Hotdog71

Nice job and thanks for the report. I still have a couple of weeks before I can get the boat out. It sounds like it's going to be an interesting year.

Yeah..... I'll get back to you on that one ;-)

Maybe I'll ask my sister to check it out.

Thanks for the suggestion, you wouldn't know a nail polish that would match a Tekota? It's chipped out along the top were someone hooked the lures.

Thanks for taking this on Don, you're gonna do just fine.

Matt you can do both. As Supertramp said, school in the winter and fish the summer. Depending on the money you can make as a firstmate or part time captain you can pay for the school too. You'll have a little overlap but good planning can get you through it just fine.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

send me a pm with your email and I'll send you the pdf file

How about repairing chips out of the paint?

I think that the fish will be bigger this year. If salmon like the colder water in the summer, and the winter hasn't frozen the lake, then they should be active and feeding. I don't think they hibernate at all, so eating more means gaining more.

I don't know..... it sounded good.

Heck of deal!

I'm upgrading this year. Found a unit at a great price. I think if your have the opportumity to upgrade it's not a bad thing. Sooner or later your equipment gets outdated and a change is needed. As far as brands go, I think it a personal choice. I know lots of guys have had issue with lowerance, but my Dad has been using one for about 7 years still working great with no issues.

I've heard nothing but good things about them. A friend of mine said they were comparable to the Shimanos. The aftco rollers are really good, I think the shimano rods have the same kind.

Welcome Chris!

I think I run mine about 50/50. Some of the BW flies are ment to run toward the flasher where others, like the ones I tie, run the other way. I think whatever catches fish is a good to run them

I use these snell holders from Cabelas. I think you can buy them buy 2's or as this combo. If the flies are unrigged then I just store them in a heavy duty ziplock bag that came with my tackle box. I also use the snells to hold extra leaders that I pre-tied. Those come in handy from time to time.

The noodle is a great and cheap idea that works great too.

90' for me, also the other side of the lake.

Welcome Rick! This a great place to learn and share information. I think you're going to like this group of people.

Sub troll here. Happy with it as far as production for the boat, think some things could be better. No experience with FishHawk.

I run a #12 rig almost all the time. You have to make sure your reel has a smooth drag. Any hick-up and your losing something. Our big fish this last year was a #16 king. Lots of fun bringing that one in. It has worked well for us. Make sure your swivel is on the small size too.

I agree with Dan. I ran 4 riggers off my boat for 2 years, and caught fish. I dropped 2 of them and started running 2 wire dipsies and and 2 coppers/leadcores and production increased tremendously.

But back to your question, generally the inside riggers are the deeper ones. That's how I ran mine.

Has anyone ever touched up the coating on a shimano reel before? Is it even possible? What products are out there that could be a possiblity?

How about getting an Okuma it's color back?

Any thoughts? I know it's all cosmetic, but just curious.

One other thing, the clicker button on the tekoka is really recessed into the reel and can be a pain in the butt to release.

I have several convectors and one tekota. Mine are all used for my leads and coppers. I think both are very good reels. But when it comes to price, I can't say the tekotas are worth it. Let me explain. I have purchased all but one of my reels used. I have rebuilt those reels, with the help from Pauly at Tuna Toms. Now I'm running a cv55 and an 800 for my coppers, they are so close in performance, I cant see spending an extra 50-100 bucks for the tekota. Yes those rebulds cost a little but I changed the same things in both reels. And the cost of the tekota parts are generally more expensive than the convectors. I have used the reels for several seasons without issues on either one. So I guess what I'm saying is if you have the money go ahead a get a tekota, but if you don't, or just want to save a little money, the convector is a great alternative that performs very close to it.

Just my 2 cents.

Dad and I went to pick up an order at Cabelas-Hoffman Estates, and decided to check out the locators and the bargin cave. Checking out the locators, we talked with a couple of salesman about a couple of units. We got looking at the 788ciHD. After drooling over it for a few minutes, we found out that the unit was on sale for $479.00, reg $649.00. The tag was on a different model. Decided to think about it for a while and wandered into the bargin cave and found a Lakemaster chip V1, $63, reg $120. I went back and talked with the sales guys again and asked them what they thought about the chip and was it worth geting the newer version or not. I found out that it the updated versions usually don't have updated information unless it is an added lake. After gift cards and redeeming my Cabelas points - we got us a new toy! WOO HOOO!!!

If anyone is wondering, there was 4 left as of 11 this morning.

Is it spring yet?? I want to go fishin'

I've run them both ways. They just catch fish. Jimmy makes a great product!

When I fish for walleye, it's done in the BWCA in MN in the late spring and summer. We normally fish a Little Joe with a minnow or leech. I started making my own with slight modifications. I was wondering if anyone uses the small spin n glows instead of a spinner? Is this a new/old idea? Is it successful/marginal? What do you guys use in MI?

Trying to keep myself out of trouble by making new setups to runn this spring and summer.

Thoughts?