Mister G

Some guys that "Fly Fish" would be better off with a fly swatter.....

I agree, I caught 3 muskies on Aberdeen hooks while fishing for crappies. Land all of them and thinking back I have never had a hook break on me. Also VERY few times have I lost a fish to the line breaking. Proper drag settings and once the fish is near the boat I always take off the reals anti-reverse and back real if the fish is large. I also don't care if I lose a fish boat side, especially if I can see and identify the fish. It now becomes my "FISH STORY" and now it's as big as I tell the story. Somehow that fish always grows over time as the story is told. It's that why we fish

I run only 30# braid (PowerPro) as my terminal line to the dipsy and from there I run 20# fluorocarbon to a GOOD ball bearing Berkely Cross Lock swivel and then my worm harness with is a short wire home made harness. My rods are pretty stout 9 footers so my fluorocarbon leader averages about 7'. I wouldn't use mono as your terminal line because it heavier, thicker and stretches. The dipsy's do much better with a thin non-stretch line. A bead on the line helps defend off debris and can be a insulator against line wear in some circumstances. Good Luck and I'm sure you will do fine...........Keep it simple and keep it fun because that's the reason you are out there instead of working

Nice to hear that. And now you're a old pro and can help others to do the same. I thought you were going to tell us you forgot to put the plug wires back on. Did that once and laughed and laughed to myself why it didn't start. My BIL had a old 1974 7.5 Merc that I sold him and it ran REAL rough he told me until he pulled the cover to see neither plugs wire was connected but only laying against the plugs. Once you do it, it's like riding a bike, you will never forget and the best part is YOU know that it was all done and done right. Don't forget to lube the prop spline, use a NEW stainless steel cotter not aluminum or you might be buying a new prop next year. Also grease every zerk fitting you can find, especially the steering mechanism.

OR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC1XNDyxE4c

Did it for years when I owned a van......bedtime take everything out of the van for sleeping room and put in boat. Cover boat. Wake up 15 minutes earlier and uncover boat. Take everything out of boat and put back in van. Make coffee on Coleman stove. Go fishing. Repeat the next night and next morning.

Sinker, you are correct.......checking / changing the lower unit oil is a must for those who don't have a heated store area. I am lucky as I have one but sometimes I really don't know when the last time out for me is, so this procedure can be done every time you think it's your last time out. Proper fogging a engine is almost as important as attending to the lower unit. Skipping that procedure is stealing years away from the power head.

I have family there and knew about this for some time, however if you are born before 5/1/96 it is not required. Edited to add: NYS also requires most boaters (I believe it's any boat under 26') to wear a approved PFD while the boat is under power (and that could mean your trolling motor) from Nov 1st to May 1st.

I agree, however NOT with a I/O......they should be put away by November depending how far north you are. Just one more reason to never own a boat powered by a I/O. The easiest motor I have ever owned to winterize is my E-TEC......it self winterizes itself in about 4 minutes.

Rigging dipsy's can be done a few different ways but I have to ask, are you salmon/trout fishing or walleye fishing with them ? That really makes a difference in what I do with dipsy divers.

LOL...........some of these posts are amusing to me....."So the owner said he had this BRAND new hook from Raven specially designed to bend and then come out in such situations". This is nothing new as they have been producing many different brands of hooks that will bend when hooked in timber. Crappie fishermen have been using a Aberdeen Hook for many many years. "Nothing hurts more than flying or driving across the country only to lose a fish on something so preventable". Another quote that brought a good smile to me because then what do most Steelhead anglers do once they land that monster fish or really almost any steelhead. They release it.....LOL. Welcome to the long distance release program. And now that fish is as big as "the story" you tell because as always, the big one got away.

I agree, depending on the product you are interested in. When it comes to hooks, as a angler you should be able to examine and determine quite fast if the product is quality or just junk. Worth looking into if you are using / selling a lot of products with hooks. My question for the OP is why the secrecy here. Why not just post the website and let the reader decide if it's a deal for him or her ?

Once the birds have been shot at, they will be very cautious to deek, especially mallards. The bigger the flock the more eyes they have to spot you. I'll take 2 and 3 birds all day long over a flock. So a GOOD blind is just as important or more so then the way a few deeks are spread out. If you intend to hunt the morning, in the evening drive by some of the spots your interested in hunting, especially if your hunting fields and see if they hold birds. This has help us a LOT. As already mentioned, keep the wind at your back and have a landing area for the birds. Good Luck

Please do not glue them, you will only make a mess and it probably will not work. You need to re-wrap them. Either have someone do it or just YouTube it and you will see how easy it really is.