VanderLaan

I know that I am late to this thread, but figure I will respond in case someone finds this thread in a search. I have a house in Benton Harbor, roughly five miles from Tackle Haven. Spent many an afternoon talking to the owner and his staff getting the low-down on current conditions. Likely have spent too much money there as well. Good guys. Would have no problems recommending them to anyone.

Good advice so far. Lots of ways to skin this cat. I am a weekend warrior, so I don't feel the need to spend top dollar for high-end gear. That said, cheap stuff can be wasted money. With the exception of some old Penn 209s that I use for coho high lines in the spring, I use convectors and coldwaters. Most of my reels have the drag upgrades (lost a big one due to a sticky drag, so the upgrade is worth it to me. ) and I use coldwaters with upgraded drags for my wire divers. As far as rods go, I have had good results with Daiwa Heartland rods. They are cheap and have served me well. I also have a few of the Shimano TDRs. At $20 each, I won't cry if they get broken. I generally use 8'6" Medium action for board rods, 8' Medium for riggers (some like ML, but that seems too light for me) and 9'6" medium-heavy rods for divers. Hope this helps.

Interested. Not on Facebook.

Thank you. Appreciate the advice.

I have Scotty's on Traxstech with the Versatrack (48"/five brackets) and a Bert's riser. Using 12 pound shark style weights. No trouble so far. Have also seen the Brocraft-style track supports with the adjustable screw that transfers the weight to the gunnel. Would think that would work equally as well, if not better than the Traxstech style mounts.

Assuming that you know the water temp at 55 feet is 40-45 degrees and you are not marking any fish, how would you go about setting your divers and downriggers? I have two DRs and two wire divers and I usually try and bracket that depth with two above 55 feet and two below/right at 55 feet. And then use my lead core and copper rods higher in the water column to target out of temp/bonus fish. Is there a better way to set your spread to find fish? Should my DRs and divers be deeper? I feel like I am stumbling around in the dark guessing at a starting depth. Hoping you'all can give me some insight to sharpen my game.

I got scammed last summer on a CP reel and drift rod. Same scenario, responded to a post and they PM'ed me with a package deal. Seems that second party transactions are almost always a scam.