sherman51

it costs me a small fortune to just fish the big water, as i live a couple hundred miles from anywhere. so i figure if a few more $$$ can just help catch one more fish then its worth it to me. the price of everything from my boat and upkeep, to gas to get there, gas for my boat, rods and reels, spoons, worm harnesses, gps/depthfinder, and the list goes on. so if the few $$ i spend on a few feet of floro gives me piece of mind and nothing elce, its money well spent. i have lures that may never touch the water but my floro is there every time i fish. its not just line thats made to catch fisherman, its everything you buy for fishing. if you use something you believe in and use it, it will catch fish. 9 times out of 10 i,ll have my favorite lures out, and maby a couple of untried new ones. just my opinion. now go catch some fish.

sherman

i,ve got to say floro. i use it all the time for walleye. and it does cost alittle more but i use the leader floro and not just floro fishing line. maby its just a fluke but i do catch more fish on floro leader.

sherman

like someone elce said theres alot of good riggers out there these days. if your looking to save some money i would check out those used walkers for sale. walker makes a top rigger as long as there not just old junk.

early every year theres a couple of sellers on ebay sells the big jon,s real cheap. i already had rod holders and 1 set of swivel bases so i was set. i got a set of striped down pro tournaments with auto stop for 525.00 and another set with swivel bases for 659.00. another way to get good prices is to email [email protected] that way you can get his best prices on what you want. and the capt pack would make a great set. but i wanted the auto stop on mine so i got the pro tournaments. good luck and good fishing.

sherman

i just use braid, and i use the lite bite slide diver, and i dont even use it as a slide diver most of the time. i fish for walleye on erie and i just use it like a regular diver. i just like the lite bite feature. i was having to much trouble with the small fish not tripping the other divers. so i switched to the lite bites and tie to the diver and use about an 8 ft leader. and with the lite bite set on the lightest setting and the main arm setting set to not give me a bunch of false releases. even the white perch and white bass and yellow perch will trip the diver just about every time. and i still catch fish. and dont spend most of the day draging little fish around. so unless they are just being very picky i dont need a longer leader.

you are the first person i,ve heard about having a problem with them. i would just guess you need a heavier line or switch to braid. if you switch to braid i would reccomend 50 lb test, then tie on a good floro leader, like seaguar.

they sometimes have some nice homemade boards on ebay. might be worth checking out. i bought mine at the karren shop in geneva ohio. and i couldnt put all the good things about them in here. i,ve used them running as slow as 1.5 mph for walleye and they still work great. i,ve used them in 3 to 4 fters and they worked awesome. just cant say enough good things about them.

sherman

if anybody is looking for some big jon riggers. now is the time to buy. 350.00 each is just alittle over half price for some thats same as new. i cant believe somebody hasnt already jumped on these. i paid 650.00 for a pair of pro tournaments, and there not near the riggers these are.

i dont even know mike personaly. i just know a good buy when i see it. i watched ebay for a few months before i bought my PT RIGGERS, and the best price i seen on the brutes was over 1100.00 for a pair. good luck mike.

sherman

hey guys

i have alittle issue im alittle worried about. i put cannon weight retrievers on my big jon riggers with auto stop. they did seem to work ok. but they knocked the bead off the little crimped sleeve. do any of you know if this is ok?? or am i just looking for trouble somewhere down the road??

someone told me to switch to the scotty retrievers. but i have 4 riggers, and would have to buy 4 retrievers and terminator kits. and i like the cannon just fine and i already have the bases mounted to my riggers. so i really need your input on this one. if i can use the cannon without any problems, then i,ll stay with them. but if you guys are having problems with them and have switched to the scotty,s and they are working for you then i will switch them out before next year.

or if some of you are just using the scotty with big jon auto stops, please let me know haw they are working. thanks everybody, and good fishing.

sherman

i guess im with the believers. i use the lite bite slide divers. i started with the black ones, and they did work good. but when i found them in metallic colors i bought new ones. i like to use the same color as the worm harness or spoon im using when i can. i still like black tho. i use the black on most colors that i cant match to my divers. i have the metallics in blue, purple, and green, and it may just be these color lures work better, but my catch rate does seem to be alittle better since i started using the metallic divers.

i dont use the slide divers with long leads as i believe they do work as attractors. good luck to you all.

sherman

Holy cow Sherman ! ! !

I feel really lucky, after ready about your trip and troubles.

About all I can say is "it will get better"

Next season, when you get to Geneva, give me a call, I'm only 2.5 hours from there.

You and the family can come up to NY and catch some salmon if you would like to, or fish walleye with me on my boat.

Bill

hey bill

thank you for your offer. and if next year isnt better than this one i may just take you up on that walleye offer,LOL.

but im sure things could have been worse. and im almost positive things can and will be better next year. i,ve had alot of good years. i just had alot of bad ones rolled up into this one. i still have a positive outlook for next year.

in II deep had a bad start this year and his luck turned around. mine just never got on the right track. i,ll have alittle more time to get things right next year. the marina kept my boat untill the end of june this year. thats not going to happen next year. and i already got all the rigging done on it now. so all i,ve got to do is get the one engine running. and im pretty sure its just something like a bad coil or the electronic ignition. i can track that down myself. i,ll be back with bells on next year,LOL.

sherman

i,ve found this to be a great site with quality members, thats why i,m still here. most of you guys are salmon fisherman. i purty much just fish erie. but i like this forum.

sherman

hey everybody this is pretty long, so if you dont want to read it, its all ok.

just got back from my trip to erie this year. some of you already know this year hasnt been real good to me. i didnt get my boat out of the shop until late june. and had to do all the rigging before our trip the first of aug. so i really didnt have time to water test her. and besides i had just paid the crooks at the marina 2900.00 to make sure she was ready to go.

i hadnt registered the boat because i put her in the shop as soon as i got her home last oct. so when i went i was told i had to have a re-assignment of title. i couldnt get in touch with the lady i bought the boat from. so they told me i had to get a court order for a title. it costed 150.00 to file the case. then the seller emailed me. and she told me her state was a non title state and she couldnt give me a re-assignment of title. that i shouldnt need one from a non title state. so i went back to the license branch and told them what she had said. so after about 2 hours and having to remind them about 50 times i bought the boat in a non title state, they issued me what i needed. the 150.00 was just wasted. if they had just looked in there book they would have seen i didnt need the re-assignment. the bill of sale i had was all i needed.

so now my son changes the oil in my car. and i let a friend use it to go get a water line for my bathroom. he calls a few minuets later and says the car had just died on him. my son hadnt put the oil back in the car and the motor is locked up tight.

so its time to head up to erie for 2 weeks. i use 12 volt coolers for my nightcrawlers. so i buy 500 of them, then just for fun i buy 10 dozen of the green crawlers. i put them in seperate coolers. then i hook the truck up to the boat. and before we get started i notice this big wet spot under the truck. and remember my son saying the brakes felt funny when he was backing it up. the main brake line to the back had busted. this was on sunday. i know a guy that has a auto shop so first thing mon morning i ask him for a favor. to get me in quick so we can get on the road.

i had bought 2 batteries from a guy on the forum. im sopposed to meet him in columbus and pick them up. so we get there and stop at the flying j truck stop. i get out and start checking things out. i have a flat tire on the back of my truck. so we just buy a plugging kit and plug it ourselves. now this is a 10 ply truck tire. and i cant get enough pressure to push the reamer in the nail hole, so i lay down scoot under the truck and start pushing as hard as i can. about that time i felt something hot on my leg. i hardley ever wear shorts. but my wife talks me into it. but anyway i had put my leg to the exhaust pipe and burned this big spot on my leg. but got it done.

got to the campground about 10:30 mon night. had alittle trouble finding our reserved spot. then figured it out, some jerk was trying to get a free nights camping. he had our spot. i had to wake him up and ask him to move. he started getting alittle snotty and said we wasnt sopposed to get there until the 20th. and i told him that was when we were leaving. that we had that spot rented the day before but was running late. and told him its getting late now and he needs to just leave. my son told him there was another empty spot across the road. he started getting smart and said he was just going to wall marts parking lot. and he left.

now the worms, the 500 i bought was just loose in dirt, the 10 dz was in styrofoam boxes. the cooler the boxes was in stopped working. so i just took the boxes out and set then in on top of the cooler the other worms were in. well we were greeted with thunderstorms and very high winds. so it was a few days before we could get out. we started to get some worms to take out fishing. well i had screwed up big time. where i had put the boxes on top of the other worms it had inselated them from the cooler in the lid. so my 500 worms were dead. the green ones in the boxes were in great shape. so i learned not to put styrofoam on top or your worms. the bad thing is i had brought 3 extra coolers just in case, and for taking smaller amounts out in the boat.

well everybody we talked to had said to go to conny to fish. that it was much better than geneva. so thats what we did. its about a 50 mile drive from geneva state park campgrounds where were staying. but we get ready to take off, and the left engine had to be put in reverse to go forward. i knew right away what i had done. this is my first twin engine boat. and the props were getting pretty rough. i had a high 5 five blade prop on my old boat and another high 5 for a spare. so i just put them on my new boat. well that didnt work as planned, the port side takes a counter rotating prop. and the ones i put on are both right hand props.

then we get on the water and its still alittle rough but fishable. and everybody is saying the fish are scattered from the storms. we catch 1 then nothing for awhile then another one. its real slow. i got a migrain headache. when i get these i cant see very good. about this time we get turned side ways. and notice some of our dipsy rods are tripped and tangled. we reel that side in and start cutting and retieing. i cant see the line to tie things back on. so i just go down in the cabin out of the way. one of the lines that got cut still had the diver out. so my daughter-n-law started wrapping the line around a cresant wrench until she gets it in. and she goes off, there is a nice 7 or 8 lb walleye on it and she loves it. well by the time they get the mess cleaned up they are both alittle sick. we have 5 nice eyes from about 5 lbs to about 8 lbs. and one real nice steelhead. so they want to call it quits. im out of comission for the next little while so i say its up to them.

we get started in and the starbord engine is overheating. we had to shut it down and limp in on one engine in reverse to go forward. but we make it. its about 1:00 pm when we start. its about 5 when we get home. so the next day we work on the boat. its got a new raw water pump on it. the only thing we find is its about 3 quarts low on coolant. we start it and run it with water going to the pick up for the raw water pump. its stays cool. a few days later we get back out. were running along about 9 miles out and about half way out and the engine just dies. we get 1 fish, and limp back in with one motor. the next day we try to find out whats wrong. we use starting fluid and it fires then just dies. i clean some of the connections and just wiggle things around hoping to find something. well after about 2 hours of this i tell my son to just put it in neutral and try it. it starts right up and runs good. we get back out in a few days. we wanted to fish close and had marked fish. so we went out at geneva. it ran good all the way out. and we trolled for a few hours and had 2 fish. so we gave up and planned to go over to conny the next few days. the weather was going to be good the next 3 or 4 days. we headed in and went about 1/2 mile she backfired and died. we couldnt get her to even fire. so we limped back in again.

we worked on it the next day at the campgrounds. found out that we wernt getting any fire to the plugs at all. and the weather forcast was right for a change, we had a couple of stray thunderstorms. but not much wind and calm water. but we spent those 4 days in the camp playing dice games and just camping with the family. and just knowing the other guys are out there catching fish,LOL.

the next time you have a bad day think about my whole year, and say what i say to keep going. it could have been alot worse. and im no quitter, so were not only planning on our 2 week trip next july but were planning to try and make a few more trips. if im still able to fish and gas prices dont go any higher. we plan to get the boat running again and put a left hand prop on her,LOL. then just take her up the first trip to geneva and store her up there for the season.

oh yea i almost forgot. on the way home i decided to stop and rest for alittle bit. so we stopped in a rest area and i went back to the old motorhome and started the generator and turned the air on. about that time the generator stopped and the pretty blue smoke just rolled out. then it wouldnt even turn over and smelled really bad.

i thought i would get home and just not come out for the rest of the year. oops that wont work, got home and our house air was broken,LOL. you wander why i say LOL. well its either LOL or sit down in the middle of the floor and cry like a little girl that has broken her best doll.,LOL. i choose to LOL. good luck and good fishing to you all.

sherman

i would be buying these but i just bought the pro tournaments. he is offering somebody a good buy here. i would have bought the brutes myself, but i just couldnt afford to buy the brutes. they are almost 1200.00 for a pair on ebay. so 800.00 for a pair is a good price. of course i would try to get him to come down just alittle,LOL. but they are priced good.

sherman

i just started using the pro tournaments this year, as a matter of fact i,ve only used the auto stop one time and that was in the parking lot here at the campgrounds. but i hope to put some wear on them tomorrow. now i know to watch the crimps for fraid cabels. thanks guys for the warning.

sherman

it sounds like its just time to do some sweet talking. and remind her its better to have a good husband out fishing instead of out bar hopping,LOL. works for my wife. she is alot better about me doing the fishing thing than the bar thing.

NOW GO START WORKING ON THERE BEST PRICE. YOU CAN ALWAYS TELL HER HOW MUCH YOU GOT THEM TO COME DOWN.

sherman

man just think what that zilla would have been come aug or maby sept. WOW!!

sherman

I had the opportunity to take my daughter Krista out Sunday night. Her first two Walleye of her life where twin 5+ ponders. here's one of them.

Monday night Cousin Brent joined me and landed this nice 10 pounder.

Brent also landed this nice 7 pounder.

your daughter seems to handle that slimey old walleye just like you old pro,s. does she have that fishing blood way down in her soul, like some of us have?? great job by the way, keep up the good wofk.

sherman

im with all eyes. the biggest and only one i ever caught that was that big was a 35. i caught it in manistee lake about 20 some years ago. we,ve always got alot of 27,s and 28,s there in the fall. i,ve heard of big fish up there but that one is the only miss piggy i ever got that was weighed anyway.

i would have loved to have made another trip to manistee this year. but i,ve just had so much going on and the gas gods are being so greedy i just dont think i,ll try this year

sherman

i think alot of what you say makes sence. and you may be right about other woods working better. but then on the other hand the boards are not left to sit in the water long enough for them to swell very much. not enouh to hurt anything as a bunk board. and it wouldnt hurt anything if it did swell alittle.

i could be wrong but i believe any wood boat works better if allowed to swell and seal all the small cracks. but just about any wood will swell if left exposed to water for along peroid of time.

and this just gives you an idea how long these hardwoods will last with no coatings at all.

and they do make building materials now that could be used for bunk boards that should outlast both of us,LOL.

hey its been very interesting talking about this on here. but i think we,ve hyjacked his thread long enough.

and like most trailers just plane wood with a good paint and carpet should last you for a few years anyway. or the plane treated wood with a good bunk grade carpet should last for years. and as far as being in contact with your aluminum boat if you got a hole in the carpet. you would have to load the boat to the very same spot every time you loaded it. or leave it sitting for a few years to do any real damage.

sherman

i live in indiana, and dont fish either right now. but i fished both places when i did fish. there were times when st joe would have alittle better fishing, but on a day to day i always liked south haven much much better. it got to where we didnt even go to st joe, we did all our summer fishing in south haven. now spring time was anothe story. new buffalo was our spring spot, as soon as the ice was gone.

as for the area itself, its south haven all over again. we all just love south haven. to me it just seemed much cleaner, and the people were always friendly. i dont mean to put st joe down either, its still a great place. but you asked us to compare it to south haven. either place would be a good place to live for a person who fishes. and the st joe river has some great walleye and cat fishing. but i,ll take south haven. hope this helps.

sherman

I wouldn't recommend oak for bunk purposes. It has open pores on the surface which promotes mold growth as well as being reactive with many metals plus it's prone to shrink. Plus being a lot more $$$

Every bunk I've seen has been made of treated lumber. The carpet covering should be enough to protect the hull. Even if a small hole develops the hull will still not be on direct contact with the board. I would recommend double dip hardware though.

i dont know where your getting your info on oak boards. now i could see where any green wood might react to metal. but a seasoned oak board is one of the most weather resistant woods there is. but there is alot of other hardwoods besides oak. redwood, ash, birch, walnut, cypress, and many many more. and any of them will outlast treated wood. and like you said yourself its going to have carpet on it.

the biggest reason most people dont use hard wood is its just not readily available. and so many people believe the treated lumber is so much better, but it is just so much cheaper. than say oak or redwood. the oak on my trailer has been just great with no problems at all. but then i put the roller bunks on mine. but i havent got any mold or rot whatsoever, and its been on there atleast 10 yrs. but then your intitled to your opinion just like me.

i,ll never use anything besides some kind of hard wood. and all marine grade plywood is made with some type of hardwood. birch, oak, ash, walnut, cherry, teak, just to name a few of the woods used in marine grade plywood. but its all seasoned and not green.

sherman

if you ever go through this again try to find a lumber supply store that carries or can get you some hard wood ie oak, just make sure its hard wood. it will last for 20 yrs. i have oak beams on my trailer then cut them at the same angle as the bottom of the boat. then bought the little roller bunks from bass pro shops and mounted on top. its as good as having an easy load trailer. but ive had these hard wood boards on my trailer with no coating or paint for atleast 10 yrs and they are still just as good as the day i put them on there.

you,ve heard of marine grade plywood, well all it is, is its made with hard wood. thats what makes it last so long.

as for the wood you used, yes you want to use a good exterior paint and put a good coating of paint on them. it will just make them last for a few more years. or thats what i would do if it were me. good boating.

sherman

lordoftheriggers is out of stock tell Aug. 8th i was just wondering if there was any other dealers

the only other place i know of except big jon,s web site is fishingandhuntingusa.com, you might check them out. but he,s just another guy trying to make a living. his name is greg, you can call him at 251-943-5585, or you can call rick at big jon 231-275-1010. this is all the info i have, hope its enough.

sherman

you can call tony as stated below, or you can just go to lordoftheriggers.com, he has his motors on sale right now. but he may even cut you a better deal if you call him. but his standard motors are on sale for 99.00 each or you can get the pro tournament motors for 115.00, and i believe the pro tournament motors will work on other units. they are just stronger faster motors. good luck.

sherman

i had great luck with my 2 riggers last year over on erie. things did work out to where i have my 4 electric big jons with auto stops this year. im planning on trying to wear them all 4 out next month.

just to much old school in my blood. if 2 worked good 4,s got to be better. i dont know if thats a question or a statement. but next month i,ll find out the answer. or will i??

so far i have enjoyied all the coments. keep em comin

looks like that one went on a crash diet!!!!ha ha ha!!

sherman