very tough for most of us.