Building C's

I made my own rod cush. Bought a 3 pack of paint rollers, 2 foam pipe insulation tubes, and a roll of tarp duct tape which is water proof. They work awesome and it only costs $10 to make 3.

<img src="http://www.greatlakesfisherman.com/gallery/files/3/3/4/2/planer_box.jpg" alt="Planer Board Storage" />

Went 4 for 5 from 8:30-11:30 today. First fish was a 22.2# king. Caught 2 coho and a steelhead. 4 hits came on a magic man spoon and the other was a PK SPECIAL. started in 130 and worked to 150 on a 308 And 130 heading.

The fish love Garth Brooks, "when the thunder rolls" on my boat. I've got a few playlists depending on the audience. The temptations and chicago are playing when my dad is on the boat, otherwise it is country stations on pandora.

I use Greased Lightning. You can get it at any store. Home Depot, Menards, Lowes.

I recommend costa del mars. I've got the 580 glass lenses and they are truly amazing. They cost a pretty penny, so attach a lanyard on the back. Like it was mentioned before, you have to find the right frame size. Just because you like how they look doesn't mean they will fit you well. I've got the PERMIT frames.

Spring time at the classic offers some wicked weather. Might want to hope for a boat with a hard top. Bring your rain gear and warm clothes.

I'm making some upgrades on some rod holders and dipsy rods. Mounted my go pro deck cam to practice when the season starts. Also had our dock lowered this week so that will help from the low water levels. Gonna dredge our slip in 2 weeks. I really tweaked my daily fishing log spreadsheet to show not only this season's data, but cumulative data that I collected over the past 2 years. The results are blowing my mind. Other than that, tied a few meat rigs, made a few ingenious modifications that will make life easier on the boat, and buy some more stuff at the Grand Rapids Show!!!!

I use the LED tea lights and just velcro them to my planer boards. Works way better and brighter than anything I've seen.

It would have to be scented. Either moonshine or 10 sprays of cologne.

Anyone got some instructional videos on how to take the skin off? I would love to see some.

I never use those line counters. They are terrible. I have a 300' measuring tape and go in the street to measure my coppers exactly. I have measured the actual lengths of the spools of coppers (i.e. 300') multiple times and they are never correct. They spools those on by weight not by actual footage. As far as the backing goes, I put as much super braid I can and then 10' of 50# mono of 100# thick braid to attach the board too, and then the copper. I may mess up the first spool and have to remove some backing, but after that I have it down pact. The reel fill guide is an excellent tool. When your copper and DRY braid go on, the spool will be REALLY REALLY FULL. Don't worry unless you can't reel at all. After the spool is full, start out in the beginning of the season and let the entire line out in 100 FOW and reel it in. The WET braid will shrink everything down and run smoothly.

Please see the log that I made. Let me know of any changes you would make.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1vHmHFiXO86WGRVQW13MjJ0eHM/edit

Do you guys dry the eggs with paper towels or do you like them a little drippy? I made some the other day and did not dry them and it is a WET mixture in the bag. I used Bor X O Fire.

Got out today and followed the 006 degree heading out of New Buffalo to 55 FOW and worked on the south and west to 73 FOW and circled around a bit to get 2 lakers on a plug and dodger & Spin n glo. Heard there were some fish between 80 and 90 FOW so we ventured out there and picked up 2 kings and a laker. All three fish came on the SOG spoon. Two Kings on minis and a laker on the MAG. Great temps out there but no noticeable pattern where the fish were biting. Found 45 degrees at 63' and plenty of cold water. Lots of bait out there and saw some monsters on the graph. Meat rigs were dead along with dodger and flies. We threw the lakers back and the kings were stuffed with bait. Kings were 7 & 15# and the Lakers were 6, 8, & 12#s.

I will be out on 8/1 in that area sound hopefully the fish have stuck around!! Call me on the radio on 68. Building C's

Hey Guys,

I'm looking for some input on electric fillet knives. I will be cleaning my fish on the boat and have an electric outlet for corded ones. I just wanted to see which few are the best. I heard some come with smaller blades and some only last a year or 2. A carving knife might do the trick too. Anyone use one of those?

Let me know what ya think.

Good Job!

look at gopro.com They have a waterproof camera for $200 and a mount that clamps to rod holders and Masthead lights which is what Im gonna do.

You gotta have the Brad's version with the rattle inside. Run them in the top 5' of water and you should do fine. The Rainbow one works best for me.

I'm 24 and took my captains course last year around this time. I mostly did it for the safety and knowledge of boating. There was no fishing in the book. I went to school and graduated with a degree in construction. I don't have much intention to charter a boat until I master the real world first.

If you charter from April to September then what will you do for money during the off season? I know there will be shows and a few side jobs, but that ain't gonna cut it. Some people plow snow or move away to work elsewhere. If you get your captain's license then you could look for opportunities to utilize it like moving large boats or go to ocean water and charter or mate during the winters.

You could become a teacher and have summers off. That to me sounds like the best of both worlds. Make money during the off season and then make more money fishing. The only problem with that is finding a wife that will let you fish all you want in the summer. GOOD LUCK!!!

Maybe look into a job that you can save money on your boat with like a mechanic or something you could do yourself instead of always having to pay someone services for.

GO GET IT!!!

I have the tite loks and wish I bought the Big Jons. I've only had them for 2 seasons and they are a pain to move up and down. The thing I was sold on was the rotating base, which now almost all rod holders have. As soon as I save up enough money or if they break, I'm getting the Big Jons.

I have a 2003 31' Open. It is a great boat!!! I have a canvas top and wish I had a hard top. One thing I noticed is the point of view when you are standing at the wheel. There is a bar on the windshield that makes an average guy of around 6' tall hunch to see clearly. My dad and I just started getting serious about fishing and have to use only 1 engine and a drift sock to get slow around 2.2 to 3mph. The only real problem that lies with that is the port engine batteries charge the other batteries while running, which means you shouldn't run the starboard engine all day. You will need to switch periodically. We have thought about a longshaft kicker motor to conserve gas, but it would be hard to hold course on the autopilot due to the 3' draft of the boat. For the freshwater pump hose, we made the diameter of the hose larger on the pump to get better pressure. Whenever anyone comes on our boat, they alway brag how much room and space there is on the back. We still haven't found a great cooler location yet.

Here is my setup to glow my lures. I was thinking about moving the lights to the sides of the box so I could light up both sides of the lures.

Could you post the brine recipe??

I use the leader material, but if the line works then I will use that.