dave524

Smokercraft has got some heavy gauge welded boats much like the West Coast styles you mention. http://www.americananglerboats.com/boat-models.php?model=Phantom+162-182-202 http://www.americananglerboats.com/boat-models.php?model=Osprey+162-172 Even Lund has one that is a sweet little boat for great lakes troller, riveted I think but along the same style. http://www.lundboats.com/boats/2011-aluminum/1650-renegade-boat

I only fish with people who fish for chrome fishes, I will allow the occasional yellow fish on my boat , but never any of them green critters.

Looking at some of the Lake Erie forums I think they are all stacked up off Hastings Drive at Long Point.

Maybe not everyone's style but this place is good. http://www.centerpinangling.com/index.html

Maybe I'm all wet here but swap them, if you get down back but lose up , you know 1 is bad.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned but imperative to deep water perch fishing on Erie is a very effective anchoring system to keep the boat as still as possible. As a minimum I would recommend 150 feet of no stretch rope, six feet of chain and good anchor.

You should join "iboats" and do a bunch of reading, I'm thinking of making the move to a used Starcraft Islander and did a bunch of reading on the various pitfalls of used sterndrives, all my previous experience has been outboards. http://forums.iboats.com/forum.php

Unfortunately the hole left by an OMC stringer drive is quite a bit larger than a Mercuiser cutout, pretty much have to replace the plywood in the transom, bad enough job in an aluminum, even more work in a fibreglass. If you have the OMC cobra drive there is aftermarket adapters for Merc or Volvo lower ends.

You might be in luck, I understand there is a conversion for the later model OMC Cobra drives but if it is an older OMC stringer drive you are outta luck.

Due to kinks in the last 10 feet or so of a wire dipsey outfit, a few have taken to putting 12 or so feet of mono between the end of the wire and the dipsey. This way when it is reeled in all the wire is on the reel, safe and sound, you can even break the rod down for storage while still strung. I was thinking I would try it.

Not a turtle! I see individual punctures of teeth, any turtle I have seen don't have teeth but a sharp beak, they would grab and rip chunks but not leave individual teeth marks. Mink, otter fisher raccoon or possibly a fish but not a turtle.

Pass this man a ten plus colour leadcore rig next time out

Actually it is better on wire dipsey than mono, no stretch to the wire, get to feel every headshake.

what do you have for a reel , rod and what kind of wire for a start. Normally you put it all on and regular guides will be fine but use a twili top.

I'm thinking a land animal like a coon or mink by the look of the teeth marks.

I would think the colour of that oil is too dark for lower end, I would get that if I trolled a lot with my 80's vintage 2 stroke, unburned 2 stroke oil in the exhaust.

This should keep things quiet during rush hour " HONK IF YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN AN UZI FIRED FROM A CAR WINDOW "

Your wife says otherwise

We actually got real pickerel here too, as a kid we sometimes got what my dad called grass pike in the Welland river back in the 60's, looking now I'm pretty sure they were these guys, they were different from the normal pike we caught both in colour and shape. Anyone down Erie way seen any lately? http://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection/CW69-14-436-2005E.pdf

Ouch Every single spoon on my boat has a single stainless Siwash on it, less tangles in the box and net, most fish can be released boatside and a 66 % less chance of impaling oneself. Big thing I find less long distance releases midway through bringing it in. Only disadvantage is you sometimes brain or put an eye out on a shaker.

No, is it not the same unit except for the power?

I'd upgrade the Lowrance Mark 5 to the pro version for more power in your deep water application, would still be under 2 bills. http://www.basspro.com/Lowrance-Mark5x-Pro-Fishfinder/product/10215765/48135

Grass seems to be not affected but there is some herbicide properties to it , very little else like other species seedlings will sprout under a walnut tree cause of chemicals that wash off of them. edit: this explains it http://earthfriendlygardening.wordpress.com/2006/11/30/allelopathic-plants-natures-weedkillers/

Tighten or replace all leaking rivets and paint interior seams with Gluvit. http://www.marinetex.com/gluvit.html

Nothing like that in my experience, but I did fish it often in the 80's with a friend from CFB Trenton, until he got transferred It was a very hot lake back then, there was one year when I believe it was 7 of the top 15 in the old Molson's Big Fish Contest came out of there, all 40 plus. From what I hear it is still a big fish lake but not those numbers anymore. We never got a truly big one