Pikeslayer

Seems to me you might be going about this the hard way? If I was you and didn't have the time or care to bother with self exploring a new lake, or felt I was entitled to be given specific detailed direction to fishing spots, this is what I'd do:1. Launch your boat and seek out other fisherman on the water. Anchor right beside them and ask them; What are you catching? What baits are best? Don't have one? Ask them for their spare. Where are the best spots on this lake? Do you have GPS waypoints?What are the best times of day? When you're done with the first boat, mark the waypoint and move on to the next and repeat. 2. If there's only a few boats on the water, look for docks with really nice fishing boats tied up. Tie off at the dock and walk up to the cottage and knock on the door. Ask all the questions above. Also a good time to ask to use their bathroom. Will sure make life much more convenient for yourself? p.s. All the fishing spots in the map posted are clearly marked in blue. You just need to look a little harder.

Is your transducer in line with one of your hull strakes? Mine was & realigning it solved the issue.

07/21 With thx to Big Cliff for having his son come through with schematics, we managed to complete the R&R today We followed the exact process (with 2 exceptions)here @ and found the same root cause. Extreme carbon build up (25 yrs worth) on armature, brushes & springs. Two of four brush/spring assemblies were seized. Exceptions: 1. The entire tilt assembly was entirely recessed within both mounting brackets. We incorporated a hoist to support the Merc & removed the SB mounting bracket. Once done, the tilt motor was easily accessed & removed. 2. When mounting the TM back on to the hydraulic assembly, the only way to seat the unit flush was to remove the armature from the housing and then fit the housing over top. A bit of a challenge with recessing four brakes but we managed. Remounting the TM was the only hiccup & added about 30 minutes to a projected time line of 3-3.5 hrs. If we had to do it again, I'm confident we could manage the repair in substantially less than 3 hours. All in all, we (brother & SIL) were really excited with the results. WE HAVE LIFT OFF!!!

This is your solution: http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/the-boathouse/making-a-transducer-mounting-plate Spincast passed this off to me a while ago. Easy, cost efficient & no holes in your transom.

Thx guys, I appreciate the anecdotes. I won't need to lift/remove the Merc but I will be using a hoist to support the weight/position when we remove the SB bracket. The entire trim assembly will actually stay attached to the port side bracket & we'll be able to acces & remove the TM. As for potentially faulty solenoiids or trim switch, I was able to eliminate those by following the process in this video: https://youtu.be/woVT4czk6ao BTW, if you've never come across the Dangar YouTube channel, you may want to bookmark it. This guy has lots of informative & logical repair videos & a huge # of follows. The TM removal on the Johnson OB in this video was easily accessible but Merc design has the bracket castings actually 'wrapping' around the assembly. Thx again. I'll post an update when the job is complete.

Awesome!! Thank CJ for me please. No hurry here Cliff, we're not tackling this until next weekend. I'll ask M to call S & arrange a date.

THX Cliff The women should coordinate a visit soon Assuming I get this sorted out, a LO fish is in order as well.

Does anyone have a service manual for a '91 Mercury 115 2 stroke & able to scan to pdf the section relative to the trim unit?? The trim is compromised & after considerable research via iBoats & YouTube, I've isolated the root cause to the trim motor which controls the hydraulics. I need to remove the TM & check the armature & magnetic brakes for carbon build & clean accordingly. The TM & hydraulics unit are wedged between the motor mounting brackets & the SB bracket requires removal to access the motor. Mechanically, I can visualize how this process will work but would be more comfortable having schematics to confirm. Particularly with the disassembly of the TM unit. Any help would be greatly appreciated & I'd be happy to return favours in kind. Pls & Thx

Congrats Mike!!!

Say it ain't so Rick.

Thx for the info. Might give that lake a go sometime in the future.

'PEX' is very easy to work with as long long as you are working above the floor drain Dax. Google/YouTube PEX plumbing. Ezee peezie & reliable if you follow simple instructions.

I've been tempted to fish that lake over the years but can't to terms with using the perilous public launch off of Tallyhoe Swords Rd. It is the scariest launch I've ever seen !! Did you launch there or @ marina? Any idea what the marina charges for launch & parking?

Welcome back Mr. Big!!! A good honest report. Hopefully you have saved many here a major disappointment in the making. Time spent with our boys is priceless

Those are all fair sized bodies of water with many islands, numerous points of land, bays & inlets to target pike and most of all to lose orientation. Be sure you have a map/compass combo or reliable GPS. it's very easy to get lost on those bodies of water.

The whole concept of using jumper cables as a permanent solution is a little too redneck for me And I've been known to incorporate some redneck temporary fixes from time to time

Fish in the livewell.

Well done Rick !!! Seems the mossies did well too? Does "shack" accurately describe the accommodations?? The Mistress is coming home with me on Monday so a date on the big water appears to be in the very near future

Here's the details OI http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Brian-Urias&lc=3174&pid=185850794&mid=7452684 LSMB = Lake Simcoe Message Board

I read the sad news that Brian has passed on LSMB and thought it appropriate to share with our fishing brotherhood. I pray that I may live to fish Until my dying day. And when it comes to my last cast, I then most humbly pray: When in the Lord's great landing net And peacefully asleep That in His mercy I be judged Big enough to keep. Without knowing Brian other than his contributions here, they were reflective of a great soul. RIP Wormdunker.

Google "Willis knot". It is the go to for Great Lakes fisherman.

For pike/walleye, my preference is 20# braid with 12# floro for better stealth. Double uni every time with minimum 30" leader & palomar to lure/swim bait. Every strike, snag or fish landed, I check for Knicks/cuts on the floro & trim back accordingly. Hence the 30" lead. Used to use 20# floro side by side with SIL running 12# & he out fished me 2 or 3 to 1. Never lost a fish/lure on 12# with a clean non compromised floro leader.

Happy to hear the weather & fish cooperated Andrew

$124 with free shipping on Amazon.ca.https://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=MVH+291BT+1D+Car+Stereo