Sk8man

I guess it helps when a little forethought goes into posting about some things and perch fishing is one of them. Unlike lake dwelling trout and salmon that traverse that lake seemingly randomly, the "spot burning' phenomenon that trib fishermen get upset about applies to perch as well; but perhaps in a somewhat different way. Because of the schooling behavior they are very vulnerable to over harvesting. Yes, they are prolific breeders but when you have 50 fish limits and several guys to a boat, and some folks not paying ANY attention to the regulations and making repeated daily trips to harvest the perch while they are vulnerable, and following their movements daily, using cameras to select out only the schools of the largest perch......a problem exists. Things are VERY different these days with the advent of sophisticated electronics, electric trolling motors, cameras, and the INTERNET etc. from the time when the 50 limit regulation was introduced. A major difference with the perch fishery from that of bass, trout, salmon and other gamefish is that the sale of them is allowed. Where there is money - there is greed and unscrupulous (and often illegal) behavior. Additionally, many perch guys actually believe that the pool of fish is infinite and that no matter how many you take out there are many more to replace them....such "magical thinking" is a large component of the problem too. Allowing fishing for perch DURING spawning when they are schooled up tight is a huge pressure because it takes many years for those "jumbos" to reach that size. End of rant. I know..... get out the popcorn....but like a dink perch I took the bait

Another place they cracked was at the top of the pull mechanism that is used to position them.

Good to know Scott. The ones I had were many years old. I have both the circuit breaker and inline fuses. Have had the circuit breaker pop for the riggers but never a fuse blow (yet). Once I installed newer type power cords that problem went away. The older cords had a tendency to crack and short out the rigger from moisture getting in occasionally.

Get the stainless steel swivel mount. The lexan ones often crack.

If you look closely it is a 5ST empty

All the pics I've seen of it advertised show a swivel base at the bottom of it. As far as the electrical hookup....Cannon offers a flush mount Power Port that can be installed along the gunwale. 10 gauge wire would be used to connect to the battery with 30 amp inline fuse for each for longer runs I should think.

The same for mine (actually 10 inches)

Some regular 110v chargers for autos aren't supposed to be used with marine batteries either for some reason.

Thanks Billy.

I probably shouldn't jinx myself but my deep cycle is from Feb 2010 and I always have brought both batteries in for the winter.

I hear ya Mike. I have my ice fishing stuff all set to rock and roll

Congrats on the sale Hans. Congrats to the buyer as well as this boat is one of the nicest I've seen on here for sale and looked as close to pristine as it gets for a boat of that generation.

All good advice. Keep the following phrase in the back of your mind: "Less is more". There are times when a large spread can work but the key to it all is having a basic plan for the specific specie (s) you are targeting, and pay close attention to detail to see what they are responding to (or not). You can always selectively add to the mix as your plan or results change but get the most out of what you put out there by concentrating on actually fishing rather than loading up the water with a huge spread. There can be a lot of value in being as "stealthy" as possible too with the increased water clarity as mentioned and it probably outweighs the tactic of loading up the water with objects.

The two rods and reels on the left are often used for Seth Green rigs (also called themocline rigs) The reel on the extreme left is a Penn 49M and the next ( red one) looks like a Penn 309.the older 309 that is pictured with the metal spool is actually better than the new ones which have a plastic spool.I think I have 7 or so and have never had a single problem with them. A very useful addition to those reels for anyone buying them is to find some power handles for them (probably on Ebay etc.).They are good sturdy reels for both the above use and salt water as well

Anyone know whether Dean's is still doable when the lake drops?