Attabuoy

Great job Russell! We were just south of you, starting at the Pidgeon and stopping at the golf course - only 1 brown for us, about 5lbs.

Hi Tom, I'm interested in the Tite-loks. PM or respond however...

Looking forward to it, Russell, see you Saturday.

Thanks Russ, this is really helpful!

I run two manual Big Jon downriggers on gimbal mounts, and have two triple rod holders on another gimbal. With 12# balls there is some flex in the downrigger gimbal. They are not in heavy-duty holders though, so I would recommend using heavy-duty holders. I really like the ability to pull them and store everything inside. As someone said, if my boat was strictly fishing I don't think I would work it that way.

Great pictures Jim.

Congrats on the 5th, Kyle. Nice work, great pictures too!

Nice job Kyle, I bet it felt good to be back on the water!

Those are some beautiful fish, Jonas. Nicely done, thanks for posting the pictures.

Hey Tom, I just saw this and am interested also. I sent an email to Mike Damm to see if they are in need of any more boats. Hopefully they are and we can get a chance to make each other's acquaintance in August. Although I gotta admit, the poor folks that get paired with me are probably in for a slow day on the water! Thanks for the heads up!

Well done Jim - thanks for the report!

Hi Tom, I agree with all the other comments but wanted to add one thing: make sure the radio you buy is DSC capable. Actually, I'm not sure you can buy a non-DSC radio any more but you should be aware. With this type of radio, you connect it to an output from your GPS and the radio has a big red DISTRESS button you hold down in an emergency. When that button is pushed the radio automatically sends out a message to all other DSC capable radios (and the Sheboygan CG) of your distress call with your GPS coordinates included. You can also use this feature to call other DSC radios in non-emergency situations without tying up the airwaves. Its a must-have in my book. Last season I bought a Raymarine Ray55 for about $250 and a Digital brand 8' antenna. I've been happy with the performance but like others have said, I think its more the antenna than the radio. I've heard good things about Icom and Standard Horizon, so I don't think you would go wrong with either of those units either. Good luck with your decision.

Thomas, not sure if you're still looking or not but I bought the one from Char-Griller they sell at Fleet Farm and Menards. I only use it as a grill, but you can buy a side-attached firebox for smoking. I don't know the first thing about smoking, but when I did my research a lot of people had good things to say about the unit. Best of all, its pretty inexpensive. I think I paid about $100 for the main unit, and the side firebox sells for about $70. I can tell you that as a grill it works well, and everyone seems to like the way the food turns out. The only downside is that it eats alot of charcoal, probably because its not sealed up real tight and is somewhat on the bigger side. Hope that helps!

Welcome to GLF Duke!

Just to 2nd Ed's opinion, I would only consider a handheld for a backup unit. If you're boating much at all on Lake Michigan, you want a fixed-mount vhf on your boat. The power output and corresponding transmission range is way better. If you are looking at a backup system, I think there are alot of units out there priced under $150, some having DSC capability which is what I would want. That feature incorporates a gps to give you the ability to send out a distress call with gps coordinates of your location by holding one key down. That is a feature I would not be without.