J J Mac

I use Cummins nets with the extendable, hexagonal handle and put Frable waxed nets on them. I have used Beckman and they are excellent quality but I don't like the round handle - makes it more difficult to latch the handle in place when you move it in or out.

A simple arbor knot (without the stopper knot in the tag end) works well to tie stainless 7-strand wire to a swivel.

I would like to have it on when the ball is going down or coming up and also have a momentary switch when the ball is not moving up or down so the position can be checked w/o moving the ball.

You can see the proposed fees for all hunting/fishing licenses here http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/final_report_177934_7.pdf

Spoonfed -I think Raymarine has discontinued this model. You can still get technical help by calling 1-800-539-5539.

I have the Raymarine ST6001 S1G Hydraulic Inboard Pack on my Tiara 2700 (twin inboards, hydraulic steering) and have been real happy with it. I have run it for two years with absolutely no problem. I have had two other autopilots before and this is by far the best. I also have the same unit only for outboards on a Pursuit 2670 with twin F200 Yamaha outboards (hydraulic steering) and it has been OK too. This was the first year for this auto pilot. We did have a problem with the Gyro Compass on the Pursuit this fall but it is being sent in to Raymarine and I'm sure they will replace it. I would go with Raymarine again. I put the auto pilot on the Tiara and my son put it on the Pursuit. Takes some time!

I still have the mast. It is in great shape. Only used a few times.

I had this happen once on a boat. It was the coupler (female spline) on the flywheel that was bad and the engine had to be pulled to replace it. I think it cost over $1000 about 6 years ago - mostly labor. You will need to make sure the outdrive is lined up properly on the coupler or it could happen again. This alignment should be checked when the outdrive is put back on after yearly (yes it should be done each year!) maintenance. There is an alignment tool that the maintenance shops have or you might be able to purchase one if you service the outdrives yourself. If the male spline coupler at the end of drive shaft is hard to remove from the coupler on the flywheel, it may not be aligned properly. Personally, on a twin engine boat, after having inboards engines I would never have outdrives again.

If you changed the prop you know if it has outdrives or is an inboard. If it is an inboard, it has transmissions and I would have those looked at for sure. If it is a transmission it may be expensive to fix. It might be worth it to have a boat survey done.

As mentioned above, you can use various companies that get the permits for you or you can deal directly with the state agencies which is what I have done. In Michigan, you go thru MDOT. On the following federal web site is a list of phone numbers/web sites for all the states. I found another reference to a Michigan phone number to call that differs from the one listed and may be current. It is Joe Goke, 517-373-2121. http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/sw/permit_report.htm

I'm from Michigan and bought a boat in Ohio in 2002. I had to get a wide load permit for both states.

This year the tournament featured 75 Pro division boats and 172 Amateur boats for a grand total of 247 boats. We (JJ MAC) finished a respectable 25th in the Pro category. My two sons (John who fishes out of Charlevoix & Captain Jim - aka fin-addict who fishes Green Bay out of Cedar River, Mi) fished with me. This is the 5th year we have fished the Ludington tournament but always before we fished the amateur division. In the pro divsion you can weigh-in 12 fish per day but no more than 9 salmon. It is strictly "no cull" which means once a fish is boated it goes in the cooler and there is an observer on every boat. The only fish released are undersized or if you are over the limit on that particular species. Scoring is 10 pts per fish and 1 pt per pound. Day one we boated 8 kings and one laker in the first 1.5 hours. The only problem was our kings were running an average of about 7-8 pounds (good for eating but not a tourny). We would up with 9 kings, 2 steelies, and one laker. The moonshine lures were really hot in the following colors: Happy Meal, Cyclonite, Blue Jackel, and Mongolian Beef. We could barely keep them in the water. After day one we were in 29th place. Day two we decided to go for broke and run to a new place we didn't even prefish. Started out decent by catching some kings and a couple steelies right away. Our fish were running bigger on day two and things were looking pretty good for us. Then we lost about 6 or 7 fish in a row - lost 9 total. It was frustrating. We got on some more fish between 8:30 and 11 and they were running bigger. Unfortunately the bite died and we never got our last fish....which kills you when they are worth 10 pts plus the weight. We weighed in 8 kings and 3 steelies to wind up in 25th place for the two day event. On day two, the best lures were fish catcher/fly and spin doctor/fly combos. We are looking forward to next year. It is a blast! You can see the final results at http://www.ludingtontournament.com/.

Spin Doctor/fly or fish catcher/fly combos fished off lead core or copper work well when the fish are at the level the baits are presented at. They can be pulled with in-line planer boards too.

I pheasant hunt in SD opening week for 4 days with one group, then hunt in ND for waterfowl for three days with another group, then back to SD for 5 more days of pheasant hunting with another group. Have pheasant hunted in SD/Iowa (now only SD) for the last 16 years and waterfowl hunted in ND for the last 5 years. I used to deer hunt but quit doing that.

I have been told by a good marine repair shop that you can typically get 3000-4000 hours on a motor in an I/O or Inboard boat. I didn't ask about outboards. Of course, it depends a lot on the preventative maintenance measures taken, RPMs the boat is run at; e.g., trolling vs running. etc. If you consider a car or truck averaging say 50 mi/hr, 3000-4000 hrs is equivalent to 150,000 - 200,000 miles - sounds about right.

This is a problem for other reels too. This allows you to use a lighter drag so that fish can pull line when they hit the wire (or braid) dipsey lines and still not get line creep. After you have set the dipsey, wrap two #19 rubber bands around the wire three times and then put both ends of each rubber band around the line counter. When the fish hits, the wire either cuts the rubber bands or you can realease them. I suppose you could use a single rubber band 1/8" wide instead of two 1/16" wide ones. The dubro EZ Adjust release fastened on the rod just in front of the reel works for wire (haven't trried it on braid) too.

I just got two Okuma Convector 45D reels spooled up with 150 ft of 45 lb copper and backing (25 lb mono) on each reel. These reels have worked well for me for a full core and should be OK with copper I think. This amount of copper is supposed to go down about the same as 100 yards of leadcore but will be just 1/2 the distance back so it will be less likely to get cut off when there are a lot of other boats around.

2 Big Jon Electric downriggers. These are the Big Jon Seniors with a powerful moter and a high speed gearbox and are the fastest Big Jon riggers available operating (at least when new) at ~300 ft per min. They are the precursors to the Big Jon Speed riggers that list for $760 each. Each comes with three rod holders, a 4-ft boom, and a ball caddy base. These were discontinued as they became too expensive to produce. Parts still available. Guaranteed working and in good condition - new pulleys. Checked over by Big Jon and reconditioned 2 years ago. $600 + shipping for the pair

I have insurance thru The Insurance Shop in East Jordan. They got me more coverage and at a cheaper cost than less coverage at another carrier I had. With the litigious nature of people these days I would get all the coverage you can. I think the max is $1 million. Forming a Limited Liability Company (LLC) to minimize your personal liability seems like a good idea to me - costs about $350-$400 to set up.

A 30 ft slip at the Ludington Municipal Marina is $1941. A slip at the Cedar River State Harbor (I think 30 ft) is $1205. Charter boats pay double these prices in both.

Call the Cadillac Regional Office (DNR). They can answer your questions.

Biggest fish was a 34 lb king caught off Ludginton - 9 years ago.

Following are some additional hoops you have to jump thru: - Pass four CG written tests. The easiest way to do this is to take a class by a CG approved instructor (6 days I think) and he can give the tests - You must physically go to a CG Regional Exam Center (e.g., toledo or St. Louis) to show IDs, get fingerprinted, and give an oath. For Michigan charter boat captains you - Must be a member of a random drug test group (I think this is Michigan requirement not federal). The easiest way to do this for most people is to join the Michigan Charter Boat Association. - Have your boat pass inspections by the Michigan DNR (both drydock and dockside). The boat must be reinspected every two years. You can get a packet that explains the Federal requirements and gives you the proper forms by calling a CG Regional Exam Center. A packet of materials can be obtained from the Cadillac DNR office that gives the Michigan requirements. A discussion I had with Wisconsin licensing officials makes me believe that the requirements there are different than in Michigan.

i have tried most of what is available. I like #19 rubber bands with Big Jon Band Busters best.

This planer board mast is taller than the ones made now and helps keep the line out of the water if you want to run boards a long way out. I meant to put the price at $175 + shipping or best offer