Zib

10 to 17 LB test mono is fine as long as the line has good abrasion resistance, high knot strength, & low strech. Berkley XT or Sensation are good lines. Berkley Sensation is a little better because it has a thinner diameter so you can go with a higher LB test.

Bob, Not sure who you heard your report of the Michigan side giving up only the small ones but they are wrong. Plenty of big ones being caught in the Trenton Channel last weekend when I was out there. Biggest one caught was in an FLW tourney at over 12 LB female. I seen a few boats pulling in 7 & 8 pounders. Even had one guy pull in a 6 Lb male. My biggest was only 19.5 inches but I did catch a Master Angler White Sucker. For those thinking of fishing the Detroit River next weekend, keep this in mind. There will be 2 tournaments going on & the week after that there will be a Cabela's tourney going on as well. For those fishing the Ontario side you won't have to worry about the tourney guys because they are limited to only Michigan waters due to the VHS disease. Here's a pic of last weeks tourney caught on the Michigan side of the river:

LET's GO RED WINGS!!!

Looks like you did a really nice job modifying your boat Keram. How has the extra weight effected how it rides in the water?

My in-laws have an '81 50 HP Evinrude on their pontoon boat & the exhaust is NOT through the prop.

Let me guess. Those were made in China, right?

I've never used those lures let alone seen them. I make it a rule of mine to never buy any fishing gear that has the words "As Seen On TV" printed on the package.

Bob got me to buy some of the YUM Samuri Shads that he used for walleye on the Detroit River. I used them for the first time this pass weekend & caught a 21 inch sucker on it but no walleye. I caught my walleyes on a jig & minnow.

What was the name of the Lucky Craft knock offs? Where can you buy them? Any links to by them online? Thanks

I went to one of KVD's seminars at a fishing show this past January & he was mentioning the new Strike King "King Shad" ($20 lure) but he also mentioned the Swithwick baits several times & also said he doesn't stick with the same brand because even though they might look the same they all have a little different action.

Interesting article Roy. I don't know were they got their numbers regarding the fuel mileage but I don't agree with the 20% less than gas statement. My '04 Ranger is a flexfuel vehicle & I only got 15-20 miles less on a full tank th with E85 than I did with gas with city driving. Plus the performance was much better with the E85 & I saved $.15/gal.

For summer time trolling try a Pa's lure. It's like an Erie Derie but has a diving lip on it. Modify it by taking off the wire arm on the front & take off the hook. Put a snap swivel on the back & attach a 1 foot long crawler harness on it. It's a killer on open water walleye. http://www.walleyecentral.com/paslures.shtml For weed walleyes try the Rapala Minnow Rap.

As far as any US ratings go. The max ratings that are displayed are usually about 80% of what that particular boat test for at it's max before it failed. They do this to give a little cushion for those Tim Taylor's out there that want more power.

Hopefully Berkley improved it but after I bought it when it 1st came out I swore I'd never buy it again. Cheap line at K-Mart was better than that stuff.

Wow! This is some perch. http://www.anglerstimes.co.uk/perch.htm

Fav Senko is watermelon. Fav slugo/fluke is pink/bubble gum.

Lake St. Clair or Georgian Bay.

The spread of VHS is inevitable in all our lakes due to ignorant anglers that could care less as long as they save money or are just plain lazy to clean their boat/trailer & gear when they leave an infected lake. A walleye lake of mine in Michigan has gotten so bad with zebra mussels I haven’t caught a walleye during the day since July 2003. The bass fishing has exploded & so have the weeds with the clearer water. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article.../703220395/1058

Use some Offshore snap weights or lead core line. You can also try the mini dipsey divers.

I have a tiller & for the small lakes it's great. More room to play the bigger fish. Great for back trolling for walleye. However, making those long runs is torture on St. CLair. I'd like to upgrade to a side console as soon as I can get the wife back to work.

As long as the boat is made in North America I don't care who makes it. I checked out the Crestliner boats recently at a fishing show & I liked what I seen. Very nice boats & good layout. A good buy for the price. I looked at Legend boats at the similar price as the Crestliners & Lowe boats & the Legend packages were under powered on the horse power compared to what the other boats offered in the packages for the similar price.

I don't know about pike & perch but according to carp anglers in Europe, carp are bigger in North America than in Europe. A lake here in Michigan, Kent Lake (about 45 min drive NW of Detroit) has some huge carp in it. A few years ago there was an article in the paper about this group of European carp anglers that fished Kent Lake & they were amazed at the size & numbers of carp. They had stated that the average size in Europe was smaller than in North America. A Michigan fishing show also featured a group of European carp anglers & they stated the same thing.

FYI, Brunswick Corp is the company that makes Lund Boats, not Genmar. Genmar makes Champion & Ranger boats.

I like my Quantum Energy 20 a lot better than my Shimano Stradic. The drag is so much better on the Quantum plus it's smoother. I was always a Shimano fan until I bought that Quantum.

They have the same prices on the Lowrance & Rapala's as does BPS & GM. Cabelas is expensive period. I like going to the store but usually walk out with nothing (Usually there 5 or 6 times a year). My brother-in-law lives 10 minutes from Cabelas & does his cloths shopping there. Tacklewarehouse.com has some good deals every so often & their fishing line prices are cheaper than BPS & Cabelas at the regular price.