Sk8man

Just a long shot but you might try to find listings for nearby sporting goods store, bait and tackle shops or marinas that might have "local" map of the lake and give them a call.

Looking in from outside of the issue (I no longer hunt but still have an interest in it) it looks as though BSMaster's original well intentioned question is turning into a "pissing contest" between two knowledgeable and capable hunters hunting the same largely private area where most others have little to no access. Wouldn't it be more beneficial or productive to both of you to maybe meet for coffee someplace and try to improve each others info and insight regarding that specific area so that you both could benefit from it? Just a thought....

Even if you run into a king 12 lb test works fine if you use your boat and have the drag set properly. The primary reason for using the 30 lb "rope" is because of the fleas anf they are not usually a problem real early in the season.

If it has been checked out and holds a charge I 'd just carefully look it over for cracks or anything that looks suspicious and if nothing noted make a decision about whether you feel comfortable with it. I wouldn't leave it (or any other one) on a charger for long periods (like over the winter) though. Just charge it fully and place it in a dry area for the winter and then in the Spring check it for charge and it should be still well above 3/4 or even full or so...if not I'd get a new one. The trickle charge is fine for charging a battery over say a few days because the battery will hold the charge longer than if charged at say 5 amps or 12 amps quickly and even though many folks use trickle chargers for long extended periods it can also be a danger if done in unventilated (or poorly ventilated) places or places where there might be any open flame (e.g. cellar or other internal room).

I would carefully check out the batteries and the charger itself. On the one hand it could be gas escaping (which can be toxic as well as flamable/explosive under certain conditions so don't have it near any open flames such as a pilot light on a furnace or hot water heater when charging). The screeching can also come from a warning alarm on some chargers when something is wrong. In any case it is something that shouldn't be happening. As far as the deep cycle vs. starting battery goes. Many outboard motors have a very high instantaneous amperage draw when the key is turned on in the ignition and the starter turns over and that is what the starter battery is designed to deal with...the deep cycle is designed to deal with an extended draw down over time but NOT the instantaneous high draw and continued use of it that way frequently shortens the life of the battery. A deep cycle battery is designed to be taken down nearly all the way and then recharged or at least past half way. They aren't meant to be recharged after each use (when only slightly used) again it can shorten the life of the battery. I've had my boat (new) since 2002 and I'm on my second set of batteries right now after replacement 3 years ago. Get good quality marine batteries and use them in their intended way and they will last (if not defective). Regarding the interference issue - it is often related to poor shielding somewhere along the power lines, running the wires of sensitive electronics too near (or along with) other power wires, sometimes when hooked up through a power block and not directly with a fused line to the battery itself, or an external source such as another depth finder or electronic operating at similar frequency too nearby corrupting the signal. Sometimes resistor spark plugs can help with the interference encountered with internal sources.

We all enjoy Kevin's posts. He is a supreme sportsman and I'm sure we'll have a lot more interesting posts from him once he recuperates. I'm looking forward to it.

http://www.weather.com/series/crazimals/video/double-catch-breaks-records

I had also sent a note to the contact us but after the 8th try I succeeded in getting the transaction to process. Knowing how NYS is about money I wouldn't count on getting any "rain check"

(Finger Lakes and region) http://www.fingerlakes1.com/webcams.php

Accessing the website is a test of patience and endurance....it is grossly overloaded. I had to fill out the information in my account at least 7 times before it finally "took" The server is so busy it just kept dumping the info each time before that and I had to switch browsers to Internet Explorer from Firefox also.

Tim I hope you aren't counting on ice fishing on Seneca because Seneca seldom freezes enough for ice fishing, and open water stuff is also very questionable at the north end of the lake depending on weather related freeze-ups of the launches (in terms of public access). Have you also checked with either Barrett Marine or Stivers Marine? I think Fran and Deb Barrett go to Florida frequently so that may be out too... and are you talking about driving to a weigh in or boating? These two will likely be out because the Seneca Canal freezes over for boats at least as does the State Park and usually Sampson State Park and Lodi State Park launches. Often the only boat access is Roy's at the north end and (Severne Point launch) on the west side 2/3 of the way to Watkins Glen . Clute Park in Watkins Glen at the south end is often open for winter fishing depending on the specific weather conditions for a particular year but it is off and on with conditions.

Basically these two batteries have two different functions: the deep cycle is for long amperage draw down and a starting battery is for quick short term heavy amperage draw. You should be able to run small things like a low draw solid state depth finder from the starting battery OK but for the other stuff (downriggers, electric trolling motors etc. you need the deep cycle marine battery which can be taken right down to near nothing left without harming it. It is designed to be used that way and then recharged. The starting battery will quickly give out on you (shortens its life) if you use high draw (over time especially) items connected to it. My Merc Optimax motor requires that the starting battery be at least 1/2 charged or over or it won't even start the engine because of the high amperage draw. You do have another alternative to just one or the other and that is the hybrid combination starting/deep cycle battery. If you go that route get the heaviest duty one (they are pricier than the others too). I use the hybrid for powering my riggers and other stuff and it is charged by my 9.9 electric start trolling motor alternator which has to be cranking along pretty good to charge it much and the heavy duty marine starting battery is used for the main engine and my depth finder and I have never had a problem other than normal replacement after several years of use. I keep them fully charged all the time and the reason for the hybrid is so that if the starting battery ever happens to give out I can still hook up to the hybrid and start the main engine yet most of the time it is used as deep cycle. Rolmops made a good qualification too regarding the fact that you should stick to a marine grade battery as they are designed to be more resistant to vibration and knocking around.

Well said....I second that!

This is the compatability list: http://www.navionics.com/sites/www.navionics.com/files/documents/Americas_CompatibilityGuide_4.pdf