fishdawg

picked up a an Okuma 55 and Rapala RSC copper combo from Grimsby Tackle tonight 400 feet of copper going on it!

sounds like your going to be fishing Lake Erie? (walleye/steelhead) now what size is the Magda? a 30 or a 45? a 45 will hold the whole spool of leadcore (aka 10 colors) and you can fit 150 yds of 50lb braid backing behind it. I think a 20-30 ft leader of 5-20lb test mono or floro should do well if its a 30 Magda, you might get 7 colors to fit the spool with the backing... if you can, consult a local shop that specializes in great lakes gear to help ya spool it up

my exact thoughts too Tony, got the pen imprinting to factor in too! i may be out next weekend.... I would have been out all winter, if it werent for my boat project & renos

8 seasons now for my '04 Canadian tiller most of those seasons are 10-11 months each year ive been a aboard a couple others Fishhawks, and i like the layouts

which reel did you buy? a line counter isnt neccessary when using leadcore... Okuma does make nice leadcore rods for about $35 retail but almost any medium action 7'-9' downrigger rod should serve you well

sure hope so we're long overdue John

I cant be the only one who's pumped for the upcoming Lake O trolling season. Hopefully my boat will be set to go in a week or two. It sure will be interesting to see what potential positive effects will come from the mild fall & winter we've had. Convetional thinking would be that baitfish population should be good as well the predetors would have had more time to bulk up on them? As well we should see what impact will be of the many pen stocking/imprinting projects that many local clubs have taken on across the lake the last few seasons. For the competitive angler, there seems to be many various tournaments & derbies scheduled to run from mid April to Sept in different locations and with different entry fee levels & formats. who else cant wait for screaming reels and big chromers ?!

LMAO thanks Boostnawd

I pretty much operate the same way Lew, most of my fishing buds have their owns boats, so its often agreed we just trade local trips with each other for the most part, and costs are shared if there's distance our additional expenses involved (ex: tournaments, longer road trips, ect..) I try to make a point of returning the trip in my boat in a timely manner when practical/possible. If I am taking "newbies" or boatless buds out, the first trip is often "on the house" as I love introducing the sport to to others. I once herd that you cant fill the tanks up with "thank you's and Timmies"

agree with dwc67! a Depth Raider or Subtroll cant be beat! I see helm rigger controls as being a little gimmicky

all 4 major brands make good electric riggers with various features that fall into different price ranges some types of riggers just to tend suit some boat's layouts better then others as well ive been able try 'em all in the last few years on various boats it looks like ill be sticking with my Scotty Propacks (1116) for a while now

havent posted yet on this thread yet... never knew what to say (bad excuse perhaps?) thought I'd add thatI too am blown away by it ALL the whole family has been in my thoughts since this thread's inception and will still be

thanks

30hp is electric start ( has manual option, never used it, some "McGyvering" needed to do it) Minnkota on the bow has its own deep cycle batt, bow mount sonar has its own gell cell batt so running 2 similiar 27' batts in parallel would suffice for my set up? (+ to +, - to -, and motor + to one batt and motor - to the 2nd batt?)

Im considering adding a 2nd battery to the Crestliner. Currently I have a 27 series start/crank batt. and it runs the sonar, VHF, FM, lights, bilge, downriggers, Sub Troll, two 12v cigg. plugs, ect... The alternator from my 30hp Johnson is the charge source. I'll be adding an additional (and higher powered) sonar/gps to the grid this winter. How neccessary would a 2nd battery be in this situation? I should also add that more often then not when most of the electronics are in use I am trolling. If I do get a 2nd batt. I am considering wirring them in parallel. If I dont get a 2nd batt. I am thinking of installing a solar powered charger. Ideas? Suggestions?

I am wondering about this project... who has used it? What are the benefits of it?

I have a 16' '04 Crestliner Canadian tiller. Original owner. Doing some renos/additions and a complete clean-up to it this winter. At the same time Ive pulled up all my floorboards to have a peak at the hull 'et all. I'd say its all in 90% great shape. No wet foam, marine plywood is great, as is the transom. The only blemish Ive got are 3 broken support welds that hold up one of the side platforms. Ive been very happy with the boat the last 8 seasons. i pretty much use it 9-11 months of the year. Mostly now on Lakes Erie & Ontario and the Niagara river. Its been through a lot of various conditions and weather but its holding up well. Its also stored indoors when not in use. The dealer i used was Proctor marine in Simcoe (Hwy 3). Very pleasent dealing with them & thankfully havent had to go back yet.

no I dont think so

many little winter projects happening now with my Crestliner in the garage I'll post a little something upon completion

You have a few advantages right now in your favor; a good budget, time is on your side and its a buyers market now. Alumnacraft or Crestliner get my votes, I bought my Cresty at Proctor Marine in Simcoe (Hwy #3)and they are a very good dealer. Definetly get a kicker and try for Yamaha or Suzuki 4-strokes for your outboards. Dont skimp on an electric motor or your electronics either. Digital DSC VHF Radio w/ 8' antenna and new generation sonar/gps. A Galvanized trailer with LEDs will be the last trailer you'll ever own too good luck with your search & purchase

pleasure to meet you too Doug! Mark

sure was eh Dave? loads of valuable info was good to hang with ya

the Canada/Russia game should be on upstairs at the Legion bar as well when the seminar/meeting concludes

perhaps your reffering to the bacon explosion? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon_Explosion i did it last year for Super Bowl in my Bradley Smoker over the holidays ive done some various varieties of cheese, as well as ribs & trout this past fall I put a smoke vent in the garage to make things a little more convenient