Sk8man

If somehow you can get to the Settings menu there appears to be an option for resetting to factory defaults (Under LANGUAGE). I'm wondering if you inadvertently hit one of the simulation option buttons that is preventing you from going back to the operational mode....I don't have one of these units just looking at the online manual....Page 42. Lowrance is known for their obtuse or absent directions by the way.....

There is a software update fr that particular unit...I wonder if there is a correction for the problem embedded in it? Worth a shot if you haven't done it yet. Here's the update: http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Software-Updates/Elite-7/

Small black duo locks at the end of fluoro leader and very small barrel swivel to main line. Have them pre set up (do it at home) for different tests in little plastic bags so I don't have so much screwing around in the boat (e.g. trying to tie in the wind/cold hands etc.).

AC it sounds as though you had a good day on the pond...while you were out there I was taking the plastic off my boat and loading all my stuff back in...my back is still killing me from trying to drop those two batteries into the below deck compartment at an odd angle Thanks to the wind there are still a couple fish left out there

My understanding of the UV and glow issue is somewhat different. It relates mainly to how bright the lure gets and for how long....and you can still get a nasty sunburn on a cloudy day by the way. The glow lures use a phosphorescent coating that maintains a low level illumination for a relatively short amount of time. It is activated by natural sunlight or when exposed for a length of time to bright light from say incandescent light from a bright flashlight etc. UV coatings respond to a different wavelength of light and are usually activated by a special charging unit that provides the right spectral wavelength and intensity of light to propagate light from the target object (lure). This propagated light can last from about 3 to 8 hours which is substantially longer than the glow lures. Whether they can be seen differentially at 100 ft. plus is anyones guess but the UV lure will supposedly last longer and may appear brighter. I think the thinking here may stem from the salt water environment where bio illuminescence occurs at incredible depths but this is a very different type of light given off by marine animals and plants....most historical research suggests that in freshwater most darker colors approach black at 100 ft. or more and lighter colors turn to whitish shades. The thing I have always wondered is when that research was carried out....is that what was visible to humans or fish....their eyes are quite differently constructed and how exactly did they determine those measured results?

Once again thank heaven for the Coast Guard or they would have been totally screwed.

Nice to see that honesty is alive and well!

I laughed like h at Tex's comment about the nail polish....I've used it for more years than I care to remember on my jigs, ice fishing jigs, spoons etc. and I can remember when my oldest daughter used to sneak into my supplies as a teenager and I'd find bottles missing (especially the glitter stuff)... I sometimes returned the favor .

Very true....both of your comments are on the mark....

Geez Guff you could have ROWED your boat to Japan and picked it up quicker than that

Some time back I had Eagleclaw Starfire downrigger rods with cork handles. They seemed a bit more "forgiving" than the foam butts and although they "dented" from time to time they seemed to recover better than foam. My buddy Admiral Byrd cheritibly donated one of them to the "Seneca Lake Fish Gods" in about 300 ft of water north of the salt plant I believe.... They don't recover as well from that...

Yesterday my wife, daughter and I attended the world premier of an important documentary (entitled: "We Can't Eat Gold") by friends who are young film makers who have lived in Alaska and have been extremely touched by the plight of the Native Americans living there dealing with a proposed gigantic strip mining venture currently before the Federal Government (Obama) for review at this time. These Native Americans (and the salmon) are being royally screwed over and their whole lifestyle and their own very lives and those of their children are being placed in grave jeopardy by the mindless greedy concerns of big mining business. They basically have little voice other than this documentary to get the word out to hopefully gain the support of the public who are for the most part totally unaware of this situation. I told Josh ( the film makers Josh Tucker and Gigi Marcantonio ) about LOU and that many good hearted, conservation minded people frequent this site from all over the country (and world for that matter) and noted that everyone should be made aware of this because if this stuff can happen in the very heart of the Pacific salmon spawning grounds (Bristol Bay Alaska) variations on it could happen anywhere to the salmon. I seldom take up "causes" or "plug" anything but the concerns expressed in this video and by these young people (excerpts are on the You tube segment) are truly touching and the folks in this video are very REAL PEOPLE with very real fears - and greed is at the root of the threat to them and as importantly to the very existence of the salmon themselves (as well as a $300 million dollar commercial fishing industry). Please take a few minutes to take a look at the video "snippets" and hopefully offer them support in their efforts. Thanks. Les Their website is: http://wecanteatgold.net/

Way to go Guff!

I've used my light with heavy duty velcro on the base for years and it has held up fine....

Its another reminder that Mother Nature seldom has mercy on the unprepared and Lake O is a force to be reckoned with...thankfully it appears to have turned as well as could be expected. Life jackets can sometimes be regarded a s a necessary "nuisance" but the emphasis is placed on necessary.