sherman51

check the water intake area real good. sometimes bees will get in there and build nests and stop up the water at the pick up. just a thought. i bought an old mercury 115 hp that was stopped up there. cleaned it out and got water going through the engine. but still wasnt getting anything out the hole. i took about an 18" piece of weedeater line and worked it is as far as it would go. then just started working it back and forth, then when i pulled it out i had some water coming out. so i repeated the process a couple more times. and this old greenish brown stuff started flowing real slow, then she opened up and started flowing good. havent had any more problems.

fyi you should change your impeller atleast every 3 yrs. if you run alot in muddy water or salt water every 2 yrs. i know they usely last alot longer than that, but it keeps you from ending up with alot of rubber going into your system, and stopping something up.

i had a mercruiser once we were working on. and forgot to turn the water back on and started it up. was revving the engine up and remembered the water. it smoked my pump. i put a new impeller in it, but it just kept over heating. i cleaned and replaced the lines from the pump to the engine. nothing i did helped. then i was talking to this guy i had chartered out on erie that also worked on boats. he asked if i changed the pump housing. i said no, i didnt think i had to change it. he said sometimes when the impeller comes apart it can warp the housing. so after working with this thing and putting 2 new impellers in it for about 6 weeks. i tore it back down and put a new housing and bottom wear plate and another impeller in it. took it out on the lake, and she was good to go. then i had already bought another boat, so i sold this one. good luck and keep us posted.

sherman

now thats putting your junk to good use. another mans junk is someone elces treasure. but this time your junk turned out to be your treasure. great job.

sherman

i am taking alot for granted, but by your name you sound like you might be a lady. if so dont get offended if your referred to as one of the guys. most of us just use that word loosely. but either way you are welcome here. and the fish bite just as good for ladies or gents,LOL.

this is a great place to share info. the guys on here are not as tight lipped as some forums im on. alot of them are afraid to tell where and how they caught there fish. there afraid we will run out of fish. now i can understand if they find a pocket of fish, not getting on the radio and telling everybody where they are, because they may get crowded out of there own spot. its not like that here on the forum. people post all the time where they got there fish and how they were fishing. and that can be a big help to someone just getting ready to go out. the best of luck to you, and dont be afraid to ask questions on here.

WELCOME ABOARD

sherman

yea, try to get alittle more info about the boat and condition of the motor and interrier and then some pictures. you might be surprized how quick it might sell on here. if its what you make it sound like im sure somebody would like to upgrade to a big water boat. its worth a try anyway.

sherman

A Daiwa 27 will hold a surprising amount of wire. I have one with 20 lb wire and it works great.

i have the sg17,s and the adp17lc,s and im sure you would want some type mono backing to make sure the wire didnt slip on the spool. i already had that problem with running braid. so how much wire do you think these little reels would hold??

sherman

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you didnd say where the grease was, so im just throwing this in as an after thought to what youve been told. but sometimes the little screws where you put the grease in and the one to check the fluid level will leak. make sure you have the little tefflon washers on them if the prop shaft seal isnt the problem.

sherman

+1 for the cheaper radio, but get a real good antenna. on the radios they pretty much work the same. the more money you spend the more bells and whistels you get. i do like one that has scan on it. but you can get a good radio for less than 150.00. then plan to spend anywhere upwards off 100.00 for a good antenna. the quality of your antenna is what picks up the signal.

here are a few good ones. just about any digital one should be good. one good one at a deacent price is the digital 329-vw. they have them on ebay for around 110.00. then a couple of others is the shakespeare 5225 xt. they usely sell for over 100.00 but they have them listed on ebay for 80.00 plus shipping. then the 5225 xp and another good one is the 5226 xt. they have it on ebay for about 130.00. then the one i have and love. the shakespeare 5399, its a 9'6" and they reccomend a mast mount but it will work just fine in a regular mount.

but its alittle more money, i paid 165.00 and free shipping for mine on ebay. but the cheapest they have them on ebay now is about 180.00. and the same antenna is listed from there all the way up to 300.00 plus and thats for the same antenna. and in my opinion its worth every cent of what i paid for mine.

i had always just used a cheap antenna, i just didnt see any reason to spend that much more money for the same size antennas. but after doing alot of research and asking questions, i decided to invest in a good antenna. and i sure am glad i did. i was always content but not really happy with the 39.99 antenna, but had never used anything elce. last year after putting my new one on, i was in a whole new world. i could talk with boats much farther away. and the reception was just so much better.

another thing i like about my 9'6" one is its a 2 piece antenna. we forgot to put it down last year and hit a bridge and busted the end on mine. so i got on line and found a new top part for like 18.00. but the good 8' antennas are a good investment. and maby wouldnt even have hit that bridge,LOL. and if you are limited on money those cheap antennas will work, and like i said i was content with mine untill i tried a good one. now i wouldnt put one on my boat if it was gave to me, if i could come up with the money to buy a good one.

i,ve just rambled on way to long. so i,ll get off here. and this is just my opinion, and thats what you wanted.

one more thing, you might get on line or get some reccomendations on where to get them even cheaper than on ebay. but that 5225 xt for 80.00 plus shipping is going to be hard to beat. but you may want something elce.

sherman

+2 you never want to run your divers the same on one side of the boat. run your longest rod on a 3 setting and your shortest inside rod on 1 or 1.5 and about 20 or 30 ft shorter than your front rod. this will keep them apart. same thing with the wire diver, make sure to use it on the inside and you should be ok, as the wire diver should go deeper than the braid. or thats my opinion anyway. i have run 4 divers on one side of my boat for walleye. i start with my front rod set on 6 and my 2nd rod set on 4.5 and 20 ft shorter than my front rod then my 3rd rod set on 3 and 20 ft shorter than my 2nd rod then my last rod i set on 1.5 and 20 ft shorter than my 3rd rod. but i do use the lite bite slide divers and the dials are just alittle different than on the dipsy divers. but you get the idea. and i wouldnt want to run 4 divers fishing for kings. you could get a hugh mess.

sherman

we have had great spring weather this year lots of nice size fish caught. last year was a bust cold and rough all spring dead walleye floating everywere. based on what i have seen and nothing else this should be a great spawning year were still getting them in the same spots we did before the storm have not seen one dead fish this year yet

i was in tenn and just seen on the weather where a big storm was supposed to have came through dumping snow farther to the east. and i was just concerned about if the storm hit the reef area of lake erie. and if it was bad enough to hurt this years spawn, as we have had such a great spring compaired to last year. but it doesnt seem to have been much of a storm, with only getting a few replys. im sure if it had been bad there would have been more people giving there opinions. thanks to the guys who have took the time to comment.

sherman

i know in indiana it is against the law to assist any person to catch a fish and driving the boat while trolling would be against the written law. now do they inforce the letter of the law, that i dont know. but it sounds like its ok there. but for no more than a license cost, why take the chance. and besides if he has his license he might just get caught up in the moment and reel one in and get hooked,LOL.

sherman

im alittle late getting my 2 cents in here. but if you already have roller rods then it would be a waste to not try it. i,ve never used wire i dont have big enough reels or roller rods. but i fished on a charter over on erie and wire was the only thing he used off his boards. they worked great.

like someone elce said, set the drag loose enough that the line creeps out a click every so often. because wire is like braid, it wont stretch, so you want the drag to give when a big fish hits.

i just dont use my boards often enough to invest in new rigs to run wire or i would be using it. i just run my lite bite slide divers and my riggers to get down to the walleyes.

sherman

hey everybody

just wanted to get some of your opinions. im in tenn right now and watched the weather up around erie. from what it looked like there was a pretty good storm came through. whats your opinion on what it did to the spawn on the reefs?? do you think the spawn is far enough along that it didnt hurt anything??

im 62 come may and not in good health. so i,ve been really hoping for another spawn like we had in 03 or maby even better. i think im not going to be fishing many more yrs. i would love to go out with another great spawn to fish the last few yrs i get to fish. so this is very important to me.

i know we wont know for sure untill they do there trawls later this year. so all i want is your opinions. alot of you have much more knowledge about how the weather effects the spawn.

sherman

I visited Northwoods Outlet in Pinconning last week and they had Bert's rod holders (satin and buff brite) for 54.99 and Cannon dual axis rod holders for $74.99. Best prices I've seen.

did you check out the cannon single axis?? i think they are a better holder due to the fact you turn the base to adjust them around. and can move then as little as you want to. the duel axis has a square base and has to adjust from one pin hole to the next pin hole. the single axis is my choice, you can put them down with one hand and just grab the rod and lift to raise them up. just loosen the 2 screws and you can twist then around either way or slide them left or right then just tighten them back down.

i used them for my divers last year and i wouldnt trade them for any other holder. then to take them off just remove the end cap loosen the thumb screws and slide them off the track. now i believe i might like berts tracks alittle better, because you can buy pads to go in the tracks when your holders are out, making them much better if you happen to step on the tracks. but i liked the cannon holders better so i went with them.

sherman

it seem we all just have your best interest in mind. everyone has semmed to give you dood solid advice. your boat will handle some big water if it has to. but if your not having fun then you shouldnt be out there anyway. back when we first started fishing the big water we used a 16 ft for along time. and i remember walking the beach a few times just because it was to bad to take that little 16 ft out there. we just enjoyed a day on the beach. but there was alot of other days we not only fished with that boat but caught alot of fish.

if you get caught in rough water it sounds like you have already learned alot. just dont panic and slow down. there are more good days than bad days. so just pick the right ones.

sherman

Good responses from all. I fish a 18' Lund fairly regularly out in the 200-275 range. 115 4 stroke, with bow and transom trolling motors. 3 batteries. I have had my main battery go down and had to pull trolling battery to get in. I also have 2 marine radio's, flares, flag and look at forecast a day out. I do not go out for evening trips/to dark unless I'm with another boat or see boats, especially in spring/ and fall when water temp's. are lower. Last summer I had a boat follow me out to 250' and have him get towed in when he ran out of oil. I carry 2 quarts extra always. Good luck, and safe boating.

we were going out on lake erie 2 yrs ago, and the oil line for my remote oil filter came loose on the bottom and lost our oil. its not always somebody just not checking things that causes them problems. but anyway we were out about 6 miles when the motor started to make noise. we stopped and found the problem. i hung the distress flag and set and watched as several boats just passed us by and didnt even stop to see what was wrong.

then i got my son on our cell phone back in the campground and he went to the marina and got oil, then went to the launch ramp, and started asking people to just drop the oil off. he said he asked about a dozen boats before he found one willing to bring us oil. he said some of them even mumbled things about people checking oil before going out on the lake. i had a brand new motor and checked the oil regularly. the line just vibrated loose. i tried my best to get the guy to take some pay for bringing the oil out. but he was a good guy and wouldnt take anything.

about 10 yrs ago we had a fan belt brake and had to be towed in. but thats another story in itself,LOL.

but now i carry a 5 qt jug of oil and a couple of extra belts. and last year i found out about boatus towing insuarence. so i get that now also. but for what it covers its great. they will bring you oil or gas and all you pay is for the oil or gas, or they will come out and give you a jump start, or if need be they will tow you in. i got this and i got the trailer assist and my membership dues was all less than 100.00 per year.

one year i even blew the o rings in my power trim pump. so i have an extra pump and a spare prop on my boat. i guess i need an alternator and a starter on board. but i only have so much room,LOL.

sherman

i have bought new and used from tony at lordoftheriggers.com and have never been dissapointed. and i havent been able to beat his prices anywhere. but i am taking alot for granted. thats just who i assumed you were talking about. da.

sherman

just make sure you have a good radio and monitor the weather chanel. and sometimes they get it wrong to. so trust your eyes. if its already rough or you see storms common sence will tell you not to go out. but if everything looks good and the weather chanle is giving good weather then its nothing to go out that far in an 18 ft boat.

i had an old 18 ft cherokee aluminum boat that i restored. i fished lake erie for years with that old boat. we were out over 10 miles most of the time we fished. and lake erie can get rough in a hurry. i never once was scared in that boat. but we went out with good weather. but now we did fish some 3 to 4 ft waves. that was called a good walleye chop,LOL. and have idled back in 5 to 6 ft waves. and i dont mean rollers, i mean waves.

just never try going to fast for the conditions. if it gets rough slow down, your boat will ride over some pretty big waves. and fishing that deep i would want about 300' of anchor rope. if you ever brake down you may need to anchor to keep from getting swept out farther. and always anchor off the bow. so the bow hits the waves. so good fishing. now go get some.

sherman

you just never know. they have got to be somewhere. i bet alot more guys find out next year,LOL.

sherman

the best release i have seen for flatlining and small fish is curtain hooks and the light fishing rubberbands. not the 16,s or 32,s that you get at wall mart but the red ones thats made for fishing. you can order them from fishusa.com but there is alot of bait shops that carry them. if you get a fish that dont brake the rubberband it will atleast stretch it out so you know something is on it. then when you brake the rubberband with the rod reel it up snug and jerk the rod towards the back of the boat. this will brake the band better than jerking it from the band. does this make sence??

another one i liked was home made, we got a bunch of alligator clips and paper clips and vacume hose from the auto parts store. clamp the back of the alligator clips down on the end of the paper clip that you straughten out. then just slide the hose over the teeth on the alligaror clip and cut it at the end of the clip. then you can just put either one of these on your board line. and as you use them they will just stack up at the board. hope one of these will work for you.

sherman

i usely just buy the cheapest water impeller that i can find as long as it has the metal sleeve and not plastic. i usely change them every 3 yrs and have never lost a waterpump unless it was my fault.

i had to put a solenoid on my old 115 hp inline 6 merc. as it was electrical i decided to go with name brand. i could have gotten a aftermarket for about 14.00 and free shipping. the name brand was alittle over 30.00 with shipping. when i got it installed, i just got to thinking, and went back out and checked it. and sure enough it was made in mexico.

so i would just like to get some of your opinions on using aftermarket.

sherman

you might want to compair prices on ebay. they have the satin finish 2 for 133.50 and free shipping or 1 for 66.99 and free shipping. i did check these out when i was buying but decided to go with the cannon ratcheting single axis. i bought them at amazon for i think 64.00 each. but i think they are around 69.00 now with free shipping. didnt know what the price is where your thinking about buying. but sometimes you can save a few bucks on ebay. and dont forget the free shipping.

sherman

i like red or black. i have 2 red ones and 2 black ones. it doesnt seem to bother the fish one way or the other. the 13 lb pancake weights at 50 to 65 ft whitch is where i do most of my fishing for eyes, i dont get hardley any blow back at all. i used the round finned 8 lb balls and the fished shaped ones for many years and just lived with the blow back. then when i got my first electric about 3 yrs ago i bought some 10 lb pancake weights. they did pretty good, so i decided to try the 13 lb weights. and they are even better. i would never go back to a lighter weight unless all my fishing was in the top 30 ft. and then it wouldnt be by choice. i love my heavy weights and i love my pancake weights.

if you make both you have the option to try them both. and find out for yourself which ones you like. just please let us know what happens. i have heard some guys really put the pancake weights down. but i,ve had nothing but good things to say about them.

sherman

got to say i like the pancake weights. i have used the finned round balls and the fish shaped ones, but i have 13 lb pancake weights now on all 4 riggers. and never had a problem.

sherman

i sometimes run as many as 4 rods on each side. but usely only run 3 rods. but we do get a tangle every once in a great while. but this is fishing walleye, and sometimes the fish will be out over another rod when we reel them in. this is not much of a problem with eyes, but i could see this being major with a big green king.

i use the light bite slide divers, so the dial is alittle different than with the dipsy or the walker. but its all about the same thing. i run my 1st or outside diver set on 6, then let it out to get the depth i want. say 230 ft gets me down approxamantly 55 ft. so on my 2nd diver i will set it on 4.5 and 210 ft out. then my 3rd diver i set at 3 and 190 ft back and my 4th and final diver i set on 1.5 at 170 ft back. sometimes i will put 30 ft between the divers. this runs all my divers about the same depth. if i adjust the depth i adjust the whole side. if i want to go alittle deeper i will start with the outside diver and let it out another 20 ft. then just work my way back in from the front. if i want to go alittle shallower i start with the back rod and bring it in 20 ft, then just work my way forward, moving all of them 20 ft.

im not saying this is the right way to do it, or the best way to do it. but its the way i do it.

i dont know just how close the depths and line really are that i listed. i would have to check my charts to be real close. the way i got my dive curves, i went out to 50 ft of water using 65 lb braid as my main line. then fishing for walleyes i run just under 2 mph. then i took my diver set on 1.5 and let out line untill i started bumping bottom. it took 125 ft out to bump bottom so i devided 50 ft by 12.5, that gave me my dive down for each 10 ft of line out. that was like 3.7 ft down for each 10 ft of line out. then i did it on the 3 setting then the 4.5 setting and then the 6 setting. and they all came out about 20 ft difference between each diver. so i just set my outside diver where i want to fish then just use 20 ft less line on each rod and lower setting. and thats the reason i sometimes use more line between my divers, so they all wont be so close to the same depth. i have even run them 40 ft between divers. then if im catching fish on a certain diver i will tighten them back up close to the one thats catching fish.

to do this its best to use the same type and size reel with the same amount of line spooled on them. because a half spooled reel wont count the same as a fully spooled reel. and some reels dont count the same. but if they count the same then you can get them real close to the sweet spot. it doesnt matter so much how much line you have out as it does to get back to the same spot. if your out 200 ft and your catching fish, then you want to get back to that 200 ft. if one reel is letting out 170 ft when the counter says 200, and another reel is letting out 210 ft when the counter says 200. you,ve just changed your depth by about 10 ft. and thats not what you want.

if you dont think im right just take 2 reels one full the other half full. then pull them both out about 100 ft on the counter then check where the end of your line is. thats why they need to be the same. the counters are just a guide so you can get back to the same spot that you caught fish. not how many feet you are actualy out. because the reels count different if they dont have the same amount of line on them. hope this all makes sence to you guys. the best of luck with all your fishing.

and i am sorry for such a long post. but if it helps just one person catch more fish then it was worth it.

sherman

one other thing i didnt mention. i use a 10' rod in front then a 9' rod then an 8' rod then a 7' rod. it just helps keep them apart.

Here's a quote from a USGS Survey:

"According to our bottom trawl survey, round goby

numeric density has shown an overall increasing

trend during 2003-2009, but with high inter-annual

variability (Figure 9b). Round goby numeric

density decreased from 158 fish per ha in 2008 to

25 fish per ha in 2009. Round gobies have now

been captured at all transects, at depths ranging 9

to 91 m, and will likely continue to contribute to

the diets of Lake Michigan piscivores into the

future. Given the importance of round gobies in

the diet of burbot, an offshore predator, and in the

diets of yellow perch and smallmouth bass

(Micropterus dolomieu), nearshore predators, we

may expect round goby abundance in Lake

Michigan to level off in the upcoming years as

predatory control begins to be exerted."

And its source:

http://www.glsc.usgs.gov/_files/reports/2009LakeMichiganPreyfish.pdf

Based on this they've got them in trawl nets as deep as 91 meters (roughly 180 feet).

dont really mean to correct your math but a meter is approxamantly 1.3 yrds. so 91 meters would be somewhere around 100 yrds. that means they have found them down to somewhere around 300 ft. im not real good when it comes to math, much less meters. so if i am wrong please feel free to correct me.

but my point is that they are just about everywhere. i know they dont seem to have hurt our fishery any. and it seems everything down there wants to eat them. from the lowly white perch in lake erie to the lake trout in lake michigan.

sherman